Hidden Patrons: Women Architectural Patronage in Georgian Britain with Dr. Amy Boyington

An enduring myth of Georgian architecture is that it was purely the pursuit of male architects and their wealthy male patrons. History states that it was men who owned grand estates and houses, commissioned famous architects, and embarked upon elaborate architectural schemes. However, some women with sufficient wealth and autonomy were at the heart of architectural patronage of the day, exerting far more influence than has previously been recognized. They were actively involved in architectural drawing, design, discourse, and patronage, with many laying out great sums on realising their architectural visions. In her lecture, Dr. Amy Boyington will discuss these female patrons while re-examining well-known Georgian masterpieces alongside lesser-known architectural gems. Drawing from private estate papers and personal correspondence, Dr. Boyington will uncover the role of women as important patrons and designers of architecture and interiors in eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland.Women built across the architectural spectrum. Some remodeled their ancestral seats, such as Jemima Yorke, Marchioness Grey, who updated Wrest Park, her country house in Bedfordshire. Others transformed the interiors of their marital homes, such as the fifteen-year-old Louisa Conolly at Castletown House, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Some spent vast fortunes on building magnificent London town houses, such as Mary Hervey, Baroness Hervey, and Henrietta Fermor, Countess of Pomfret. Many also chose to build or remodel villas during their widowhoods, each desiring a fashionable, convenient country residence close to the city, but set within a tranquil Arcadian setting. Mary Robinson, Baroness Grantham, and Amabel Hume-Campbell, Lady Polwarth, were sisters who were both widowed in their 30s – and each decided to create beautiful Neo-Classical villas on Putney Heath next door to each other. ALL TICKET HOLDERS WILL RECEIVE A RECORDING OF THIS LECTURE.