State room
– British Isles
– State rooms in country houses were used occasionally in Great Britain and Ireland.
– Occupiers lived in other apartments, not the state rooms.
– State apartments were not freely open to all guests.
– Privilege determined admittance to state rooms.
– Odd number of state rooms with a central lavish room.
– Changes from the early 18th century
– Aristocratic lifestyles became less formal.
– Increase in shared living rooms with specialised functions.
– Bedroom suites became more private.
– State rooms in some houses lost original purpose.
– Some residences maintained original state suites.
– Nautical usage
– On ships, a state room refers to a superior first-class cabin.
– References
– Girouard, Mark (1978) – “Life in the English Country House”
– Halliday, F. E. (1967) – “Cultural History of England”
– “The Country House in Perspective” by Pavilion Books Ltd.
– Additional Information
– State rooms in European mansions were grand rooms for entertaining royalty.
– They were most lavishly decorated with fine works of art.
– State rooms were only found in houses of the upper aristocracy.
– State rooms were designed to accommodate and entertain distinguished guests.
– Original state rooms included a bedroom.
This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (November 2015) |
A state room in a large European mansion is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed for use when entertaining royalty. The term was most widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were the most lavishly decorated in the house and contained the finest works of art. State rooms were usually only found in the houses of the upper echelons of the aristocracy, those who were likely to entertain a head of state. They were generally to accommodate and entertain distinguished guests, especially a monarch and/or a royal consort, or other high-ranking aristocrats and state officials, hence the name. In their original form a set of state rooms made up a state apartment, which always included a bedroom.
