our courses
The Attingham Study Programme
The Attingham Study Programme 2024
‘Arts and Crafts Houses and Gardens’
16 – 22 September 2024
This course is now closed to applications
This seven-day study programme will explore the origins and evolution of the Arts and Crafts movement in England by studying the work of its leading architects and designers and considering its influence here and abroad. We will be based in Surrey and Gloucestershire and will examine houses, gardens and collections in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire.
The course will begin with the two influential houses which bookend the architect Philip Webb’s career: Red House, designed for William Morris in 1859-60, and Standen, his most complete surviving work, with its fine collection of original Morris & Co. furnishings, furniture, and decorative arts. We will explore the extraordinary creative partnership between Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens at Munstead Wood, where Jekyll’s skill as a designer and horticulturist finds perfect expression in her own garden which clothes the house designed for her by Lutyens. We will also visit Vann, where the architect W D Caröe extended his 16th century house and commissioned Jekyll to create a water garden in 1911. From Surrey, we will travel to Morris’s country home at Kelmscott Manor and on to Gloucestershire where we will spend time studying the pre-eminent Arts and Crafts collections of The Wilson in Cheltenham. Among the houses and gardens we will explore in this area, are Rodmarton Manor, designed by Ernest Gimson for Claud and Margaret Biddulph, and recognised as the last and greatest of the houses, entirely built and with its furniture made to Arts and Crafts ideals using local materials and craftspeople. At Owlpen Manor, which the architect, Norman Jewson, discovered in a state of near-dereliction and acquired in 1925, in order to repair it and ensure its survival, we will study the Mander family’s wonderful collection. We will then spend a day at two superb and highly contrasting houses near Malvern, the moated 19th century Madresfield Court, home to the Lygon family for over 900 years, with its library by CR Ashbee and the Guild of Handicraft and exceptional chapel and Perrycroft, designed by CFA Voysey as a country retreat for JW Wilson MP in 1893-4, on a spectacular sloping site in the Malvern Hills.
The course will feature lectures and study sessions with leading experts in the field and privileged access to private collections and gardens.
Course Director
Course Co-ordinator
Enrolment and fees
The cost of the course is £3,200. This includes standard accommodation, breakfast, most lunches and dinners. Tuition, admissions and travel by private coach during the course are also included. All bedrooms are for single occupancy and have en-suite facilities.
Applications
The deadline for applications is 11 February 2024. All candidates will be notified by late March 2024 if they have been awarded a place. Payment of fees in full will be due by 30 April 2024, and may be made by bank transfer or with a sterling cheque. Participants are strongly advised to insure against cancellation, as no refunds will be made following payment, unless the place can be filled by another suitable candidate. In such a case, an administrative fee of £100 will be made.
Scholarships for applicants from countries other than the USA or Australia
Applicants who are unable to meet the fees are first encouraged to approach their institutions for full or partial financial assistance before applying for the course. Some scholarship funding through The Attingham Trust is available thanks to the generous support of various individuals and charitable foundations. Any candidate wishing to apply for a scholarship must complete the scholarship application at the bottom of the application form and provide details of their current salary.
Any queries can be directed to Lorna Gartside:
Scholarships for applicants from the USA
US Applicants seeking scholarship support should apply directly to the American Friends of Attingham using the specific scholarship form, available online at: www.americanfriendsofattingham.org/courses/study-programme
Scholarships for applicants from Australia
For applicants from Australia seeking scholarships, please refer to: www.coplandfoundation.com.au by 28 November 2023
Please note that The Attingham Trust is a registered educational charity. Our courses are provided occasionally, on a not-for-profit basis and to a limited group of participants. This trip does not, therefore, constitute a ‘package holiday’ for the purpose of the Package Travel Regulations
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 November 2023. Should this prove necessary, members will be informed.
Standen House Photo Credit: Bruce White