The Crimson Drawing Room

The principal reception room in the Speaker’s House takes its name from the magnificent wall hangings. These are reproductions of the original 19th century silk ones whose pattern was based on an Italian Renaissance design.

Below the hangings the walls are panelled with a frieze of shields of early Speakers. The carpet repeats a design by A W Pugin, which was not among those originally intended for the New Palace at Westminster but has been extensively used here since the mid 1980s.

Most of the furniture in this room was among those pieces specially designed for the Speaker’s House in 1858, possibly by John Braund. The octagonal table is particularly attractive and is a variant of the many oak ones which Pugin designed for different parts of the building.

The chairs with barley-twist legs came from Pugin’s own house, The Grange at Ramsgate. A large collection of furniture from this source was acquired by the Houses of Parliament in 1985.

The portraits in the room mostly date from the 17th century. In the centre of the north wall is that of Francis Rous. This painting, which shows Rous in a distinctive, tall, broad brimmed, black hat, is a 19th century copy by Frederick Newenham of the original portrait made in 1653, the year Rous was Speaker. Rous was subsequently Provost of Eton College and the original portrait hangs in the Provost’s lodge at Eton. To one side of the fireplace is the portrait of Sir John Trevor, who was Speaker from 1685 to 1695. This painting is probably a 19th century copy of a late 17th century portrait by Johann Closterman.

On the opposite side of the fireplace is the portrait of Sir John Mitford, later Lord Redesdale, who was Speaker from 1801 to 1802. Sir Thomas Lawrence painted it, probably in 1804 when Lord Redesdale presented it to the Speaker’s House.