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Trelissick, Cornwall.

Sited on its own peninsular, Trellisick has had five previous owners. It has been revised, experienced prosperity,
collapse and change. Donated to the National Trust by Ida Copeland in 1955 after the death of her son Geoffrey.
A house has been here since 1750, when a two- storey villa was built by John Lawrence. In 1805, the estate was
purchased by Ralph Allen Daniell, who enlarged the park and added a new pleasure grounds and kitchen garden.
In 1825, Ralph’s son remodelled the house in a Grecian style. Due to the building costs and the prevalent slump in
mining of 1832 he was bankrupted and sold the Trelissick estate to Lord Falmouth. The Gilberts were next to own
Trelissick when in 1844 John Davies Gilbert purchased the estate. Trelissick’s House and garden became the
property of Leonard Cunliffe (a banker), in 1928 when he bought the freehold and the estate had been divided in
1913. In 1937, Cunliffe’s step daughter Ida Copeland inherited Trelissick, Ida and her husband Ronald transformed
the garden and continued to evolve the planting throughout their time at Trelissick.
Whilst sketching within the house, I was taken by the Music Room interior, especially the positioning of the piano
and its relation to the window that provided views out across the parkland to the sea beyond. At the time, one of the
room guides was playing Shubert, which created a timeless ambiance. Two sisters were listening to the music, and
one of them was particularly interested in playing. The pianist invited her to take over and try the piece for herself.
Whilst she was playing, and with their permission, I sketched the two young women.
The composition explores the notion of being lost in the music. Firstly; the sister playing and absorbed in
concentration, and the other who is listening whilst gazing out to the scene beyond. The music connects the inner
space of the room, the experience of the notes being played and the expanse of the outer world beyond.
The painting evokes the sense of time past, when such activities were common place by the various past owners of
Trelissick.

The Music Room
16 x 20 inches o/p