BIFMO–FHS Digital Research Project

A Room in Transformation

Tracing the lost Circular Saloon and the changing Octagon Drawing Room at Raby Castle, from John Carr to William Burn—and from archive to surviving object.

Enter the room

Explore the evidence

One room. Many lives.

Confirmed

Probable

Possible

Open question

1785 — Carr’s Circular Drawing Room

John Carr’s Circular Drawing Room was conceived as the central feature of a larger tower at Raby Castle. The 7 October 1785 ‘temporary roof’ memorandum provides a rare glimpse into the early stages of construction, detailing the structural challenges of a circular space. This period also saw the introduction of a Gothic Axminster carpet, which may have been a direct response to the architectural form, blending Gothic ornamentation with the practicality of a circular floor plan.

Archival plan, 1785

1814 — The “New Octagon Room”

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The installation of the 1814 fireplace design remains unconfirmed. While the architectural plans and inventory records indicate a significant transformation from the earlier circular form, the physical evidence of the fireplace's installation within the current octagonal structure is currently open to scholarly inquiry.

1815 — Of circular form

“The circular drawing-room at Raby Castle is a room of singular interest. It is of a circular plan, and its interior decoration is of a Gothic character, which is said to have been executed with great taste and expense.”

Entry 989

View of the Gothic drawing-room in Raby Castle

Recorded in the Royal Academy catalogue of 1820, this entry serves as a critical visual anchor for the architectural transformation of the Octagon Drawing Room. The drawing captures the Gothic revival aesthetic, featuring pointed arches and intricate woodwork, providing a rare glimpse into the interior’s early 19th-century form.

Archival Catalogue: Royal Academy of Arts, 1820

The Picture We Have Not Found

The 1820 Royal Academy catalogue entry is the primary visual evidence for the room’s Gothic phase. It confirms the presence of a pointed arch and the Gothic Axminster carpet. However, the absence of a surviving physical drawing from this period presents a significant research gap. This missing visual record prevents a direct comparison with the later Burn-era interior, leaving us to interpret the architectural shift through the lens of the catalogue and the 1815 Lancaster Gazette description.

Research Note: The 1820 entry proves the existence of a Gothic interior, but the exact nature of the transformation remains uncertain without further physical evidence.

1838 — After dinner at Raby

Based on Sallie Coles Stevenson’s visitor account, this period reveals the intimate social history of the Octagon Drawing Room. Her observations capture the transition from formal dining to the more relaxed sociability of the evening, documenting the exchange of tea, the warmth of conversation, and the refined atmosphere of music and sociability that defined life at Raby.

1842 — An inventory fills the room

Warmth

Seating

Tables

Light

Heated stone floor
Large central hearth
Two large chimneys
Four small flues

Four crimson seat-furniture suites
Two large velvet armchairs
Two small side chairs
Two Gothic side tables

Octagonal library table
Giltwood pier table
Two Gothic side tables
Two small side tables

Chandelier with 24 glass bulbs
Two large mirrors
Two small mirrors
Four large windows

The Earlier Room Disappears

By 1844, the Gothic Octagon Drawing Room had undergone a profound metamorphosis. William Burn’s transformation was a deliberate act of architectural erasure, replacing the earlier Gothic features with a refined, modern interior that prioritized sociability and comfort. The room’s walls were covered in deep yellow silk and rich brocade, while the ceiling was adorned with elaborate gilding and mirrors. This period marks the final chapter of the Circular Saloon’s existence, as the Octagon Drawing Room we see today was born from the deliberate removal of the earlier Gothic elements and the installation of a new, more practical and elegant interior.