A miraculous survival

IF architectural proof were ever required that miracles can happen, the Great Chamber of Gilling Castle could surely be cited as evidence. Walking through the 18th-century hall—described last week —the modern visitor steps into one of the most completely preserved Elizabethan interiors on the grand scale in Britain; an easy match for the splendours of the long gallery at Haddon or the great chamber at Hardwick.

This room was the creation of a wealthy gentleman, Sir William Fairfax, whose great-grandfather had asserted ownership of the castle in 1492. He served with distinction as a soldier in Elizabeth I’s Scottish wars and was knighted at Berwick in 1560, 11 years before succeeding to his estates in 1571. Despite being suspected of Catholic sympathies, he went on to be appointed sheriff of the county for 1577–78. The decoration of the great chamber makes it clear that he was fascinated by heraldry and a list of his books (or possibly those belonging to his son) reveals a library of works in Latin, French and English, including history, politics, theology, topography and