The principal staircase is of oak planks, and its balustrade is of the same wood, with large flat balusters, and a heavy carved hand-rail, all black with age. On the first floor, up the stairs, on the landing, in one of the bed-chambers, and in a cheese-room, the old oak floors remain nearly entire; and the oak floor also partially remains in another room at the eastern end of the building, on the same story; into this room a communication was not long since made from the bed-chamber before mentioned, and in making it the workmen discovered that they were merely reopening an old door-case (which had been long blocked up), with its jambs and lintel.
The room into which the communication was so opened had formerly been let off as part of a distinct dwelling; it lies at the eastern extremity of the mansion, and is now used as a bedchamber. It is remarkable for being the place of discovery of an ancient painting, which it is to be regretted was never seen by any person capable of copying or properly describing it. The old hall is now tenanted by a farmer, who informed me that, in 1847, when he was making a fire-place in it, at the east end, and close to the range of chimney-flues before mentioned, with which the fire-place now communicates, he caused some plaster to be removed, and by that removal exposed to view a painting on stone, representing several men and females, about five or six inches in height. The only description which he could give me of them was, that they appeared to him to have very droll dresses, like long flowing robes, of different colours, with ornaments, which he supposed to represent large buttons; that some of the figures had curiously shaped hats (his description of them conveyed to me the idea of their being something in the style of Spanish hats), and he stated that the painting did not appear to him to represent any Scripture subject. It was covered over again with building materials when the fire-place was completed. It is much to be regretted that the figures were not copied, or at least examined by some person conversant with such subjects; as it is more than probable that they would have afforded a curious and authentic illustration of the dresses of persons of the higher classes, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, about 1583. Some slight indications of a similar painting were once visible, over the fire-place, in a room on the ground floor under the room which will be next described.