Inside the royal renovation of Belvoir Castle

The neo-gothic castle that casts a sometimes foreboding, sometimes enchanting silhouette over a 16,000-acre estate in the Vale may have been designed by a woman. The 5th Duke of Rutland, Elizabeth Howard, along with the architect James Wyatt, planned to build a romantic castle across the two counties.

The Howard Bedroom, which is a capacious bedroom and ante-chamber, is being renovated by the Duke and Duchess of Rutland in partnership with the hand painted wallpaper house de Gournay. The castle's collection of antique Chinese wallpaper and historical archives are being referenced in the scheme for the interior of the castle. The rejuvenation of the suite marks a new chapter in the castle's nearly 1,000-year history and will be remembered a century from now. One of the few castles in the country that has remained in one dukedom throughout its history is Belvoir, and the Manners want to make sure this line is maintained.

The fairytale castle was built on the foundations of a Charles II building and was the work of Elizabeth Howard. The Duke left her in the archives so she could see her vision. Manners is the daughter of a farming family on the Welsh borders who has lived at Belvoir with her husband and five children for more than two decades. She says being an outsider gives her one eye.

Belvoir Castle, located on the nape of a high hill, has a dramatic past. When Elizabeth Howard moved to the existing Charles II manor house on her wedding day, she was not impressed. The castle that was demolished was a gothic Revival style. Lady Diana Cooper is the daughter of the 8th Duke of Rutland.

The new-build castle was destroyed in a fire but rebuilt to the same ambitious and costly plans. The building that is still standing has a trompe l'oeil medieval appearance with a central tower. The interior is light-filled and studded with artworks and the open-to-the-public areas go from the vaulted entrance hall up to the Elizabeth Saloon.

The paper took specialists 4,500 hours to complete

Chinoiserie papers and silks are featured in three of the suites. The spaces were designed to host guests just like they do today. Dominic Evans- Freke, co-director and co-founder of de Gournay, was attracted to the castle's unique living history because he is an expert in re-telling chinoiserie papers from grand houses. Belvoir has many beautiful houses and other amazing chinoiserie examples, but one of the nice things about it is its continuous history. Belvoir has the power of endurance, even though many of the great houses have been bought and sold.

There is a piece of antique Chinese paper in the Wellington room. According to the archives, the suite and the Chinese bedroom were imported from China in the mid-18th century. In 1816, many of the lengths were saved from the fire. The receipts for the wall hangings were found to be worth over twenty dollars.

The visual spectacle of the Wellington paper would have made a powerful statement about the Duke. There is a kaleidoscope of the prettiest flora and fauna native to the southern Chinese mainland. Europeans wouldn't have dreamed of plants, insects and birds like these. tapestries and hangings on walls were the norm in that era. It would have been mind-blowing to be surrounded by a single scene.

The Wellington Room paper was to be reinvented in opulent new colourways that would bring the magnificence of the original to life. It took hours of development to achieve the illusion of a three-dimensional scene. It took de Gournay's specialist painters in China 4,500 hours to complete the paper. The paper was the starting point for an interior created by Emma Burns and Philip Hooper.

It is similar to opening an Aladdin's cave when you do this. Although it is one of the great ducal homes in the country, Belvoir is not as well known as other great ducal homes. Manners was referring to the fact that the castle is not part of the National Trust but one of the few that remain in private ownership.

Houses with visitor footfall have to make an income. Manners has recently published an autobiography of her life at Belvoir and, encouraged by her daughter, is the voice behind the DuchessPodcast, which offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into historic estates with website links to the castle's shop and events calendar Belvoir is used for events, private tours and filming, as well as royalties from licensed products, including the handpainted de Gournay papers.

When the Manners arrived at the castle in 2001, the bedroom and anteroom looked tired, but only the curtains and beds were renewed. The de Gournay paper provides the starting point for the design of the room in the reinvention.

We looked at the spirit of other rooms, which are palatial, but didn't want the mood to be so pretentious as a museum. John Fowler believes in mixing humility and grandeur. He created sketches in watercolor to show the nuances of colour and texture. The bed offered a focus, with calico toiles being crafted to provide a template for the final hangings. Manners said that he realized what an art it was to work with decorators at this level. The bed treatment was similar to couture dressmaking.

The dado rails and skirting in the room were painted red to balance out the jewel tones of the wallpaper. The curtains were strung from Italy. The tall, narrow windows were a gift from God and we made the curtains with enough body and oomph to drape. The rope is used to amplify the look. There was a leopard print on the upholstery. Simple, humble elements are used to counter opulence. The team had to take into account the many paintings which had to be re-hung in the same places they had been before.

The antechamber, which used to be a dimly lit dressing room, was transformed into a bedroom with the Duke's father's bed. The walls are covered in velvet and have a gold surround around them. There is a huge skill to hanging fabric and silk velvet but it bounces the light and shade so beautifully and feels amazingly welcome in the adjoining room.

The de Gournay Belvoir project will be exhibited in San Francisco this autumn. Belvoir wallpaper will bring a slice of design history to the homes of clients who order it. According to Manners, the Howard Bedroom welcomed its first guest so thoroughly that they enjoyed a lie-in.