The Collection
The Mansion at Tatton Park houses a large and diverse collection
from paintings to vehicles, furniture to ethnography. The
collection reflects the evolving tastes and interests of the
different generations of the family to own and inhabit the
house.
The Library at Tatton Park contains 8,000 volumes, with a
further 4,000 elsewhere in the collection. It is one of the largest
and most important collections within the National Trust. As
successive owners have added their layer of collecting to the
Library we can develop a picture of their lives and
pre-occupations.
Perhaps the greatest collector of art was Wilbraham Egerton
(1781 -1856). Wilbraham’s acquisition of paintings by such masters
as Van Dyck, Poussin, Chardin, Carraci and Guercino provided Tatton
with a world class art collection.
It was Wilbraham and his wife Elizabeth (1777 – 1853) who
oversaw the completion, decoration and furnishing of the
Neo-classical Mansion. Tatton’s collection of Gillow furniture is
unrivalled in this country, and it was they who commissioned many
of the pieces especially for the house.
Fine ceramics also grace the Mansion’s interiors. Collected by
successive generations, they illustrate the changing status and
fortunes of the family. A beautiful Minton dessert service in the
Sèvres style, purchased circa 1865 with additional pieces
being acquired in the 1870’s, graces the Dining Room table. Display
cabinets in the Card Room and on the upper landing of the Mansion
display fine examples from the collection.
In the Servants’ wing of the house a purpose built “China
Closet” is situated beside the Housekeeper's Sitting Room. Here the
Housekeeper would monitor the precious and expensive pieces of
ceramic which were used by the servants in the preparation and
serving of food to the Egerton family and their guests.
Tatton Park's full collection can now be viewed online through
the new
National Trust Collections website. Over 10,000 of Tatton
Park items are included.
To find out more about different areas of the collection please
select from the menu on the left.