Having never been inside the house before, Philippa stood transfixed upon the threshold, staring at the wondrous marble hall. Designed by William Kent in the Palladian style, the chamber was of a stupendous height, fully as tall as the building itself, and was surrounded by fluted Ionic columns. The ceiling was richly coffered and ornamented, and the marble was not ordinary marble at all, but pink alabaster, glowing vividly now in the light of a hundred or more candles. Their party was guided up a broad staircase in an apse at the inner end, to the state rooms, which were hung with Genoa velvet and Brussels and Mortlake tapestries with both classical and hunting motifs. Passing through these rooms, the guests were led into a drawing room with walls of plain ivory and gold, which was distinguished by a collection of antique sculptures gathered over the years by succeeding Drakes in the course of their grand tours. It was here that they found their host, his relations, and a number of other persons.
