Panelling from Red Lodge, 1529 (photo)

The paneling in this room comes from an upstairs corner room in Red Lodge, a small structure that in the sixteenth century was part of the Langley Park estate, along with a number of other buildings and a large deer park. Bearing the date 1529, the paneling was probably ordered by Sir John Style, a London alderman, whose son, Humphrey Style, became the sheriff of Kent. This paneling is one of the earliest dated examples with "Romayne" heads, inspired by profiles in the ancient Roman style that were found in sixteenth-century European prints. The paneling also features early-sixteenth-century-style heads that may have been intended as portraits. The rose, feathers, and pomegranate are the emblems of, respectively, the royal house of Tudor, the Prince of Wales, and Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII. Such heraldic references were common in paneling. The stone fireplace is of the period but not original to the room, while the window is modern but recalls a common Tudor type, incorporating coloured glass badges like the sixteenth-century coats of arms installed here. Made in West Wickham, Kent.