The pine and elm staircase winds upward as solid and grand as it is ornate. Under the handrail, carved acanthus leaves and seedpods swirl together. Double-headed birds peek from the foliage, looking at you from either side of the rail. Oak motifs honor the tree where Charles II hid from enemies during the English Civil War in the mid-17th century.
But the staircase is just a prelude to the artisanship and beauty to be seen in the other rooms. In the dining room, for example, statues of mythical Greek and Roman figures stand in alcoves. For centuries, these paragons of classical culture have kept watch over discourse from the likes of poet Thomas Moore and novelist Charles Dickens.
