Treasure from the past brings history to life...

8:12am Monday 21st April 2008

The last time I'd been to Harewood House I was drinking beer in the sunshine and watching The Who belting out crowd-pleasers to several thousand people.

That was a couple of years ago at the O2 Wireless Festival when acts including The Zutons, Massive Attack and Goldfrapp also hit the stage in the Harewood grounds.

My recent visit was less rock 'n' roll. I started off wandering through the sumptuous gallery of the 18th century house, with its Italian Renaissance paintings and collection of Chinese porcelain, and ended up reading handwritten letters sent to Yorkshire's Princess.' The mother of Lord Harewood, and aunt of the Queen, Princess Mary lived at the house from 1930 until her death in 1965.

Regarded as one of England's greatest country houses, Harewood House was built by Edwin Lascelles in the 1760s and furnished by Otley-born Thomas Chippendale. From every window is a gorgeous view of the rolling landscape, originally created by Capability' Brown, which seems to go on forever.

The house is beautifully furnished and filled with art from three centuries but, for me, the most interesting area is below stairs where you can follow in the footsteps of staff who've serviced the house.

We entered the kitchen to the sight of what looked like a mannequin figure in a maid's uniform poring over a recipe book. It was only when she suddenly stood up straight that we realised she was a real live human!

She told us the aroma of fresh baking in the kitchen was coming from the food arranged on the table; plates were filled with delicious-looking Easter cakes, currant buns and pies. Seasonal food is cooked and displayed by Harewood's modern-day kitchen maids.

Leading off the kitchen is the servants' hall, filled with interactive artefacts creating a sense of a working house. A 19th century servant bellboard hang on the wall and you can open drawers and cupboards to discover more than 1,000 items from Harewood's past, from a dairy yoke to a Victorian home enema device!

One of the most fascinating items is the house inventory, containing an £86 bill from Chippendale for a gentleman's comode' on display upstairs. There's also a servants' wage book from 1874 to 1892, revealing that the cook was the highest paid, receiving £100 a year, and the kitchen maid was paid lowest, with just £12.

Servants' uniforms on display include a footman's state livery suit from the 1930s, and for young visitors, there's a dressing-up corner, with a rack of servant costumes to try on. At the click of a button, you can use a PC to dress virtual servants with various garments.

During both world wars, the house was used as a convalescent hospital for soldiers and among the items are medical equipment and gas masks. There's also a bomb mistakenly dropped on the house in 1916 when Zeppelins were searching for an underground munitions factory, disguised as a farm, near the Harewood estate.

In the former housekeeper's room is a display dedicated to Princess Mary. Her wedding dress lies beneath a photograph of her wearing it on her big day in 1923, surrounded by bridesmaids who included Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, aka the Queen Mother.

Upstairs, accessed via the main entrance, lies the centrepiece of an Oriental summer planned for Harewood. Events such as a Dragon Boat Festival and Chinese cookery demonstrations will be taking place during China at Harewood', celebrating the house's long-standing connection with Chinese arts.

At the heart of it all is the beautiful 18th century hand-painted Chinese wallpaper on display in the newly-restored East Bedroom. Dating back to the 1760s, it was discovered in rolls, wrapped in linen, by members of staff in a carpenter's loft on the estate. The wallpaper had travelled across the world to Harewood where it was lost' for more than 150 years.

Now it has been painstakingly restored and is described as one of the best examples of Chinese wallpaper in the world. It's exquisite. You could spend ages in that room looking at the romantic scenes of Chinese rural life covering each wall; scenes depicting people planting rice, making silk, fishing and enjoying domestic scenes.

The wallpaper is thought to have arrived at Harewood via Edwin Lascelles's brother, who was captain of an East India Company ship. Chinese wallpaper was popular among the 18th century aristocracy.

Also on display in the East Bedroom is a suite of ornate Chinese-style furniture designed by Chippendale to accompany the wallpaper.

Over the years Harewood's owners have added to the house's interior, creating an impressive collection of fine and decorative art. We latched onto a guided tour, culminating in the East Bedroom, and along the way learned about the furnishings on the ground floor, which is open to the public. The Lascelles family live upstairs.

The Spanish Library, where intriguing curved bookcases look like they could conceal James Bond-style secret chambers, is still used by the family and is where they have their Christmas tree. There are family photographs dotted about and Turner oil paintings adorn the walls.

The State Bedroom, in striking green and gold, showcases some of Harewood's grandest furniture. Taking pride of place is a magnificent Chippendale four-poster bed, which underwent a £200,000 restoration, and a gentleman's commode' thought to be the most valuable piece of Chippendale furniture in Britain.

While the house is well worth a visit, there's also plenty to do outside at Harewood, with attractions including the Yorkshire Planetarium, bird garden and adventure playground. Unfortunately the planetarium was closed during our visit and as it was pouring with rain we didn't spend much time in the grounds, but we'll certainly be back.

China at Harewood' events include food tasting, Chinese calligraphy, kite-making, tea-tasting, walks around the Himalayan Garden and exhibitions of contemporary Chinese art. On June 7 the grounds will be alive with the sound of drums beating, gongs ringing and paddles splashing at the Harewood Dragon Boat Festival. Second only to the Chinese New Year in the Chinese calendar, the festival commemorates Chinese statesman Qu Yuan who, 2,000 years ago, jumped into a river in political protest. His supporters jumped into their boats and raced in vain to his aid, banging pots and thrashing paddles.

On July 8 Antiques Roadshow host Eric Knowles will give a lecture called The China Trade and host a valuation day, with experts from Bonham's.

Upcoming outdoor concerts at Harewood include Girls Aloud, the Levellers, Seth Lakeman, the Proms Spectacular and Rock with Laughter, featuring Jasper Carrott, Lenny Henry, Jo Brand, the Manfreds, Phil Jupitus with the Blockheads, Elkie Brooks and the Bootleg Beatles.

• Harewood House and grounds are open from March 15 to November 2, 11am-4.30pm. Below Stairs and grounds remain open weekends until December 14.

• Travelling by car: From Bradford take the A658 past Leeds/Bradford Airport then the A61 to Harewood.

• By bus: Take a bus into Otley then the No 923 to Harewood. Admission is half price if you arrive by bus, on presentation of a bus ticket.

• For more information ring (0113) 218 1003 or visit harewood.org

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