Robert Adam, the influential 18th-century neo-Classical architect and designer, viewed his interior-design projects as nothing less than works of art. Never one to suffer from undue modesty, his ideal was a stylistic cohesion where he would design every aspect of a room. Each element – from ceiling to carpet – was a brushstroke in his finished picture of Graeco-Roman opulence.
In Saltram, a George II-era mansion overlooking Devon’s River Plym, that all-enveloping vision is still evident, magnificently displayed in the Saloon.
Hidden treasure
John Parker - the well-connected son of a wealthy landowner - inherited Saltram in 1768. The house had been extensively remodelled by his parents, who commissioned a grand Palladian mansion to wrap around an existing manor house; that Tudor core can still be seen at the heart of present-day Saltram. John’s father, also John, left plenty of cash to continue the work of aggrandising the property – ‘cash’ being the operative word. It was said
