Inside Brandesburton Hall: Summer 1923

By Gifty Burrows

It is often difficult to imagine the interior of past country houses especially one as unusual as Brandesburton Hall. A selection of articles have been collated here to give an impression of what might have been seen on a visit to the hall in the summer of 1923.

A report in the Leeds Mercury of July 1923 [1] clearly outlines what was seen at Brandesburton Hall after it was announced that Scarborough would be getting the collection. The details give a clear view of what inside the hall might have looked like.

‘The many hundreds of finely preserved and mounted specimens of beast and bird, fish and reptile, compose a museum of rare variety.

On a visit to Brandesburton Hall, where the collection still remains exactly as it was left by its owner, I was impressed with its size and variety. The numerous specimens occupy a large salon, billiard room, smoke room, reception room, and the spacious hall.

Walls well-nigh covered with the noble heads of powerful animals speak of many stern fight and tedious trek, whilst the assortment of novelties from the more familiar ‘Chinese do’ to the pigmy drum are eloquent of an intimacy with native peoples which only the life-long explorer can attain.’

‘The skins and heads of countless beasts cover the floor of the rooms. Despite the wide variety of the array, it impresses in its present setting, with its grandeur, and from every specimen one gathers the romance of the hunt, the thrill of the capture. There is nothing artificial. It is just a graphic, real and impressive record of adventure in Nature’s wildest domains.

The most arresting specimen of all this collection is fittingly enough an Indian lion, powerful and magnificent, the embodiment of that fearless strength which has made of this beast the king of his kind.’

‘The horns of a white rhinoceros forms one of the rarest specimens whilst Abyssinian zebras, hippopotamus, a Congo buffalo and a Nubian ibex are amongst some of the other large and most impressive relics.

A pair of elephant’s tusks measuring not less than eight feet in length and surmounted by native spears and shields form a magnificent fireside decoration.

It was chiefly through his adventures into Central Africa that this intrepid Yorkshireman achieved some fame as an explorer. He was the first white man to discover several of the most obscure pigmy tribes and this work is recorded in a collection of rare animals and tribal equipment which must stand unique.’

‘The wild pig, black fronted duiker, river hog, gazelle and a host of other animals, many of which are to be found only in darkest Africa testify to the explorer’s hazardous penetration into unknown territory.

A pigmy drum made of skins worked in artistic design, inlaid spears, deadly arrows and other native instruments of war conjure up visions of warlike dances and blood-thirsty encounters.

To describe or even to enumerate the vast collection would be a formidable task. Every continent is represented with beast or bird, fish or reptile. The earliest specimens are dated in the eighties and for twenty years or more each succeeding trip has left its fascinating quota. Scarborough will indeed have cause to be proud of so valuable a legacy.

A further insight is given by The Yorkshire Evening Post [2] is as follows:

‘He had hundreds of trophies from of the chase from all parts of the world and this was kept in a museum which he had built as an adjunct to his house in Brandesburton.’

The head of an African lion in a glass case, the skin separate.

‘Above a fireplace, the head of a hippopotamus, and the tusk of a wild elephant. The latter has a length of over seven feet and each has a weight of solid ivory of nearly eight stones. Perhaps the most famous item of the Harrison collection is what is known as “the Harrison antelope”, a beautiful specimen of the gazelle tribe, which standing full-grown not more than 14 inches, is unique.

The pads of several elephant feet and large and small tusks displayed on a wall, ‘the smaller from a female elephant of much finer quality of pure white ivory.

The most wonderful private collection of wild animals and bird specimens in England. There are hundreds of the ranging from tiny monkeys of Somaliland and the whole range of chinchillas and other specimens of the rat tribe in South America, to giraffes, hippopotamus, rhinoceroses and elephants of the Congo, tigers and leopards of Bengal, jaguars and pumas of Paraguay, and moose, buffalo and bears of North America. There are horned Indian rhinoceros shot in 1892 and the other which was killed in the Congo in 1904. The heads of two hippopotamus killed in the Zambesi are enormous affairs and a yellow-maned African lion had a length of nearly 10 feet.’

 And still more:

‘…a rare specimen of a blue gnu from East Africa, and Indian buffalo, an eight-feet jaguar and an Indian leopard of 8 ½ feet. Giraffes of all sizes and varieties are represented along with zebras, elks, waterbuck, wildebeest and numerous specimens form the gazelle tribe’.

‘interesting relics of the pygmy tribes…their many kinds of weapons – spears, bows and arrows …along with a small red and white flag … given by H. M. to the pygmies when he was on his way through their country to meet Livingstone.

The Courier [3] reports, “In every corner of the beautiful home is some trophy of the chase, from buffalo to hippopotamus, down to a dainty little African duiker and the diminutive dik-dik, and glass cases containing birds, animals, and reptiles from all corners of the earth.”

Spears and shields were on the wall along with a number of inlaid spears, deadly arrows and knives.

Messrs Elwell and Sons of Beverley conducted the sale of the contents of Brandesburton Hall on Wednesday 26 Sept 1923 [4]. This was well attended by gentry from a very wide area and some of the details provide an insight into the material surroundings of the Harrisons.

Amongst some of the listings were the following:

Results of the first 3 days sale

• A gramophone cabinet - £68, bought by Mr. Wasdell

• An exceptionally fine Japanese painting of a lion and lioness - £40, bought by F.G. Hobson

• A Louis XV commode - £41, bought by Mr. Thomas

• A Chesterfield settee - £33, bought by Dr. Turton

• Oriental carpets - fetched between £10 and £41

• The fine antique lacquered 8-day long case clock - £23, bought by Mr. Wick. 

• A large William IV silver oblong tea tray 198 oz. realised - £49.10s, bought by Mssrs Purdon of Bridlington

• A fine Crown Derby desert service in white and gold - £43

• A fine Crown Derby dinner and supper service comprising 179 pieces - £157.10s, bought by Mr H Blairman of Harrogate

• A Crown Derby dark blue dinner service of 150 pieces - £100, bought by Mr Treasure

• The Tompion Bracket clock - £117.10s

• The billiard table - £70

• 10 pairs of curtains - £126

The total in the first three days: £5,550

This list was compiled by Dr J.E.S. (Stuart) Walker, co-founder of Hornsea Museum, 1996

Also sold were:

• Several pairs of costly decorated velvet curtains

• Fine Korean cabinets with elaborate brass mountings

• Fine old barometer and thermometer in decorated rosewood case

• Excellent bordered Indian carpet

• Antique carved oak cabinet

• Fine antique 8-day clock in black and gilt English lacquer case

• Valuable large old 11ft 4in x 7ft 6in Persian rug in rich colourings 

• Old oak dresser with 5 drawers and two enclosed cupboards with brass furnishings

• Elaborately carved oak hall chairs

• Handsome Florentine ruby and gold-embroider velvet curtains and valance

• A bordered Turkey carpet

• Persian corridor rug or runner

• Costly cabinet gramophone (“His Master’s Voice”) in carved mahogany case

• An exceptionally find picture of a ‘Lion and Lioness’ in silk and wood frame by a celebrated Japanese artist

• A carved Chinese cabinet enriched with figures monkeys

• Engraved and pierced Egyptian brass vase

• Melas carpet 16ft by 14ft 6in in blue and white colouring in a Chinese design

• Large bearskin rug

• Lounge easy chair on carved mahogany cabriole legs in blue Jasper velvet

• Luxurious 6ft 6in Chesterfield settee with two loose cushions

• Costly Louis XV commode in Kingswood

• Oval mahogany writing table elaborately carved in the Chippendale style

• French mantel clock

• Set of writing table requisites in red tortoise shell Buhl

• Bronze electric table lamp with costly Tiffany glass shade



We would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by our citizen researcher John Patrick, Scarborough Library and the staff at Hornsea Museum.