Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland. Built for Admiral George Delaval in 1720. Darkroom reprint of my photo of 2012. A story of land, inheritance, entrepreneurial opportunity, the roots of local power in global interconnections – and quirky radical taste transformed into an archetype of architectural style. [Link] to a previous post. The Delaval family had owned…
National Trust
property, legacy, heritage, and a case for connoisseurship
Project Borderlands – [Link] More reflections on the entanglement of property and colonialism, taste and upbringing, class and inequality. [Link] [Link] [Link] In the early 1700s Admiral George Delaval, wealthy from a career in the Royal Navy, diplomatic service and from overseas investments, bought his old family estate from an impoverished cousin. He hired Sir…
Alan Bennett’s satire – the National Trust and heritage
I am hearing a lot about Alan Bennett’s new play “People”, currently running at the National Theatre in London [Link] The setting is where he grew up – south Yorkshire UK, in a run down country house facing an uncertain future. What are it’s upper crust owners going to do to make ends meet? Sell…