Chevening House - Chatham Vase
Chevening, also known as Chevening House, is the official residence of the Foreign Secretary.
The house was bequeathed to the Nation by the 7th and last Earl Stanhope and is managed by a body of trustees. The 115-room mansion, situated near a lake in a 3,500-acre estate, is located near Sevenoaks, Kent. The estate is private and secure. All security details have been specifically excluded from the pictures.
There are eight collections covering (a) Chevening House, the main buildings; (b) The Lake; (c) The Private Gardens and Maze; (d) The Southern Grounds; (e) The Chatham Vase; (f) Northern Farmland and the Keyhole; (g) Estate Cottages; and (h) St Botolphs Church.
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The Chatham Vase is a stone sculpture by John Bacon commissioned as a memorial to William Pitt the Elder by his wife, Hester, Countess of Chatham. It was originally erected at their house in Burton Pynsent in 1781 but it was subsequently moved to Stowe House. It was purchased in 1857 by a member of the family and installed at Revesby Abbey. It was moved to the grounds of Chevening House in 1934. It is Grade II listed.
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The Chatham Vase is a stone sculpture by John Bacon commissioned as a memorial to William Pitt the Elder by his wife, Hester, Countess of Chatham. It was originally erected at their house in Burton Pynsent in 1781 but it was subsequently moved to Stowe House. It was purchased in 1857 by a member of the family and installed at Revesby Abbey. It was moved to the grounds of Chevening House in 1934. It is Grade II listed. 22.06.2014 10714
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![The Chatham Vase. <br />
<br />
Erected [originally at Burton Pynsent] in 1781 by Hester, Countess of Chatham in memory of her husband [William Pitt the elder]. <br />
<br />
Placed here [at Chevening] in 1934.<br />
<br />
See also detailed images below. 22.06.2014 10713](https://photos.smugmug.com/Chevening-House/Chevening-House-Chatham-Vase/i-xP2qk3P/0/3e059ece/L/Chevening%20220614%2010713%20E-L.jpg)
The Chatham Vase.
Erected [originally at Burton Pynsent] in 1781 by Hester, Countess of Chatham in memory of her husband [William Pitt the elder].
Placed here [at Chevening] in 1934.
See also detailed images below. 22.06.2014 10713cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
![The Chatham Vase.<br />
<br />
The inscription on the memorial is partially eroded, but reads:<br />
<br />
[Area of top line eroded, possibly] On<br />
The [eroded and illegible, possibly] death or demise<br />
Of<br />
William Pitt<br />
Earl of Chatham<br />
This marble<br />
Was inscribed<br />
By Hester<br />
His Beloved Wife.<br />
<br />
22.06.2014 10711](https://photos.smugmug.com/Chevening-House/Chevening-House-Chatham-Vase/i-CQQpx4B/0/3da204c7/L/Chevening%20220614%2010711%20E-L.jpg)
The Chatham Vase.
The inscription on the memorial is partially eroded, but reads:
[Area of top line eroded, possibly] On
The [eroded and illegible, possibly] death or demise
Of
William Pitt
Earl of Chatham
This marble
Was inscribed
By Hester
His Beloved Wife.
22.06.2014 10711cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase. The image is assumed to represent William Pitt (the elder), first Earl of Chatham.
22.06.2014 9622cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase.
The inscription on this side of the pedestal reads:
Sacred to pure affection
This simple urn
Stands a witness of unceasing grief for him
Who
Excelling in whatever is so admirable
And adding to the exercise of the sublimest virtues
The sweet charm of refined sentiment
And polished wit
By gay social commerce
Rendered beyond comparison happy
The course of domestic life
And bestowed a felicity inexpressible
On her
Whose faithful love was blessed in a pure return
That raised her above every other joy
But the parental one
And that still shared with him
His generous country with public monuments
Has eternised his fame
This humble tribute
Is but to soothe the sorrowing breast
Of private woe.
And on the stone below:
Burton Pynsent in 1781.
22.06.2014 10706cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
![The Chatham Vase.<br />
<br />
The inscription on this side of the pedestal reads:<br />
<br />
In the year 1831<br />
This interesting memorial<br />
Of a near and highly venerated relative<br />
Was by the kindness of his son<br />
John Earl of Chatham<br />
Presented to the Duke of<br />
Buckingham and Chandos<br />
By whom it is here placed<br />
In remembrance of the early<br />
And long attachment of that great man<br />
To these tranquil scenes<br />
And of his close connexion [sic]<br />
With the family of their proprietors.<br />
<br />
And on the stone below:<br />
<br />
Stowe 1831.<br />
<br />
22.06.2014 10708](https://photos.smugmug.com/Chevening-House/Chevening-House-Chatham-Vase/i-t5nkMLZ/0/f8ff73e7/L/Chevening%20220614%2010708%20E-L.jpg)
The Chatham Vase.
The inscription on this side of the pedestal reads:
In the year 1831
This interesting memorial
Of a near and highly venerated relative
Was by the kindness of his son
John Earl of Chatham
Presented to the Duke of
Buckingham and Chandos
By whom it is here placed
In remembrance of the early
And long attachment of that great man
To these tranquil scenes
And of his close connexion [sic]
With the family of their proprietors.
And on the stone below:
Stowe 1831.
22.06.2014 10708cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
![The Chatham Vase.<br />
<br />
The inscription on this side of the pedestal reads:<br />
<br />
Sold at Stowe, 1848 [originally Stow, with "e" inserted]<br />
Purchased in 1857 for<br />
Revesby<br />
By a grandson of<br />
Louisa Grenville<br />
Second wife of Charles<br />
Earl Stanhope<br />
And niece of Hester<br />
Countess of Chatham<br />
In memory of one<br />
Whose connexion [sic] is the pride of the<br />
Stanhope family<br />
As his name is the glory of the<br />
Nation at large.<br />
<br />
And on the stone below:<br />
<br />
Revesby 1857.<br />
<br />
22.06.2014 10707](https://photos.smugmug.com/Chevening-House/Chevening-House-Chatham-Vase/i-j9bb6d2/0/8df822d0/L/Chevening%20220614%2010707%20E-L.jpg)
The Chatham Vase.
The inscription on this side of the pedestal reads:
Sold at Stowe, 1848 [originally Stow, with "e" inserted]
Purchased in 1857 for
Revesby
By a grandson of
Louisa Grenville
Second wife of Charles
Earl Stanhope
And niece of Hester
Countess of Chatham
In memory of one
Whose connexion [sic] is the pride of the
Stanhope family
As his name is the glory of the
Nation at large.
And on the stone below:
Revesby 1857.
22.06.2014 10707cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase.
The inscription on this side of the pedestal reads:
Purchased from Revesby
And erected at Chevening
In 1934 by
James 7th Earl Stanhope KG.
And on the stone below:
Chevening 1934.
22.06.2014 10709cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase, in position at Chevening. 22.06.2014 9624
cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase, in position at Chevening. 02.06.2002
cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase, in position at Chevening. 22.06.2014 10712
cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase, in position at Chevening. 22.06.2014 9621
cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase, in position at Chevening. 22.06.2014 9625
cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase, in position at Chevening. 22.06.2014 10716
cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase, in position at Chevening. 22.06.2014 10717
cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase, in position at Chevening. 22.06.2014 9629
cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase, in position at Chevening, at the end of a long hedged walk from the lake. 22.06.2014 9678
cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase
The Chatham Vase, in position at Chevening, at the end of a long hedged walk from the lake. 22.06.2014 9680
cheveningchevening house foreign secretarydeputy prime ministerearl stanhopechevening estatechatham vase