13 Jun, 2023
David Garrick was regarded as the most iconic actor of the 18th century, and possibly the finest influence upon the English Theatre. In 1754, he purchased Hampton House (now Garrick’s Villa) which overlooks the river Thames. In the gardens he oversaw the design of a Temple built in the Classical style popularised by the Italian architect Palladio with an Ionic portico. This he dedicated to his muse Shakespeare, being the one playwright whose works he had performed with the greatest acclaim.
13 Jun, 2023
After Ham House survived a period of seclusion and retrenchment under his reclusive father, Wilbraham Tollemache, 6th Earl of Dysart (1739-1821) sought to restore Ham House’s position as a locus of hospitality and cultivation. He returned much of the house and collection to its former seventeenth century splendour, as well as making his own mark through expanding both the estate and the collection.
13 Jun, 2023
Chiswick House has had a wealth of well-known residents and visitors – from the renowned composer Handel to the infamous Duchess Georgiana. In this talk, Nadege explores the lives of some of Chiswick’s lesser-known, but equally colourful characters, and their connections to one another.
13 Jun, 2023
Sir John Soane designed Pitzhanger as his country house between 1800-1804 to create a showcase for his architectural skills, as well as his growing collection of artefacts. It soon became his elegant stage set for the entertainment of friends, celebrities and potential clients: he threw grand garden parties and held fascinating dinners for the beau monde of the time. Guests included the artist JMW Turner, a fellow academician, with whom Soane enjoyed fishing in the lake at Pitzhanger, and numerous other personalities from the worlds of finance, politics, theatre, journalism and literature.
13 Jun, 2023
The eighteenth-century poet, Alexander Pope, was a very painterly poet and also much depicted by painters. He was acquainted with artists such as Godfrey Kneller and studied painting with Charles Jervas. His villa in Twickenham was lavishly decorated with portraits, mostly of his wide circle of friends. He also painted pictures in words. Many of his most famous poems, including ‘The Rape of the Lock’ (1712-14) and ‘The Dunciad’ (1728-43) are intensely visual.
