Page:The Boynton family and the family seat of Burton Agnes.djvu/100

[78] front, finished with balustraded parapets, and semi-octagonal bays on the returns, with balustraded parapets, the bays being three stories in height. These bays retain their mullioned windows practically unaltered, and form a most picturesque and satisfactory design. The various rooms, which originally mostly opened one out of the other, occupy the three remaining sides with a small court in the centre. The east side was spoilt by the removal of its muUioned windows, quite lately bars have been inserted in the existing windows, as in the windows which replaced the original mullioned windows. The north and west sides have undergone little or no alteration. The material employed is red brick, stone being used only for the quoins, windows, cornices and other decorative features.

Internally, the hall has been considerably altered, but it contains two fine features in its chimney-piece and screen. The great chimney-piece contains representations of the five senses, and above a large relief of the wise and foolish virgins. It bears the arms of Sir Thomas Boynton, of Barmston (1544-1587), of his second wife, Frances Frobisher, and his third wife Alice Tempest. This chimney-piece must, therefore have been removed from Barmston where the Boyntons had a large house, of which only a fragment now remains standing, this fragment being surrounded by a moat. The arms at the top are those of Sir Griffith Boynton (1761-1778) impaling Topham, and may indicate the date of its removal.

The hall screen is adorned with representations of the Sibyls, the Virtues, the Twelve Tribes, the Four Evangelists, figures of Peace, Plenty, Geometry, etc. The handsome oak staircase, with its great newels, connected by a kind of cusping, is a fine feature.

The drawing-room is richly panelled, and over the chimney-piece is a large representation of the "Dance of Death" carved out of a single piece of oak; above is a bedroom of great interest, it is panelled in oak, and has a