The Fairfaxes
The walls of Fairfax House have so much to tell. The Fairfaxes story is one of familial devotion, tragic loss, faith, and triumph through adversity. The house also tells the story of a glittering urban scene, where the northern nobility wined and dined at the forefront of Georgian taste and elegance. Get to know the remarkable story of the people who made Fairfax House a home in these articles.
Questions of allegiance
The Jacobite rebellions cut through all levels of British eighteenth-century society, but the divisions and lines of allegiance were by no means always clear-cut.
Secrets of the staircase
The Great Staircase at Fairfax House is a focal point of the home and an exquisite work of Georgian decorative art and engineering. Concealed in the plasterwork above it is possible to read many messages including Fairfax Catholic and Jacobite allegiances.
The Fairfax Jewel
The Fairfax Jewel, a series of three mid-seventeenth-century enamel roundels, was presented by Parliament to Sir Thomas Fairfax, known as ‘Black Tom’, to celebrate his Naseby victory against Royalist forces during the Civil War.