You’d be forgiven for thinking the Italian Bedroom is Eastnor’s most Italian room – the clue’s in the name. But it’s the State Bedroom, on the ground floor, that makes the stronger case.
Much of that comes down to the tastes of the 3rd Earl Somers, Charles. Eastnor’s great aesthete, he and his wife Virginia were responsible for some of the castle’s most richly decorated interiors, filling them with pieces gathered on their extensive world travels. He was particularly captivated by Italy (you may have noticed a bit of an Italianate theme throughout the house), and his bedroom followed suit.
Its position was practical as much as it was personal. After a hunting injury, Charles preferred to be on the ground floor, where staff could more easily carry hot water for his bath. His study sat nearby in the north-west turret; his wife’s boudoir next door. His life, in other words, arranged within a few well-considered steps.
Stepping inside, the first thing you notice is the bed – a vast four-poster, intricately carved from dark wood and hung with scarlet fabric. It has presence, certainly, but also provenance. Before arriving at Eastnor, it belonged to Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, a central figure of the Counter-Reformation who was later canonised as a saint. (The mattress, reassuringly, is more recent.)
Look closer, and Italy continues to surface. A Genoese dressing cupboard and chest of drawers against a wall. A giltwood carving of St Mark’s lion – the enduring emblem of Venice – reclining above one of the doors. A large altarpiece, attributed in part to Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, once housed in a church near Florence.
The most English thing is its emerald wallpaper, which has a detailed diaper pattern woven with sprays of laurel and the Somers family “S”. The fireplace also has familial ties; it is carved with the Cocks family motto, Spes nescia vinci (hope knows no defeat).
What makes the room a favourite of overnight guests, though, is its bathroom. Hidden behind what feels like a secret door, it has a freestanding bath placed before an enormous fireplace, with a chaise longue nearby for lingering a little longer than intended, whilst a Bellini portrait of Lucrezia Borgia stares down approvingly. The Eastnor Martini was also born here, after a guest suggested that only a cold drink in hand could improve the experience. It’s the sort of addition that feels entirely in keeping. And we suspect the 3rd Earl would have approved.