Eaton Hall.—Duke of Westminsterdetails

In the reign of Henry III. the manor of Eaton was possessed by Hamon de Pulford, whose son

Richard took his name of Eton from the place itself, and it continued with his descendants, the Etons, till after the death of

John Eton, whose daughter and heiress,

Joan Eton, by her marriage with Ralph, second son of Sir Thomas Grosvenor, conveyed it into the family of the present owner.

At the close of the last century Eaton Hall was a heavy brick mansion, built by the architect, Sir John Vanbrugh, on whom the sarcastic epitaph was written,

The gardens, too, were formed on a corresponding model, diversified with straight walks and leaden statues.

In the year 1803, the whole, with the exception of the basement storey, was pulled down by the then Marquis of Westminster, and the present pile erected in its stead, but owing to its great size and ornamented character, several years elapsed before it was finished, and it was not till 1825 that the main building was completed.

It consists of a centre and two wings, each differing in design from the other.

In the middle of the West front is a large portico, sustained by clusters of columns, under which there is a carriage-way to the steps before the principal entrance-hall.

The eastern front has a cloister along its whole length, and leads to a terrace three hundred and fifty feet long, from which an admirable view of the grounds and neighbouring country is obtained.

The grand entrance-hall is forty-one feet long by thirty-one feet wide, and is two storeys in height.

The dining-room is fifty feet long by thirty-seven feet wide, and contains several statues and valuable pictures.

The ante-drawing-room is painted in arabesque.

The drawing-room is of the same form as the dining-room, namely, fifty feet long and thirty-seven feet wide, and contains also many paintings of value.

Thelibrary is one hundred and twenty feet long, but of different degrees of

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