The hall is located on the central axis of the central block, on the principal floor, on the north front, between the music room and the dining room. It is 67 x 37 feet and 40 feet high, and was inspired by Palladio's Egyptian Hall, and Burlington's Assembly Rooms at York. The hall functioned as a grandiose entrance, and as a sculpture gallery. Making use of sculpture-filled niches had originally been Brettingham's idea, giving him the opportunity to sell casts to Curzon from 1760. Kenworthy-Browne suggests that Curzon must have instructed Paine and Adam to retain the use of niches in the hall in order to preserve its function as a gallery for his casts (see Adam volumes 40/3 and 40/4). The Nottinghamshire alabaster columns were fluted in 1775 under the direction of George Richardson (a former draughtsman of the Adam office), who was also responsible for the removal of Adam's chimneypiece and the design of the ceiling, executed by Joseph Rose. Adam's interior decoration of the hall had been postponed owing to financial considerations.

Group

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