Paxton House, Berwick, Contents and Endowment

Acquisition of part contents and endowment of Paxton House, a Palladian mansion with service wings, built in 1758-63 to designs of John Adam by Patrick Home of Billie, together with 80 acres of gardens, parkland, woodland and river frontage. It has a collection of Chippendale furniture made especially for the House which is rated as one of the top four in the country, and encompasess not only the principal rooms but also the bedrooms, dressing rooms and servants' quarters. As well as Chippendale, the house also contains fine furniture by William Trotter of Edinburgh. Paxton was Trotter's most lavish and pre-eminent commission and shows that his work was comparable with the most fashionable London furniture. Landscaped in the 18th Century by Robert Robinson, Paxton now lies at the heart of eighty acres of woodland, parkland and gardens.