The Country House Podcast LIVE at Nevill Holt Festival: A Country House Reborn
We were delighted to host our first LIVE podcast recording at Nevill Holt Festival - an arts and culture festival held in the grounds of Nevill Holt Hall, a historic country house set within a thriving working estate.In front of a packed-out audience of over 200 people, we discussed The rise, fall and rebirth of the English country house through the lens of Nevill Holt Hall - a country house that reads like a biography of English domestic architecture over the past 800 years.For the second half of the recording we were joined by David Ross - entrepreneur, philanthropist, patron of the arts and owner of the Nevill Holt estate - whose care, diligence, long-term view and extraordinary vision over the past 25 years has transformed Nevill Holt from a tired, dilapidated former country house with a small acreage back into a stunning family home surrounded by immaculate gardens and an extensive wider working estate.What an extraordinary and enjoyable day! Thank you so much to all our supporters, listeners and followers who came along and supported us. We are so grateful for you. Thank you to the Nevill Holt Festival team for their help. And thank you to David Ross - our guest on the show, owner of Nevill Holt and our host at the Festival!We hope that this LIVE show will be the first of many!
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Elveden Hall with Sam Dalrymple: A Mughal palace in the Suffolk countryside | 82
Geoff and Rory are joined by renowned writer, film-maker and Mughal historian, Sam Dalrymple, for a fascinating and storied episode on the history of Elveden Hall in Suffolk.Once the English home of the last ruler of the Sikh Empire - Sir Duleep Singh, Maharajah of Punjab - and now the seat of the Guinness family, Earls of Iveagh, Elveden is a resplendent Mughal palace (complete with scalloped arches, lotus-bud capitals, drop-traceried arcading, and a four-storey Marble Hall reminiscent of the Court of Lahore)... all encased within a Victorian Italianate shell.
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Beaulieu Palace House: 'The Gilt and the Gingerbread' | 81
Geoff and Rory are joined by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and his nephew, Ben Montagu-Scott, for a fascinating episode on the extraordinary and storied history of Beaulieu Palace House in the New Forest, Hampshire.Originally the 13th-century gatehouse to a medieval abbey, Beaulieu Palace House is an unusual example of Scots Baronial architecture in southern England (see our episode on Scots Baronial with Dr Ralph St Clair Wade). Owned by the Montagu family since the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII, this podcast traces the transformation of Beaulieu through centuries of architectural change, royal visits, decline and ultimate resurrection begun under the pioneering stewardship of the current Lord Montagu's father, whose seminal book 'The Gilt and the Gingerbread (or how to live in a stately home and make money)' gives this podcast episode its title.With lively anecdotes and insights, you will be drawn into a world where medieval roots meet modern comforts, where traditional farming meets cutting edge tourism... and where a public attraction meets a family home.
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Joseph Paxton: Gardener, Engineer, Entrepreneur | 80
Geoff and Rory discuss the remarkable life of a Victorian genius; the upwardly mobile Joseph Paxton. The son of a farmer, he found a patron in the 6th Duke of Devonshire and by the age of 23 Paxton was Head Gardener at Chatsworth. He would later become a nationally sought-after engineer and latterly a Member of Parliament.The Silicon Valley entrepreneur of his day, Paxton embraced the latest technology, designing the Great Conservatory and Conservative Wall at Chatsworth, before catapulting to fame as the designer of the Crystal Palace in London.
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Brideshead Revived: Castle Howard's 21st Century Renaissance with Nick Howard | 79
Nestled in the Howardian Hills of ‘God’s own country’ of Yorkshire, something extraordinary is happening at Vanbrugh's great English Baroque masterpiece, Castle Howard. Famed for its seminal role in Brideshead Revisited and Bridgerton, for 75 years, an entire wing of Castle Howard has remained a burnt-out shell after fire ravaged the house in 1940.But in recent years, Castle Howard’s current custodian - Nick Howard - and his wife Victoria, have overseen a remarkable 21st century renaissance, bringing in the country's best architects, designers and craftsmen to begin the monumental task of returning these burnt-out rooms to their former glory.Joining Geoff and Rory on the podcast this week, Nick Howard discusses the decision making process behind this revival, and talks us through the renovation journey. The results are a triumph, and testify to Nick and Victoria's dedication to Castle Howard and their desire to secure its future for many generations to come.
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