When Marble Hill was built in the late 1720s, tea was the most fashionable refreshment in England. For Marble Hill’s first owner, Henrietta Howard, taking tea was not only an important part of her daily routine, it also provided opportunities for socialising, and for indulging her great passion for porcelain.
The painting collection formed by Marble Hill’s first owner, Henrietta Howard, was relatively modest. Henrietta only owned 34 paintings including 5 ‘capricci’, fanciful views of Rome by Giovanni Paolo Panini.
As part of the Richmond Literature Festival, for the first time the stories of the historic houses and gardens of the Arcadian Thames have been brought together in one fine volume; the lost houses as well as those that have been saved.
In the early 18th century, ideas about garden design were changing fast. Using 18th century plans and archives we will explore the garden at Marble Hill, which included grottos, groves, wildernesses and a ninepin bowling alley! Henrietta Howard’s friendships with Alexander Pope, Lord Bathurst, Lord Peterborough and Lord Ilay, meant that her garden at Marble Hill was influenced by some of the most fashionable garden enthusiasts of the time.
Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk (1689-1767), has perhaps been best known as mistress to the Prince of Wales, later George II. However, this talk will show that Howard was much more than a mistress.