|
John Cornforth (historian)
John Lewley Cornforth CBE (2 September 1937 – 5 May 2004) was a British architectural historian with a particular interest in the history of English country houses. He was the author of many books and articles, and architectural editor of '' Country Life'' from 1967 to 1977. Early life Cornforth was born in 1937 at Etchinghill, Staffordshire, and was raised at Haywood Abbey, an only child of parents with private means. His childhood friends included Patrick Anson, later 5th Earl of Lichfield, at nearby Shugborough Hall. He took no interest in country pursuits – riding or shooting, cricket or golf – but enjoyed looking at ''Country Life'' from before he could read. He was educated at Repton School and then studied history at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he was influenced by art historian Michael Jaffé. Career After university, Cornforth worked as a volunteer in the British Museum in London, and started to write articles for '' Country Life'', joining ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Etchinghill, Staffordshire
Etchinghill, also known as Etching Hill, was once a singular village, until it was engulfed by the simultaneous growth of Rugeley, Staffordshire. It is now an electoral district/ward. Etching Hill is situated just over one mile from the actual town centre. Its name historically derives from the large, forested hill on Mount Road - famed for its characteristic ice-age sandstone tip. Etching Hill backs on to Cannock Chase and comprises several housing estates; a recognisable mixture of buildings from the town's early years and numerous modern developments. The area is much-coveted by those looking to move to Rugeley because of its scenic qualities and the presence of two successful primary schools. Etching Hill is a very short distance away from the forest location that has hosted open-air concerts for music acts such as Status Quo, The Zutons, Jools Holland, and UB40. The event, scheduled by the Forestry Commission, was subject to much controversy; certain local residents of neigh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward James
Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inherited a fortune from his father, merchant Daniel James) and Evelyn Forbes, a Scots socialite. He was reputedly fathered by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and in his anecdotal reminiscences, recorded in ''Swans Reflecting Elephants – My Early Years'', Edward James also puts forward this hypothesis. In his memoirs he wrote "I was not, I was, in fact, his grandson" saying that it was his grandmother that had an affair with the Prince of Wales. However, there was also popular belief that Forbes was one of the Prince of Wales's mistresses and there was a much-quoted ballad by Hilaire Belloc intimating this at the time. Edward James had four older sisters: Audrey, Millicent, Xandra, and Silvia. He was educated at Lockers Park School ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noble Households
''Noble Households: Eighteenth-Century Inventories of Great English Houses'' presents transcripts of inventories of nine great country houses and four London town houses as a tribute to the late historian John Cornforth. Summary The inventories document in astounding detail the taste and lifestyle of leading noble families and their households. John Cornforth first "put forward the idea of this publication as a primary resource for the interpretation of the historic interior". As the book's dust-wrapper states, it was his hope that it "would revitalise the study of the great house in the eighteenth century". Structure The inventories, compiled for a variety of purposes by professional appraisers in conjunction with family members or their stewards, are supplemented with a glossary and index to the items listed. The inventories are grouped as follows: Part I: Montagu Inventories * Montagu House, Bloomsbury, London, 1709 and 1733 *Boughton House, Northamptonshire, 1709, 1718 a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marc Fitch
Marcus Felix Brudenell Fitch , (5 January 1908 – 2 April 1994) was an English historian and philanthropist. Fitch was born in Kensington, London in 1908, the only child of provision merchant Hugh Bernard Fitch (1873–1962) and his wife Bertha Violet (née James). His family owned the food company Fitch & Son Ltd, later named Fitch Lovell. Fitch was educated at Wagner’s Day Preparatory School in Kensington, the Dragon School, Oxford, and then at Repton School, before joining the family business as an apprentice in central Europe, as his father wanted him to learn languages. He was appointed a director of the company in 1930. In 1933, he married Evelyn Murray Wilson, with whom he had a son and a daughter, before their marriage was dissolved. During his life he travelled around Europe, with interests in history, antiquities, and archaeology. Fitch was appointed as a Gold Staff Officer by the Duke of Norfolk, and acted as an usher at both the coronations of King George VI a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victoria And Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert. The V&A is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in an area known as "Albertopolis" because of its association with Prince Albert, the Albert Memorial, and the major cultural institutions with which he was associated. These include the Natural History Museum, London, Natural History Museum, the Science Museum (London), Science Museum, the Royal Albert Hall and Imperial College London. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. As with other national British museums, entrance is free. The V&A covers and 145 galleries. Its collection spans 5,000 years of art, from ancient history to the present day, from the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colefax And Fowler
Colefax Group plc is a designer and distributor of furnishing fabrics and wallpaper, based in London, United Kingdom. History The business was founded in the 1930s by Sibyl, Lady Colefax (1874–1950). In 1938, she was joined in the business by John Fowler, and the business became known as Colefax & Fowler. In 1944, the business, managed by Fowler, took a lease on 39 Brook Street, Mayfair where it remained until December 2016. Also in 1944, Colefax sold the business to Nancy Tree (Nancy Lancaster Nancy Lancaster (10 September 1897 – 19 August 1994) was a 20th-century tastemaker and the owner of Colefax & Fowler, an influential British decorating firm that codified what is known as the English country house look. Biography She wa ... as she became in 1948) for a sum in the order of £10,000. The group now has offices in the United States, France, Germany and Italy. It owns the brands Colefax and Fowler, Cowtan and Tout, Jane Churchill, Larsen and Manuel Canovas. Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Beresford Fowler
John Beresford Fowler (20 June 1906 – 27 October 1977) was an English interior designer. Early life Fowler was born in Lingfield, Surrey, son of Robert Richard Fowler, clerk of the course at the fashionable Lingfield Park Racecourse, and Blanche Beresford, née Forster. He moved with his family to Bedford Park, London following his father's death in 1915. He was educated Tormore prep school, and at Felsted School. He left school aged 16 in 1923. Career He joined the decorating and antiques firm Thornton Smith, where he painted Chinese-style wallpaper (sold as 18th century originals), and learned other paint decoration techniques, such as marbling and graining. He moved to work in the studio of decorator Margaret Kunzer, and started to decorate furniture for Peter Jones. He established his own business on the Kings Road in Chelsea in 1934, and then went into business with Sybil Colefax, founding Colefax & Fowler. His short sightedness made him medically unfit fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Destruction Of The Country House Exhibition
The Destruction of the Country House 1875–1975 was an exhibition held at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in 1974, commissioned by V&A Director Roy Strong and curated by John Harris, Marcus Binney and Peter Thornton (then working, respectively, at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), '' Country Life'' magazine and the V&A Department of Furniture and Woodwork). The exhibition included a "Hall of Destruction", decorated with falling columns and illustrations of some of the thousand country houses demolished since 1875, brought down by falling estate incomes, rising costs, death duties, and damage caused by government requisitioning during the Second World War. Described as a "landmark" exhibition, the graphic illustration of the scale of destruction of Britain's built heritage changed public opinion and encouraged moves to protect the country houses that remained. The success of the exhibition inspired the formation of the campaigning group, Save Britain's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Historic Buildings Council For England
Three separate historic buildings councils were created by the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953, one for each of England, Scotland, and Wales. Each Historic Buildings Council advised the relevant government minister on the exercise of powers under the 1953 Act relating to the preservation of listed buildings and other buildings of special architectural or historic interest, including applications for grants. Responsibilities for advice in relation to the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 were added later. All three have now been abolished and replaced by other bodies. *The Historic Buildings Council for England was abolished by section 39 of the National Heritage Act 1983; its functions, and those of the Ancient Monuments Board for England, were taken up by Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (better known as English Heritage). *The Historic Buildings Council for Scotland was abolished, along with various other public b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Destruction Of Country Houses In 20th-century Britain
The destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain was the result of a change in social conditions: many country houses of varying architectural merit were demolished by their owners. Collectively termed by several authors "the lost houses", the destruction of these now often-forgotten houses has been described as a cultural tragedy. The British nobility had been demolishing some of their country houses since the 15th century, when comfort replaced fortification as an essential need. For many, demolishing and rebuilding their country homes became a lifelong hobby, in particular during the 18th century when it became fashionable to take the Grand Tour and return home with art treasures, supposedly brought from classical civilizations. During the 19th century, many houses were enlarged to accommodate the increasing numbers of servants needed to create the famed country house lifestyle. Less than a century later, this often meant they were of an unmanageable size. In the ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Trust For Places Of Historic Interest Or Natural Beauty
The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the permanent preservation for the benefit of the Nation of lands and tenements (including buildings) of beauty or historic interest". It has since been given statutory powers, starting with the National Trust Act 1907. Historically, the Trust acquired land by gift and sometimes by public subscription and appeal, but after World War II the loss of country houses resulted in many such properties being acquired either by gift from the former owners or through the National Land Fund. One of the largest landowners in the United Kingdom, the Trust owns almost of land and of coast. Its properties include more than 500 historic houses, castles, archaeological and industrial monuments, gardens, parks, and nature reserves. Most properties are open ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
