Acadia Plantation painting of Lord Byron. The furniture in this room is the finest antiques in the house. Against the wall is a Maryland sideboard, Sheraton in style. A corner cabinet nearby is made of mahogany and pine. It was 18th century Chippendale and comes from the estate of Lord Thomas Fairfax of Virginia. The dining table is designed from two card tables and is Victorian mahogany. The rug on which the dining table and chairs is a turn of the century one. In the kitchen and breakfast area, most of the furniture originated from New England. Against the back wall is
Swietenia mahagoni said to have been interested in samples of mahogany brought by Sir Walter Raleigh on his return from Trinidad in 1595. Mahogany was little used in English furniture making until the 18th century, as domestic oak and walnut were the predominant woods used. The first use of "S. mahagoni" in the United Kingdom for cabinet work was in 1724. Mahogany became the essential material that led to the golden age of British furniture-making in the 18th century, which Percy Macquoid, a connoisseur of English furniture, calls the "Age of Mahogany". Furniture makers have used the wood more or less continuously