IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY AT MUNCASTER

• Published in: The New York times
• Main Authors: Goddard, Donald, DONALD GODDARD is a writer who lives in London
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, N.Y New York Times Company 28.07.1985
• Edition: Late Edition (East Coast)
• Subjects: GODDARD, DONALD; Gordon-Duff-Pennington; Muncaster, Baron; PALACES AND CASTLES; Pennington-Ramsden, William; TRAVEL AND VACATIONS; MUNCASTER CASTLE (GB); GREAT BRITAIN
• ISSN: 0362-4331

In the 1860's, some alterations were carried out by Anthony Salvin, the fashionable Victorian architect, in the course of his restoration of the castle for the fourth Baron Muncaster, but nothing much else has happened since then apart from the electrification of the chandelier. Nobly furnished with many fine pieces, including an Elizabethan banqueting table, a set of [William Pennington-Ramsden] and Mary chairs, a brace of walnut tables of the same era, some bronzes (one attributed to Cellini), a collection of miniature furniture made by 17th-century apprentices, and a run of ancestral portraits by the likes of Sir Peter Lely, the library is a good place for tea, even if topcoats need to be worn in a Birker. (The Birker is an east wind that blows off Birker Fell and straight through eight feet of granite, defying the efforts of a single open fire to blunt its edge by more than a degree or two.) Heating, of course, is always a problem in medieval castles. Though Muncaster is favored by the Gulf Stream Drift, which moderates the climate of the Cumbrian coast to provide ideal conditions for the castle's rhododendron and azalea gardens - one of the world's botanical wonders when all 77 acres are in bloom - ambient temperatures indoors from October through April might be considered a bit on the low side by visitors from California or hermetically sealed Manhattan apartments. To steam-heat a castle, however, would not only absorb the energy requirements of a small town but also play havoc with Muncaster's furniture and art treasures, so that, as a compromise, bedrooms and bathrooms have been equipped with electric blankets and radiant heaters, an anachronism that even purists will readily forgive. In the great hall, that sort of argument is likely to be joined at once, perhaps on behalf of the two great equestrian studies painted early in the 19th century by John Ferneley, or an outstanding pair of 17th-century Flemish religious carvings, or the 15th-century carved limewood figure of a Burgundian knight in armor, leaning on his sword. Those hoping to reserve judgment until the end will most likely make it as far as the formal dining room before succumbing to the shining table-load of [Paul Storr] silver. Or the set of 12 walnut chairs from the time of Charles II. Or Mr. [Gordon-Duff-Pennington]'s favorite picture, the ''Boy With a Falcon,'' a painting once confidently attributed to Velazquez, and now less so, although there is no doubt he would have been proud to acknowledge it. Or the Van Dyck portrait of Charles II. Or the full-length painting of Admiral Lord Nelson by Hoppner. Or even the leather ''wallpaper'' embossed with gold leaf. Nearly two centuries on, he would not only recognize the place at once but find no cause to change his opinion. THE BILL FOR A CASTLE STAY Rates and Meals Muncaster Castle, in Ravenglass, Cumbria, is not a hotel, and its dining room is not a restaurant. The Gordon-Duff-Penningtons' paying guests are treated in the same way as friends and relatives who come to stay. Though naturally free to do as they please, they are welcome to take breakfast with the family and sit down to dinner with them at the family dining table. (Lunches are not normally provided, although the cook might be persuaded to rustle up sandwiches for those setting out on a daylong tour of the lakes.) Accommodations are available from spring through late summer. Nightly rates, including full English breakfast and a room with bath and private sitting room, are about $55 for one person; $95 for two, $128 for three, and $162 for four, and another $40 a night for each additional person. Weekly rates range from $365 for one to $1,675 for six, and proportionately more for for larger groups. Dinners are charged at the fixed rate of about $16 a person, and an additional $2.70 each for those who take wine. Patrick Gordon-Duff-Pennington is sometimes available to take his guests on a tour of the Lake District at a daily rate of around $170. Reservations Reservations for Muncaster should be made through At Home Country Holidays (Lower House Farm, West Burton, Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 1HD, England; telephone, Bury 800). The firm's American proprietor, Gretchen Stevens, can also take care of travel arrangements on guests' arrival in Britain, either meeting them at airports or railroad stations or arranging for rental cars. Open to View The castle and grounds are open to visitors, daily, except Monday, from Easter until Sept. 30. Hours for the castle are 1:30 to 4:30 P.M. and for the grounds, noon to 5. Admission to castle and grounds is about $2.70; grounds only, $1.35. Children pay half price. The grounds include a bird garden, what is described as a teen-agers' commando course and cafe. The telephone number of the castle is Ravenglass 203. D. G.