Yorkshire in the Age of Chippendale
EVENTS > STUDY TRIPS ABROAD
DECORATIVE ARTS TRUST STUDY TRIP ABROAD
September 9 – 17 and September 23 – October 1, 2016
With an optional extension: Behind the Scenes in London
September 17 – 20, 2016
Within England’s northern reaches sits Yorkshire, home to some of the country’s grandest and most significant manor houses and stately homes, each featuring the talents of notable architects, artists, and craftsmen. While we will focus a portion of our sojourn on the exploits of renowned furniture maker Thomas Chippendale, a native son of Yorkshire, rest assured that opportunities to examine and appreciate silver, ceramics, textiles, and fine arts will be plentiful as well. Unfettered access to the outstanding collections at Temple Newsam, Harewood House, Newby Hall, and Nostell Priory, not to mention the privilege of visiting a variety of private homes, some rarely open for tours, will create an experience not to be missed. Participants in this program will benefit from the tutelage of Trust Governor Brock Jobe, an eminent furniture historian and Winterthur Professor Emeritus of Decorative Arts, with the assistance of local curators and cognoscenti as well as the gracious direction of Antonia Lloyd Owen of Specialtours.
REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED
ITINERARY (subject to amendment)
Friday, September 9 and 23
We will gather at York’s renowned Grange Hotel for a mid-afternoon presentation by Peter Brown, former director of the York Civic Trust, on the history and architecture of this culturally rich region. Following a visit to York Minster, built between the 13th and 15th centuries and among the largest cathedrals in Europe, we will be treated to a reception at Fairfax House for an all-access tour with Director Hannah Phillip. This stunning Georgian townhouse is now a museum property and hosted a curatorial intern sponsored by the Trust in 2011-12. A welcome dinner awaits us upon our return to the Grange Hotel.
C, D included
Overnight: York
Saturday, September 10 and 24
The morning opens with a walking tour of York led by Mr. Brown, which will include the Assembly Rooms, an icon of Palladian architecture designed by Lord Burlington for social functions enjoyed by the city’s elite. We will continue to Temple Newsam for lunch and an unforgettable tour of the heralded collection with Curator Emeritus of Collections James Lomax and renowned English furniture historian Adam Bowett. Temple Newsam also serves as the headquarters of the Chippendale Society.
B, L included
Overnight: York
Sunday, September 11 and 25
Mr. Bowett will accompany the group for a morning excursion to the privately owned Newby Hall. Originally built in 1697 with the assistance of Christopher Wren, the house was renovated and enlarged in the 1760s with a splendid domed sculpture gallery and tapestry room by Robert Adam and furniture commissioned from Chippendale. We will be received for lunch at a gracious early-19th-century family home, set in beautiful gardens. Next, we will continue to Clifton Castle, home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Downshire, for a private visit and discussion of the French furniture collection by Patrick Dingwall, a furniture restorer and Senior Director of Sotheby’s, after which the Marquess will offer a tour of the principal rooms at Clifton Castle and the splendid examples of 18th-century decorative and fine art housed there.
B, L included
Overnight: York
Monday, September 12 and 26
Our day will begin with a thorough exploration of the magnificent Castle Howard with Curator Christopher Ridgway. The baroque masterpiece was designed by John Vanbrugh with the assistance of Nicholas Hawksmoor at the turn of the 18th century but was finished more than a century later with a Palladian wing completed in 1811. We will enjoy a visit and lunch at privately owned Hovingham Hall, built by the current owner’s ancestor Thomas Worsley, Surveyor General to the Board of Works under King George III. The outing will conclude with a tour of Scampston Hall, a beautiful regency house set within a Capability Brown landscape park. Viewing the house on a day it is closed to the public will offer a special opportunity to look closely at the exceptional collections.
B, L included
Overnight: York
Tuesday, September 13 and 27
An excursion to an 18th-century house that remains in family hands will permit a private viewing of an extensive collection of decorative and fine arts, including work by Chippendale, Romney, Batoni, and Reynolds. Lunch will be hosted in the orangery of a Capability Brown park at Sledmere House and followed by a tour of its elegant neoclassical interiors, featuring the stuccowork of Joseph Rose and fine English and French furniture. In the afternoon we will visit Burton Agnes, a lovely Elizabethan manor house that has remained in the Cunliffe-Lister family for over 400 years.
B, L included
Overnight: York
Wednesday, September 14 and 28
Edwin Lascelles spared little expense when building and furnishing the stately Harewood House, relying on York-based architect John Carr, Robert Adam, Thomas Chippendale, and Capability Brown to create the most refined setting available in the 1760s. Anna Dewsnap, Head of House and Collections, will offer a thorough introduction to the house, including the opportunity to view drawings and manuscripts related to Chippendale’s work for Lascelles. We plan to include a special private afternoon visit for both tours. During the final three nights of our journey we will reside at the elegant Rudding Park Hotel near Harrogate, situated in a Georgian country manor house.
B, L, D included
Overnight: Harrogate
Thursday, September 15 and 29
An additional highlight of our Yorkshire study will be a full morning of exploration at Nostell Priory. Visiting before public hours, we will have a rare chance to examine this epitome of Georgian elegance built for the Winn family by designs from Paine and Adam with interiors enhanced by Chippendale and Rose and some of the earliest painted decoration by the celebrated artist Antonio Zucchi. We will also have the privilege of examining the Winn family’s personal copies of design books by Adam and Chippendale. Following a walking tour of the lovely spa town of Harrogate, retail therapy is the goal of a free afternoon, with an opportunity to explore the antique shops, perhaps complemented by a traditional tea.
B, L included
Overnight: Harrogate
Saturday, September 17 and October 1
Departures for return flights to the United States or the London extension (see next below.)
B included
Optional Extension: Behind the Scenes in London
Saturday, September 17
For those joining us for the London extension of our tour, upon our arrival at Heathrow, we will continue by private coach to Strand-on-the-Green, along the north bank of the Thames, for lunch at alovely private 18th-century residence along with a tour of the highly respected painting conservation studio housed there. Afterwards we will proceed to our stately London residence, The Cavendish. During the early evening we will enjoy an extraordinary tour of the Dennis Severs’ House in Spitalfields, followed by conversation and champagne by candlelight with Curator David Milne. The remarkable interiors reflect the creative genius of Severs, who sought to evoke the sights, sounds, and smells of life in East London during the 18th century. Severs’ dramatic stage set grants us a rare moment in which to become lost in another time.
L, C included
Sunday, September 18
Our primary site of the day is the world’s finest decorative arts museum, the grand Victoria and Albert Museum. We will begin our tour in the Cast Courts, monumental galleries that document the origins of the museum, and then savor the finest items in the British Galleries, particularly the splendid silver, furniture, ceramics, and textiles made in 18th-century England, as well as the recently reinstalledFurniture Gallery, accompanied by Furniture Curator Nick Humphrey and Senior Furniture Conservator Dana Melchar, an alumna of the Winterthur/ University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. The afternoon is left free for you to explore the museum on your own or to take in other sights within this glorious city.
B, D included
Monday, September 19
A short distance from our hotel is Spencer House, which will serve as our first destination of the day. This grand structure, begun in 1756, ranks among London’s finest free-standing Georgian town houses and has been meticulously restored by Lord Rothschild. We will then head to the firm of H. Blairman & Son, where renowned antiques dealer Martin Levy will greet us for conversation, refreshments, and a tour of highlights of his shop. After lunch, we will continue to the Geffrye Museum, a unique assemblage of period rooms portraying life in London over the past four centuries. Director David Dewing and Head of Collections, Eleanor John, will host our special visit. During our return to the hotel, we will see the site of the Chippendale’s workshop, and later that evening gather for a gala farewell dinner at a special venue.
B, L, D included
Terms and Conditions
Land Arrangement Cost:
$6,150 per person, based on double occupancy for 8 nights, for the main tour. the optional extension to London is $2,950 per person, based on double occupancy for 3 nights.
Airfare:
Transatlantic airfare is not included. please do not make your airline reservations until you have received written confirmation of your registration from the trust.
Reservations:
A deposit of $1,500 per person is required by december 1, 2015. An additional deposit of $1,000 per person is required for the optional extension to London. Reservations and deposits are taken on an “as received” basis. You will receive a written confirmation from the Decorative Arts Trust. Do not make any irrevocable airline reservations until you receive your verification.Please make your check payable to “The Decorative Arts Trust” and mail to: 20 South Olive Street, Suite 304, Media, PA 19063.
Single Supplement:
The single supplement is $850 for the main tour and $675 for the extension, to be paid along with the deposit.
Final Payment:
Is due by May 31, 2015. invoices for final payment will be mailed in early May.
Membership:
A Benefactor-level membership is required for participation in Study Trips Abroad. Your membership contribution is fully tax deductible. If an increase in your membership level is necessary, the Trust will invoice you for the appropriate level upgrade with your final payment.
Contribution:
A donation to the Decorative Arts Trust of $500 per person is required for Study Trips Abroad. This gift is fully tax deductible and helps support the Trust’s mission and programs.
Itinerary:
The schedule outlined in this itinerary is contracted for at this time but subject to change as necessary. A Study Trip Abroad reading list will be sent to you.
Each trip and the optional extension to London are limited to a maximum of 25 members and requires a minimum of 15. The trip and/or extension will be canceled if under-subscribed, and deposits will be refunded. We will organize and maintain a waiting list on the basis of the time registrations are received. This is a strenuous trip. We regret that we cannot be responsible for those needing assistance on this trip. By registering, you are certifying that you do not have any mental, physical, or other condition of disability that would create a hazard for yourself or other passengers. The Trust reserves the right to decline anyone as a participant in this Study Trip Abroad should the person’s health, actions, or general deportment impede the operation of the Study Trip Abroad or the rights, welfare, or enjoyment of others. A valid United States passport is required for this itinerary.
Included in Trip Cost:
Hotel accommodations in 4–5 star hotels, 8 buffet breakfasts, 7 lunches, 3 dinners, 1 cocktail reception, private coach transportation, local guides, admission in museums, historic houses, and gardens, gratuities for professional guides and coach drivers, and porterage for one suitcase only. The extension to London includes 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, and 1 cocktail reception.
Not Included in the Trip Cost:
Airfare, airport transfers other than specified above, alcoholic beverages other than when provided, personal expenses, and trip insurance are not included.
Cancellation and Refund:
If you must cancel your reservation, you are urged to do so as soon as possible in writing to the Decorative Arts Trust. All cancellations are subject to a $250 administrative fee. Deposits are non-refundable after January 1, 2016. Cancellations arriving by June 26, 2016, will receive a 50% refund. Cancellations arriving by August 8, 2016, will receive a 25% refund. There will be no refunds for cancellations received after August 8, 2016.
Travel insurance is strongly recommended to protect against cancellations.
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