Wallington

Scottish artist William Bell Scott, close associate of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, is responsible for the set of huge murals in the entrance hall at Wallington, a grand National Trust property in Northumberland. Set within 13,000 acres of woodland, hills and pleasure gardens, this historic house is home to Scott’s notable series of eight large wall paintings, depicting the history of the area across 2,000 years in vibrant colours, and featuring recognisable figures from the time. The entrance hall they decorate was once an open courtyard, only roofed over in the 1850s as part of the changes wrought on the house over the years. In between the central panels of Scott’s paintings are pillars, also decorated, this time with floral designs by other individuals associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement: John Ruskin and English painter and illustrator Arthur Hughes. Explore the rest of the house to find further treasures, including a room filled with Victorian dolls’ houses. The most elaborate has 36 rooms, 1,500 pieces of furniture, tiny electric lights, and was once supplied with running water.