The courses offer a unique opportunity to examine the history, architecture and contents of historic buildings and their gardens and estates, and to study how they are managed and interpreted by a wide variety of owners, both public and private. Academic excellence is delivered through special access, lectures, discussion, and on-site tuition which provides a comprehensive understanding of a wide range of disciplines.

The courses are advertised on our website, through relevant press and online channels and through an extensive mailing list. They are publicised in the autumn of the year before the course takes place, with the closing date for applications usually at the end of January.

From the considerable number of applicants from many countries, participants are chosen with an architectural, historical, conservation or academic background, or a close involvement with the fine and decorative arts. Whilst historically many of the participants have come from the United States and the UK, the programmes are now attended by a wide range of scholars and experts from around the world.

Application forms for each of our courses can be found on the website. Please refer to the course you are interested in to find the relevant form.

Yes, thanks to generous support from private donors and institutions, we are able to offer scholarship funding to help meet the fees of the Summer School, Royal Collection Studies and, to a lesser extent, the Study Programme. Please refer to the Scholarship Funding page of the website for more details.