|
Courses - Attingham Summer School
Attingham Study Week | Attingham Summer School | Royal Collection Studies
The 57th Attingham Summer School 2008
Friday, 4th - Tuesday, 22nd July |
Application Forms |
Since its foundation in 1952, The Attingham Summer School has enjoyed outstanding success and is highly regarded by museums, universities and historic preservation societies throughout the world for its careful selection of members, and sustained academic standards.
The School has three main purposes:
To examine the architectural and social history of the historic house in Britain and its gardens and landscape setting.
To study the contents of these buildings – their paintings, sculpture, furniture, ceramics, silver, textiles and other applied arts – as well as the planning, decorative treatment and use of the interiors.
To stimulate debate on problems relating to the conservation and presentation of the country house and its contents.
The programme in 2008, based at three centres, will give members a chance to study about twenty-five historic houses – usually on specially arranged visits – accompanied by specialist tutors and visiting lecturers. Seminars and lectures set the country house in a broader artistic and social context, and time is given for discussion and for developing contacts, a popular and important ingredient of the course. A specialism cannot always be studied in depth, but there are excellent opportunities to broaden one’s knowledge of architecture and the decorative arts
The Attingham Summer School offers a unique, if strenuous, approach to art education for museum curators, architectural historians, conservationists and teachers.
PROGRAMME
JULY 4th - 9th WEST DEAN COLLEGE, SUSSEX
The Summer School’s opening days are spent in the relaxed country-house atmosphere of WEST DEAN, a house of castellated splendour adapted by James Wyatt and extended in 1893 for William James. It was inherited by his son Edward, who added Surrealist works of art to the collections before establishing the property as an educational trust.
Introductory lectures to the programme are followed by visits to ARUNDEL CASTLE, the home of the Dukes of Norfolk for over 700 years, which demonstrates the transformation of a Norman fortified castle to a Victorian mansion, with superb collections of works of art. PETWORTH presents the School with the chance to study the Baroque magnificence of the 6th Duke of Somerset, the creation of a picturesque landscape in the park during the 18th century, and the patronage of British artists, including Turner and Flaxman, by the 3rd Earl of Egremont in the early 19th century.
18th century collections from the Grand Tour, and the restoration of a house following a devastating fire in 1989, will be studied at UPPARK and at the Prince Regent’s exuberant BRIGHTON PAVILION detailed insight will be given on its construction, furnishings and conservation.
JULY 9th - 16th ANCASTER HALL, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
During this part of the course, the School will study some of the finest British country houses in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. A day is spent at HARDWICK HALL, the Elizabethan house built for Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, containing magnificent plasterwork and one of the most important collections of 16th and 17th-century textiles. At BOLSOVER CASTLE, an extraordinary property dating from the early 17th century, the problems of conservation and restoration of semi-ruinous buildings will be presented and discussed.
Two days of visits to CHATSWORTH provide opportunities to study the immense and varied collections of the Dukes of Devonshire from the 16th to the 21st century, and to discuss methods of presentation and education in the historic house. The refined 18th-century Neo-Classical style of Robert Adam is analysed with expert guidance at KEDLESTON HALL, while the eclectic possessions of generations of the Harper-Crewe family at CALKE ABBEY provide an alternative perspective on the preservation of country houses in the 20th century.
Throughout the course, lectures and seminars will be held on aspects of historic country houses, including their collections, the development of gardens, parks and domestic services.
JULY 16th - 22nd WILLS HALL, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
The last part of the 2008 Summer School will be based in Bristol, from where we can study remarkable houses and estates in North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, North Wiltshire and South Wales.
Among the properties to be visited will be DYRHAM PARK, a rare example of the late 17th century Anglo-Dutch style of decoration for William III’s Secretary at War, William Blathwayt; CORSHAM COURT, a fine 16th century gabled house extended in the mid 18th century by Lancelot “Capability” Brown to contain Lord Methuen’s collection of works of art; BLAISE CASTLE HAMLET, a Regency picturesque village created for the Harford family by John Nash and George Repton in 1810-1811; the National Trust’s latest major acquisition, TYNTESFIELD, one of the finest Gothic Revival houses and estates of the Victorian period; TREDEGAR HOUSE, the beautiful late 17th century home of the Morgan family in South Wales; and CASTELL COCH, the whimsical castle outside Cardiff designed by William Burges for the eccentric Marquis of Bute.
Further study of private houses and collections will be provided throughout the course and particularly during the last part of the course.
The Course Director is Lisa White.
Enrolment and Course Fees
The cost of the 18-day residential course includes tuition, meals, accommodation, admission to houses
and travel by private coach. Not included is the cost of lunch or dinner on two occasions, drinks, laundry, guide books and membership of the UK National Trust/US Royal Oak Foundation. The course will disperse in Bristol on July 22nd.
Applications from all countries except North and South America
Application forms are available from the website or from Jo Ballingal, Secretary, The Attingham Trust, 144a Ashley Gardens, Thirleby Road, London, SW1P 1HN. E-mail: attinghamtrust@btinternet.com. The cost for general enrolment is £2,590.
Applications from North and South America
Application forms are available from the website or from Elizabeth De Rosa,Administrator,The Attingham Summer School Inc., 1965 Broadway, Apt. 20G, New York, NY 10023. E-mail: Attingham2@att.net. The
cost for general enrolment, which includes the US handling fee, is $5,330.
To qualify for a scholarship
Several scholarships are offered to candidates on the 2008 Summer School in addition to general enrolment.
To qualify for a scholarship, applicants should be in full-time employment in a museum or art gallery, or
with a conservation body, or equivalent organisation. Alternatively they should be practising architects
concerned primarily with conservation or be teachers of the fine and decorative arts. They are asked to
supply a statement of financial need with their applications.
All candidates, other than those from America and Canada, awarded scholarships from their institutions
or from The Attingham Trust are asked to make a personal contribution of £200 to support the Trust’s scholarship fund.
Closing dates for applications
The closing date is 31st January 2008. Completed forms must be accompanied by a statement of how attendance at the Attingham Summer School may benefit the applicant’s career, together with letters of reference in support of the application, and a statement of financial need if scholarship assistance is required.
All applicants will be notified by mid-March whether they have been accepted.To secure their places, course members should make an immediate deposit of $700/£350.
The balance of the fee is due without further notice by April 30th 2008. Participants are strongly advised to insure against cancellation as no refunds will be made once a place has been confirmed.
The Council of the Attingham Trust reserves the right to adjust fees if there is a substantial change in the exchange rate as these were assessed on the basis of assumptions made in September 2007. Should this prove necessary, members will be informed by April 1st 2008.
Chairman
John Lewis, OBE
Vice-Chairman
Martin Drury, CBE, FSA
Director of Studies
Annabel Westman, FSA
Director of the Summer School
Lisa White, FSA
Administrator
Emma Ryder Richardson
THE AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE ATTINGHAM SUMMER SCHOOL INC.
President
Molly Seiler
Vice-presidents
Thomas Appelquist
Jeff Groff
James Mundy
Vincent Plescia
Administrator
Elizabeth De Rosa
The Attingham Trust is registered as an educational charitable trust no.262819
( PDF FILES - to open this file you will need Adobe Reader, click here to download the latest version ) |
