212 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
century the north-east and north-west wings were built or rebuilt, making
the plan L-shaped. Early in the eighteenth century a long addition was
made on the south-east side of the north-east wing, and there are modern
additions on the south and south-west.
The elevations have been largely refaced, but on the north-west side
are two late seventeenth century chimney stacks with pilasters at the angles.
Inside, the kitchen has some original shelves with elaborately shaped and.
moulded framing carried down to the floor as arms to a former bench.
The staircase in the kitchen wing is of oak and has original square
moulded balusters, square newels with moulded tops, and bases carved
with roses, moulded strings and rails.
There is also some fine panelling, some seventeenth century doors
and exposed ceiling beams.
The main staircase is of pine and is either of late seventeenth century
work, or possibly later still, as it is not mentioned in the Report of the
Royal Commission on Historical Monuments. The elaborate, carving
on this staircase is of the style of Grinling Gibbons.
The mantelpiece in the Morning Room has been attributed to John
Flaxman, R.A. The doorway into the hall from the kitchen block has
a beautiful fanlight, typical of the Adams period.
Probably the most interesting room in the house is the Saloon with
its many portraits of the Harvey family. This dates about 1700, and
has been attributed to the work of William Kent and was built for the
eldest son of Eliab Harvey, who at the Restoration became Sir Eliab
Harvey. One wall of this room was designed to show the portraits of his
grandfather, uncles and aunt. The portraits painted in oils must not
be looked upon as likenesses. They were painted at the very end of
the seventeenth century, perhaps from pre-existing portraits, but they
were sufficiently like the originals to pass muster with a. second generation.
The centre portrait is undoubtedly Thomas Harvey (1549-1623),
the merchant and jurat of Folkestone. In 1575 Thomas Harvey married
Juliana Jenkin, who died the following year. He married again, in 1576,
Joane, the daughter of Thomas Halke or Hawke, who was probably a
relative of his first wife on her mother's side. She lived at Hastingleigh,
Kent.
The eldest and most famous of his sons, William, is seen on his dexter
(apparently left) side. William was born on April 1st, 1578, his father
being then 29 and his mother 23. William proved to be the eldest "of
a week of sons" as Fuller quaintly expresses it.
Thomas Harvey, the father, was an Alderman of Folkestone and served
the office of Mayor in 1600. He seems to have been a man of more than
ordinary intelligence and judgment, for. says Fuller, "his sons, who
"revered, consulted and implicitly trusted him, made their father the
"treasurer of their wealth when they got great estates, who being as
"skilful to purchase lands as they to gain money, kept, employed, and
"improved their gainings to their great advantage, so that he survived
"to see the meanest of them of far greater estate than himself." To
this end he came to London after the death of his wife in 1605, and lived
for some time at Hackney, where he died, and was buried in June, 1623.
Thomas Harvey was, in fact, a typical yeoman of the period, who advanced