Ashell grotto is a type offolly, agrotto decorated withsea shells. The shell grotto was a popular feature of manyBritish country houses in the 17th and 18th centuries. It suited theBaroque andRococo styles (which used swirling motifs similar to sea shells)[1] and often represented the mimicry of architectural features from theItalian Renaissance (themselves copies from Classical times). The idea of a grotto was originally a means to enhance a dankundercroft, or provide anantechamber before apiano nobile, but later it became a garden feature independent of the house, sometimes on the edge of a lake, with water flowing through it.
Early grottos were mainly of the shell grotto type, mimicking a sea-cave, or in the form of anymphaeum. The shells were often laid out in strict patterns in contemporary decorative styles used forplasterwork and the like. Later there was a move towards more naturalistic cave-like grottoes,[1] sometimes showing the early influence of theRomantic movement.
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The first recorded shell grotto in England was atWhitehall Palace;James I had it built in the undercroft of theBanqueting House in 1624, but it has not survived. Two years later theDuke of Bedford had a shell room built atWoburn Abbey, featuring shell mosaics and carved stone. This, and another atSkipton Castle, built in 1627, are the only surviving examples from the 17th century.[1]
Shell grottoes were an expensive luxury: the grotto atOatlands Park cost £25,000 in 1781 and took 11 years to build; and atFisherwick Park theMarquess of Donegall spent £10,000 on shells alone in 1789.[2]The Grotto atMargate has 2,000 square feet or 190 square metres of mosaic, using some 4.6 million shells.
By the end of the 18th century, fashion had moved on to more naturalistic cave-like structures, like the weathered rock and crystal "Crystal Grotto" atPainshill in Surrey, before falling out of favour altogether. These were mostly outside, in garden pavilions, or built as caves beside water features. Many were demolished or have fallen into disrepair, but some 200 grottos of all types are known to have survived in some form in the UK.[1]
