3-047-045 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Elveden Hall, Suffolk, 1872. '...seat of the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh...Elveden, or Elden, as it is sometimes called,...is considered one of the best for shooting purposes in that part of England...The old house had nothing of architectural merit, having a flat and prison-like appearance, of the worst period of English architecture. The Maharajah, when he bought it, commissioned Mr. Norton, the architect, to add a wing to the building, which had, of necessity, to be designed in the Italian style. Before the completion of this wing the Maharajah determined to pull down the entire mansion, with the exception of two rooms. It has since been reconstructed, and forms an imposing block of buildings, in red brick, with stone dressings. The main shell being completed, Mr. Norton was instructed to decorate the interior with pure Indian ornament, which he has been able to carry out by the aid of photographs, objects in the India Museum, and details obtained from a collection of native water-colour drawings, brought by the Prince from Lahore and elsewhere'. In 1849, Duleep Singh, the last true ruler of the Sikh Empire and owner of the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond, was exiled to England, having been removed from his kingdom by the British East India Company. From "Illustrated London News", 1872.