Felbrigg Hall was the first stop on the Attingham Trust Norfolk Country House course. A fascinating site under any circumstances, the timing of our visit allowed us the opportunity to observe first-hand the impacts of climate change on historic properties. But first, a brief history of Felbrigg Hall. The estate was established by the Felbrigg…
As someone who is always in the midst of projects here at the Chancongnie House, I have learned to embrace, enjoy and learn from the process itself. I relish the opportunity to observe work in progress, so it was a special treat to visit Auckland Castle in County Durham with the Attingham Summer School last…
During my visit to Calke Abbey with the Attingham Summer School last year, opinions were mixed about the site. Some appreciated the unusual insight into the history of the family that had lived there for centuries while others viewed it as a cautionary tale about the consequences of rarely throwing anything away. Built by Sir…
The start of the 68th Attingham Summer School yesterday brought back wonderful memories from attending last year. Attingham was an amazing experience to study the architecture, art, decorative arts, landscape and material culture of English country houses from medieval times to the late 19th century. It was an incredible opportunity and I am still learning…
One of the many highlights of my Attingham Summer School experience was the rooftop tour of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. Rooftop is a bit misleading, however, as we not only went up to the roof, we went inside the roof. Coming from the US, I am always amazed at things I can do in…
Robert Adam (1728-92) is my favorite architect. To be fair, my admiration for Adam is a recent development as I had never heard of him before I took up residence in the Chancognie House. The Buildings of Charleston described the house as having “Adamesque” detailing, so after reading that, I started to study Adam’s work…
Raby Castle has weathered tumultuous times during a history that spans more than 600 years, and this is reflected in the building itself. Built by the powerful Nevill family in the 14th century, most of the exterior dates to this period. After a series of changes in ownership due to political turmoil, the Castle was…
During the Attingham Summer School, I was fortunate to visit Bolsover Castle which is a fascinating site. It features Terrace Range, the ruins of a grand house, Little Castle, a miniature version of a grand house and the oldest riding school in England to survive intact. Located in Derbyshire, Bolsover has a long and illustrious…
I recently had the privilege and pleasure of attending the Attingham Trust Summer School, an intensive study course of the British country house. The Summer School started in 1952 as a way to educate American curators about the complexities of British country houses since many of them had country house materials in their museums. It…
The Accidental Preservationist 