Bolsover Castle

Bolsover was a spectacular location for feasting and banqueting. It became a place for lavish entertainments and a range of fashionable cultural pursuits.

William’s family, including his brother Charles and his second wife Margaret, made important contributions to mathematics, philosophy, science and literature. Bolsover was called ‘The Muses’ Mount’.

Ben Jonson, friend and rival to Shakespeare, came to Bolsover in 1618. He may have helped to plan the decoration.

Jonson wrote poetry and dramatic pieces for the Cavendish family, and William became his most generous friend and sponsor.

William gradually extended the Terrace Range along the hillside. He added elaborate kitchens, a grand dining room, formal bed chambers, and a magnificent long gallery.

This section is now a ruin.

William added a riding house for training in ceremonial and martial horsemanship, or 'manège'.

He was an exceptionally skilled rider and published illustrated books on his theories and methods.

The design of the Little Castle used ideas from many sources. Artistic and architectural elements were borrowed from some of the most famous creations of the Renaissance.

It would have been impressive and amusing to encounter this sophisticated curiosity in rural Derbyshire.

Visitors to the Little Castle enter the Anteroom first. They are immediately faced with a peculiar wall painting showing a platform with classical pillars, and a temple in the distance, resting on clouds.

The rising and narrowing ascent to the entrance continues into an idyllic celestial world, like the imaginary world of a stage set.

Many of the paintings in the Little Castle were based on small Dutch and Italian prints on paper.

Three pictures in the anteroom were taken from a series of the Temperaments, or Humours, copied from Martin de Vos.

See the original print now owned by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

William’s cultured guests would have known that a fourth Temperament from the series, Sanguine, was missing.

It was part of the fun of a visit to spot the changes from the original artworks, and to work out what these changes might mean.

The name ‘William’ is written in the book of the melancholic lady. Her face may be a portrait of Elizabeth. The couple were married shortly before the paintings were commissioned.

The panelling is painted to imitate walnut and embellished with gold. The design was copied from the royal palace of Theobalds in Hertfordshire, one of the most elegant mansions in England.

The ceiling is carved with winged horses taken from Sebastiano Serlio’s influential work 'On Architecture'.

The paintings set into the panelling depict the five senses, from prints copied from Frans Floris.

The senses were associated with moral danger and the effort required to overcome temptation. The struggle to reconcile pleasure to virtue was connected to the myth of Hercules, who rejected the seductive path of vice.

The room is light and airy with large windows looking out to the sky and the valley below.

Visitors following the story of Hercules might have recalled that when the hero attained virtue, he became a constellation of stars.

The starry ceiling also echoed the traditional decoration of theatres, such as Shakespeare’s Globe in London.

The two gentlemen in the corner appear to be in a gallery, as if watching a play. It's possible these figures are portraits of William and his brother Charles.

The paintings in the Marble Closet may have been added for the royal visit of 1634.

Perhaps the King and Queen appeared to be living emblems, enacting 'Peace and Concord', just as William and his wife were enacting 'Sanguine'?

On the ceiling, eleven angels dance with Jesus in a cloudy sky. More angels play a variety of instruments in a heavenly orchestra.

The scene is a riot of movement and sound, an outpouring of jubilation. Joy triumphs over sorrow.

Another angel descends with a trumpet of fame and a garland of roses. If William had stood by the window, he would have appeared to receive the garland.

The figure of Christ at the centre of the ceiling may be based on famous depictions of the Day of Judgement. Perhaps the virtuous William was invited to rise into heaven to dance with the angels.

The scheme shows classical gods and other figures in the pagan heaven of Elysium.

The panelling was originally painted blue with a design in gold that resembled woodgrain, marble or flames.

This could have alluded to celestial fire, transformation and the burning passions of love and creativity.

The pictures on the cornices are composed of pairs of classical gods and goddesses.

Each figure is connected to images on the ceiling above. Juno looks up at another version of herself where she has given birth to a son.

The scheme celebrates physical desire and the creation of children, expressing hopes for a flourishing Cavendish dynasty.

The stairs continue upwards to the roof, which was originally flat. The little turrets at the corners were intended for banqueting and William's visitors would have admired the breathtaking views from the top of the tower.

William may have put on displays of swordsmanship and horsemanship in the garden and the outer courtyard.

Visitors could have watched from the wall walk, the flat roofs of the Little Castle and the Terrace Range, or from the balcony of the Elysium Closet.

The Little Castle is both inventive and delightfully quirky. Viewing the decoration is a multisensory experience. The paintings are amusing, perhaps even a little shocking, but their aim is to encourage and inspire.

At Bolsover, William and his guests could enjoy all the pleasures of the body and still find a place in heaven.