The impressive Great Hall (27’x60’x40’H) takes the visitor’s breath away with the height of its ceiling and the elegance of its dark oak walls. Sunlight pours in through the wall of mullioned windows. The Hall housed both an Aeolian organ and a small echo organ installed hidden behind the oak walls. The mantle of its imposing Belgian marble fireplace large enough to stand in is decorated with choir boys holding music sheets.
The large painting of a knight on horseback above the fireplace is by artist Emile Mazy. He included a portrait of his daughter Lucia who entered the Sisters of Mercy in October 1915. Later, when the mansion became the Mercy Motherhouse, Lucia, now Sister Mary Genevieve, could see herself in the painting. (d. 12/8/70)
In the main stairwell of the mansion hangs a charming oil painting of Freddie at about the age of three (app. 1866). His face and his haircut are all boy, however his off the shoulder gown, usual for a fashionable young child at that time, surprises our modern eyes.
Written by: Liz Dossa, Sister Marilyn Gouailhardou, RSM and Catherine Wilkinson