75-623: Trent Park is an English country house in north London, accompanied by its former extensive grounds. The original great house, along with several statues and other structures within the grounds, such as the Orangery , are Grade II listed buildings . The site is designated as Metropolitan Green Belt , lies within a conservation area , and is also included at Grade II within the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England . Until 2012,
150-450: A château or a Schloss can be a fortified or unfortified building, a country house, similar to an Ansitz , is usually unfortified. If fortified, it is called a castle, but not all buildings with the name "castle" are fortified (for example Highclere Castle in Hampshire ). The term stately home is subject to debate, and avoided by historians and other academics. As a description of
225-433: A complete about-face from Sassoon's earlier extravagance at Port Lympne to what Aslet called "an appreciation of English reserve." In the words of Christopher Hussey , at Trent, Sassoon caught "that indefinable and elusive quality, the spirit of a country house... an essence of cool, flowery, chintzy, elegant, unobtrusive rooms that rises in the mind when we are thinking of country houses." Sir Philip Sassoon died in 1939 and
300-552: A constituent college of the University of London, Institute of Education a residential, co-educational training college. During the period as a college, famous alumni included Mike Figgis ( film director), David Hepworth (writer and broadcaster) and Christopher Rogers (master brewer). In 1951 the entire estate was compulsorily purchased by Middlesex County Council as Green Belt land. In 1965 the Greater London Council took over
375-688: A country house, the term was first used in a poem by Felicia Hemans , "The Homes of England", originally published in Blackwood's Magazine in 1827. In the 20th century, the term was later popularised in a song by Noël Coward , and in modern usage it often implies a country house that is open to visitors at least some of the time. In England, the terms "country house" and "stately home" are sometimes used vaguely and interchangeably; however, many country houses such as Ascott in Buckinghamshire were deliberately designed not to be stately, and to harmonise with
450-428: A fortunate few; it was the centre of its own world, providing employment to hundreds of people in the vicinity of its estate . In previous eras, when state benefits were unheard of, those working on an estate were among the most fortunate, receiving secured employment and rent-free accommodation. At the summit of this category of people was the indoor staff of the country house. Unlike many of their contemporaries prior to
525-524: A mixture of high architecture , often as interpreted by a local architect or surveyor, and determined by practicality as much as by the whims of architectural taste. An example of this is Brympton d'Evercy in Somerset, a house of many periods that is unified architecturally by the continuing use of the same mellow, local Ham Hill stone . The fashionable William Kent redesigned Rousham House only to have it quickly and drastically altered to provide space for
600-404: A museum on the two lower floors of the mansion. While the university campus buildings were removed, the historic buildings, gardens and landscape were retained. Trent Park dates back to the fourteenth century when it was a part of Enfield Chase , one of Henry IV 's hunting grounds. In 1777 George III leased the site to Sir Richard Jebb , his favourite doctor, as a reward for saving the life of
675-494: A rose garden. In the mid-1990s, Middlesex University and Southgate Sports and Leisure Trust (SSLT) reached agreement to develop the dilapidated university sports ground. In 1997–8 SSLT built a clubhouse and two artificial grass pitches on the site, which was opened in March 1998 as Southgate Hockey Centre . It is home to Southgate Hockey Club , and provides sports and social facilities to the local community. Middlesex University vacated
750-405: A suitable place of worship for the district. In 1909 the estate was sold to Sir Edward Sassoon, father of Philip Sassoon (cousin of the poet Siegfried Sassoon ). Sir Philip Sassoon inherited the estate in 1912 upon his father's death and went on to entertain many notable guests at Trent Park, including Charlie Chaplin and Winston Churchill . Sir Philip Sassoon had a reputation for being one of
825-655: A while. Before they parted, Portal remarked, "So we'll probably see each other tomorrow evening." Wistfully, Whistler replied, "I hope so." He was killed on 18 July 1944, after he left his tank to go to the aid of other men in his unit. His body now lies in Section III, Row F, Grave 22 of Banneville-la-Campagne War Cemetery , situated 10 kilometres east of Caen . Reportedly, The Times received more letters about Whistler's death than for any other war victim. A memorial glass engraving by his brother, Laurence Whistler (the Rex prism)
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#1733085295824900-473: Is politics; they talk politics; and they make politics, quite spontaneously. There are no written terms for distinguishing between vast country palaces and comparatively small country houses; the descriptive terms, which can include castle , manor and court , provide no firm clue and are often only used because of a historical connection with the site of such a building. Therefore, for ease or explanation, Britain's country houses can be categorised according to
975-648: Is the ITV series Downton Abbey . Rex Whistler Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 1905 – 18 July 1944) was a British artist, who painted murals and society portraits, and designed theatrical costumes. He was killed in action in Normandy in World War II . Whistler was the brother of poet and artist Laurence Whistler . Reginald John Whistler was born in England on 24 June 1905, in Eltham , Kent (now part of
1050-520: The Duke of York coming in from golf... Winston Churchill arguing over the teacups with George Bernard Shaw , Lord Balfour dozing in an armchair, Rex Whistler absorbed in his painting... while Philip himself flitted from group to group, an alert, watchful, influential but unobtrusive stage director – all set against a background of mingled luxury, simplicity and informality, brilliantly contrived..." The atmosphere, as Clive Aslet has suggested, represented
1125-516: The Royal Borough of Greenwich ), the son of architect and estate agent Henry Whistler and Helen Frances Mary, the daughter of Rev. Charles Slegg Ward, vicar of Wootton St Lawrence , and through her mother a descendant of the goldsmith and silversmith Paul Storr . His best known work during the early part of his career was for the former café at the Tate Gallery , completed in 1927 when he
1200-541: The Trent Country Park since 1973. The park includes a sports ground, Southgate Hockey Centre . Previously, there was an indoor tennis court that was attended by royalty. This later became a sports hall when the building was converted into a college of education. The Trent Park site was purchased by a developer who received the necessary permits in October 2017 to construct 262 residential units. The site will also include
1275-399: The agricultural depressions of the 1870s , the estates, of which country houses were the hub, provided their owners with incomes. However, the late 19th and early 20th centuries were the swansong of the traditional English country house lifestyle. Increased taxation and the effects of World War I led to the demolition of hundreds of houses ; those that remained had to adapt to survive. While
1350-484: The 14th century. There is also a documented fact that in May 1439 instructions were given to demolish the 'Manor of Camelot', suggesting there was a building on the site". Another source indicates that a lodge was located on this site, and demolished in 1429 and the materials sold to help pay for repairs to Hertford Castle. Sir Philip Sassoon conducted excavations in the 1920s and was reported to have found oak beams which formed
1425-552: The 1850s, with the English economy booming, new mansions were built in one of the many revivalist architectural styles popular throughout the 19th century. The builders of these new houses were able to take advantage of the political unrest in Europe that gave rise to a large trade in architectural salvage. This new wave of country house building is exemplified by the Rothschild properties in
1500-419: The 18th century with houses such as Castle Howard , Kedleston Hall and Holkham Hall . Such building reached its zenith from the late 17th century until the mid-18th century; these houses were often completely built or rebuilt in their entirety by one eminent architect in the most fashionable architectural style of the day and often have a suite of Baroque state apartments, typically in enfilade , reserved for
1575-642: The 2008 History Channel 5-part series The Wehrmacht . In the episode The Crimes , General Dietrich von Choltitz is quoted as saying in October 1944, We all share the guilt. We went along with everything, and we half-took the Nazis seriously, instead of saying 'to hell with you and your stupid nonsense'. I misled my soldiers into believing this rubbish. I feel utterly ashamed of myself. Perhaps we bear even more guilt than these uneducated animals. (This in apparent reference to Hitler and his supporting Nazi Party members.) The transcripts from Trent Park are also included in
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#17330852958241650-574: The 2011 book Soldaten – On Fighting, Killing, and Dying: The Secret Second World War Tapes of German POWs by historian Sönke Neitzel and social psychologist Harald Welzer . In its review of the book, Der Spiegel reports: Many Wehrmacht soldiers became witnesses to the Holocaust because they happened to be present or were invited to take part in a mass shooting. In one cell conversation, army General Edwin Graf von Rothkirch und Trach talks about his time in
1725-474: The 20th century, they slept in proper beds, wore well-made adequate clothes and received three proper meals a day, plus a small wage. In an era when many still died from malnutrition or lack of medicine, the long working hours were a small price to pay. As a result of the aristocratic habit of only marrying within the aristocracy, and whenever possible to a sole heiress, many owners of country houses owned several country mansions, and would visit each according to
1800-604: The British military ( MI19 ) to gather important information and an intimate insight into the minds of the German military elite. An example of the intelligence gained from Trent Park is the existence and location of the German rocket development at Peenemünde Army Research Center , when General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma discussed what he had seen there. This led to the area being attacked by Bomber Command in Operation Hydra . Intelligence
1875-435: The German pilots' views on a number of matters, including the relative strengths and weaknesses of German aircraft. Later in the war it was used as a special prisoner-of-war camp (the 'Cockfosters Cage') for captured German generals and staff officers. They were treated hospitably, provided with special rations of whisky and allowed regular walks on the grounds. The hidden 88A pressure microphones and listening devices allowed
1950-574: The King's younger brother, the then Duke of Gloucester . Jebb chose the name Trent, because it was in Trent , Italy, that the King's brother had been saved. Jebb subsequently acquired the freehold interest in the house and on his death it was sold to Lord Cholmondeley. In about 1836 the house was bought by the banker David Bevan for his son Robert Cooper Lee Bevan on his marriage to Lady Agneta Yorke. Robert Bevan built Christ Church, Cockfosters in 1838 to provide
2025-683: The Mountbattens' son-in-law, decorator David Hicks , in his own houses. When war broke out, although he was 35, Whistler was eager to join the army. He was commissioned into the Welsh Guards as a Second lieutenant in June 1940. He served in the Guards Armoured Division . During the war he was the burial officer of his regiment, and his soldiers became somewhat suspicious of the 20 crosses he carried on his tank. He decided that just because he
2100-508: The Polish town of Kutno : I knew an SS leader pretty well, and we talked about this and that, and one day he said: 'Listen, if you ever want to film one of these shootings? ... I mean, it doesn't really matter. These people are always shot in the morning. If you're interested, we still have a few left over, and we could also shoot them in the afternoon if you like. It takes some sense of routine to be able to make such an offer. The fact that
2175-537: The Sadler's Wells Company in 1940. Whistler's elegance and wit ensured his success as a portrait artist among the fashionable; he painted many members of London society, including Edith Sitwell , Cecil Beaton and other members of the set to which he belonged that became known as the "Bright Young Things" . His murals for Edwina Mountbatten 's 30-room luxury flat in Brook House, Park Lane, London were later installed by
2250-523: The Trent Park site in October 2012, and in 2013 it was bought by Malaysia's Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS) for £30 million, but the buildings were never developed and the college closed in 2014. The house and 50 acres of grounds were sold to Berkeley Housing Group in September 2015. Campaigners wanted a museum opened in the house and were lobbying to ensure that this would become part of
2325-514: The administration of the park and the London Borough of Enfield took over the college. Trent Country Park was opened to the public in 1973. Trent Park Training College became part of Middlesex Polytechnic in 1974, which itself became Middlesex University in 1992. The university's Vice-Chancellor was provided with a residence within the park. Though not so grand as the main house, this nevertheless boasted several small private gardens including
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2400-445: The basis of a drawbridge, Roman shoes and daggers as well as mosaic tiles depicting a knight. The walls and foundations of a large stone building were also found. English Heritage refilled the excavations in 1999. The Historic England site states that the moat area was said to be a haunt of Dick Turpin in the 1700s. The exterior of the house was used as the location for scenes in the 1957 film The One That Got Away . Trent Park
2475-467: The best-known examples of the showy prodigy house , often built with the intention of attracting the monarch to visit. By the reign of Charles I , Inigo Jones and his form of Palladianism had changed the face of English domestic architecture completely, with the use of turrets and towers as an architectural reference to the earlier castles and fortified houses completely disappearing. The Palladian style, in various forms, interrupted briefly by baroque ,
2550-520: The circumstances of their creation. The great houses are the largest of the country houses; in truth palaces, built by the country's most powerful – these were designed to display their owners' power or ambitions to power. Really large unfortified or barely fortified houses began to take over from the traditional castles of the crown and magnates during the Tudor period, with vast houses such as Hampton Court Palace and Burghley House , and continued until
2625-619: The country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country. However, the term also encompasses houses that were, and often still are, the full-time residence for the landed gentry who dominated rural Britain until the Reform Act 1832 . Frequently, the formal business of the counties was transacted in these country houses, having functional antecedents in manor houses . With large numbers of indoor and outdoor staff, country houses were important as places of employment for many rural communities. In turn, until
2700-466: The country saw the building of the first of the unfortified great houses. Henry VIII 's Dissolution of the Monasteries saw many former ecclesiastical properties granted to the King's favourites, who then converted them into private country houses. Woburn Abbey , Forde Abbey and many other mansions with abbey or priory in their name became private houses during this period. Other terms used in
2775-520: The cricket fields and the animal sanctuary (Wildlife Rescue Centre); the site included a Go Ape, a Country Club, a cafe in the main parking area and a children's playground with new equipment. The Waymark Trails were ready for use by mid-June. The Friends of Trent Park made a brochure with map available for free download. Within the country park, close to the Hadley Road entrance, is a small moated isle known as Camlet Moat. The name has been abbreviated over
2850-428: The design of the wing around the next corner. These varying "improvements", often criticised at the time, today are the qualities that make English country houses unique. Wealthy and influential people, often bored with their formal duties, go to the country in order to get out of London, the ugliest and most uncomfortable city in the world; they invented the long week-end to stay away as long as possible. Their métier
2925-427: The early 1970s, hundreds of country houses were demolished . Houses that survived destruction are now mostly Grade I or II listed as buildings of historic interest with restrictions on restoration and re-creation work. However such work is usually very expensive. Several houses have been restored, some over many years. For example at Copped Hall where the restoration started in 1995 continues to this day. Although
3000-497: The existing house was Victorian and undistinguished. Sassoon had the Victorian additions demolished or altered, except for the west service wing, between 1926 and 1931. The projecting wings were added to the entrance (south) front. These modifications led to a large mansion in early-Georgian style. It became one of the houses of the age, "a dream of another world – the white-coated footmen serving endless courses of rich but delicious food,
3075-577: The greatest hosts in Britain. Herbert Baker designed one house for him in 1912, Port Lympne , later the Port Lympne Wild Animal Park , in Kent, and Philip Tilden largely rebuilt another, Trent Park, from 1923. Stylistic differences between the two houses illustrate changes in taste among members of British high society of the period. Trent Park possessed a landscape designed by Humphry Repton but
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3150-442: The grounds were attractively landscaped by Humphry Repton in the English manner (some also attribute the work of Capability Brown ). Features of the original landscaping that can still be seen include an impressive avenue of lime trees , an obelisk, ornamental lakes and a water garden. The water garden was renovated in the 1990s by park ranger Arthur Newson. Reports in summer 2019 indicated that Trent Country Park features included
3225-473: The home counties and Bletchley Park (rebuilt in several styles, and famous for its code-breaking role in World War II). The slow decline of the English country house coincided with the rise not just of taxation, but also of modern industry, along with the agricultural depression of the 1870s. By 1880, this had led some owners into financial shortfalls as they tried to balance maintenance of their estates with
3300-509: The house and adjacent buildings constituted the Trent Park campus of Middlesex University . The campus hosted the performing arts , teacher education , humanities , product design and engineering, television production , and biological science departments, as well as the Flood Hazard Research Centre. The campus was vacated in October 2012. The parkland extends to approximately 320 hectares (3.2 km) and has been known as
3375-483: The house was requisitioned by the government for use during World War II . Trent Park was used as a centre to extract information from captured German officers. During the Battle of Britain in 1940, captured Luftwaffe pilots were held initially at Trent Park. The rooms at Trent Park had been equipped with hidden microphones that allowed the British to listen in to the pilots' conversations. This provided information about
3450-435: The household. These houses were always an alternative residence to a London house. During the 18th and 19th centuries, for the highest echelons of English society, the country house served as a place for relaxing, hunting and running the country with one's equals at the end of the week, with some houses having their own theatre where performances were staged. The country house, however, was not just an oasis of pleasure for
3525-551: The immediately preceding war then in World War I, were now paying far higher rates of tax, and agricultural incomes had dropped. Thus, the solution for many was to hold contents auctions and then demolish the house and sell its stone, fireplaces , and panelling . This is what happened to many of Britain's finest houses. Despite this slow decline, so necessary was the country house for entertaining and prestige that in 1917 Viscount Lee of Fareham donated his country house Chequers to
3600-438: The income they provided. Some relied on funds from secondary sources such as banking and trade while others, like the severely impoverished Duke of Marlborough , sought to marry American heiresses to save their country houses and lifestyles. The ultimate demise began immediately following World War I . The members of the huge staff required to maintain large houses had either left to fight and never returned, departed to work in
3675-484: The landscape, while some of the great houses such as Kedleston Hall and Holkham Hall were built as "power houses" to dominate the landscape, and were most certainly intended to be "stately" and impressive. In his book Historic Houses: Conversations in Stately Homes , the author and journalist Robert Harling documents nineteen "stately homes"; these range in size from the vast Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard to
3750-540: The latter two are ducal palaces, Montacute, although built by a Master of the Rolls to Queen Elizabeth I, was occupied for the next 400 years by his descendants, who were gentry without a London townhouse , rather than aristocracy. They finally ran out of funds in the early 20th century. However, the vast majority of English country houses, often owned at different times by gentlemen and peers , are an evolution of one or more styles with facades and wings in different styles in
3825-454: The mansion was expected to commence before the end of 2019. Landscape restoration on the North Lawn and on the south side of the lake was under way in 2019; a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) was being installed in Trent Park. Other landscape work for the park was included in the plan. The former dairy in the park was being converted into apartments, each with a garden or terrace. Woburn Cottage
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#17330852958243900-639: The minuscule Ebberston Hall , and in architecture from the Jacobean Renaissance of Hatfield House to the eccentricities of Sezincote . The book's collection of stately homes also includes George IV's Brighton town palace, the Royal Pavilion . The country houses of England have evolved over the last five hundred years. Before this time, larger houses were usually fortified, reflecting the position of their owners as feudal lords , de facto overlords of their manors . The Tudor period of stability in
3975-416: The most eminent guests, the entertainment of whom was of paramount importance in establishing and maintaining the power of the owner. The common denominator of this category of English country houses is that they were designed to be lived in with a certain degree of ceremony and pomp. It was not unusual for the family to have a small suite of rooms for withdrawing in privacy away from the multitude that lived in
4050-399: The munitions factories, or filled the void left by the fighting men in other workplaces. Of those who returned after the war, many left the countryside for better-paid jobs in towns. The final blow for many country houses came following World War II ; having been requisitioned during the war, they were returned to the owners in poor repair. Many estate owners, having lost their heirs, if not in
4125-468: The names of houses to describe their origin or importance include palace , castle , court , hall , mansion , park , house , manor , and place . It was during the second half of the reign of Elizabeth I , and under her successor, James I , that the first architect-designed mansions, thought of today as epitomising the English country house, began to make their appearance. Burghley House , Longleat House , and Hatfield House are among
4200-450: The nation for the use of a prime minister who might not possess one of his or her own. Chequers still fulfills that need today as do both Chevening House and Dorneywood , donated for sole use of high-ranking ministers of the Crown. Today, many country houses have become hotels, schools, hospitals and museums, while others have survived as conserved ruins, but from the early 20th century until
4275-480: The official plan; the Trent Park Museum Trust was successful in this effort. Building of a new housing development began in late 2017, to eventually include 262 homes and flats. Some of the heritage buildings were to be re-purposed into luxury apartments; the plan included a museum on the two lower floors of the mansion, expected to open in 2020. The Middlesex University buildings were removed. Renovation of
4350-468: The owner of a "power house" or a small manor, the inhabitants of the English country house have become collectively referred to as the ruling class, because this is exactly what they did in varying degrees, whether by having high political influence and power in national government, or in the day-to-day running of their own localities or "county" in such offices as lord/deputy lieutenant , magistrates , or occasionally even clergy. The Country house mystery
4425-521: The owner's twelve children. Canons Ashby , home to poet John Dryden 's family, is another example of architectural evolution: a medieval farmhouse enlarged in the Tudor era around a courtyard, given grandiose plaster ceilings in the Stuart period , and then having Georgian façades added in the 18th century. The whole is a glorious mismatch of styles and fashions that seamlessly blend together. These could be called
4500-502: The ownership or management of some houses has been transferred to a private trust , most notably at Chatsworth , other houses have transferred art works and furnishings under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme to ownership by various national or local museums, but retained for display in the building. This enables the former owners to offset tax, the payment of which would otherwise have necessitated
4575-449: The people involved did not try to keep their activities a secret demonstrates how much the perpetrators took for granted the "mass shootings of Jews", as one of the POWs in Trent Park called it. Franz von Werra was also interrogated at Trent Park. In 1947 the estate became a Ministry of Education emergency training college for male teachers, then in 1950 it became Trent Park Training College,
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#17330852958244650-457: The private sale of the art works. For example, tapestries and furniture at Houghton Hall are now owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum . In addition, increasing numbers of country houses hold licences for weddings and civil ceremonies . Another source of income is to use the house as a venue for parties, a film location or a corporate entertainment venue. While many country houses are open to
4725-467: The public and derive income through that means, they remain homes, in some cases inhabited by the descendants of their original owners. The lifestyles of those living and working in a country house in the early 20th century were recreated in a BBC television programme, The Edwardian Country House , filmed at Manderston House in Scotland. Another television programme which features life in country houses
4800-459: The season: Grouse shooting in Scotland , pheasant shooting and fox hunting in England. The Earl of Rosebery , for instance, had Dalmeny House in Scotland, Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire, and another house near Epsom just for the racing season. For many, this way of life, which began a steady decline in 1914, continued well into the 20th century, and for a few continues to this day. In
4875-444: The second category of Britain's country houses are those that belonged to the squirearchy or landed gentry . These tend either to have evolved from medieval hall houses, with rooms added as required, or were purpose-built by relatively unknown local architects. Smaller, and far greater in number than the "power houses", these were still the epicentre of their own estate, but were often the only residence of their owner. However, whether
4950-488: The true English country house. Wilton House , one of England's grandest houses, is in a remarkably similar vein; although, while the Drydens, mere squires, at Canons Ashby employed a local architect, at Wilton the mighty Earls of Pembroke employed the finest architects of the day: first Holbein , 150 years later Inigo Jones, and then Wyatt followed by Chambers. Each employed a different style of architecture, seemingly unaware of
5025-531: The years from "Camelot", and it first appeared in local records in 1440. The moat is protected under the Ancient Monuments & Archaeological Areas Act 1979. A survey of the area conducted between 1956 and 1958 attributes the site as the seat of habitation of Geoffrey de Mandeville during the reign of William the Conqueror . A 2019 report states that the "earliest documented reference to this site comes from
5100-511: Was a popular genre of English detective fiction in the 1920s and 1930s; set in the residence of the gentry and often involving a murder in a country house temporarily isolated by a snowstorm or similar with the suspects all at a weekend house party. Following the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, a third category of country houses was built as newly rich industrialists and bankers were eager to display their wealth and taste. By
5175-477: Was also gained on war crimes, political views, and the resistance in Germany that led to the 20 July plot against Hitler. Eighty-four generals and a number of lower-ranking staff officers were brought to Trent Park. More than 1,300 protocols were written by the time the war ended; a selection of these was published in English in 2007 under the title Tapping Hitler's Generals . Selected transcripts were dramatised in
5250-425: Was at war it did not mean he could not paint, and he therefore also carried a bucket hanging off the side of his tank for his paintbrushes. Whistler is said to have predicted his own death. Just days before he was killed, he remarked to a friend that he wanted to be buried where he fell, not in a military cemetery. On the night before his death, a fellow officer named Francis Portal came up to him, and they talked for
5325-542: Was only 22, but now viewed by some as problematic for stereotyped depictions of black and Chinese figures. He was commissioned to produce posters and illustrations for Shell Petroleum and the Radio Times . He also created designs for Wedgwood china based on drawings he made of the Devon village of Clovelly , and costumes "after Hogarth " for the premiere production of William Walton 's ballet The Wise Virgins , produced by
5400-666: Was placed at the Morning Chapel at Salisbury Cathedral . Laurence also wrote a biography of his brother The Laughter and the Urn (1985). Whistler's death is mentioned in a letter to Alec Guinness in Sir John Gielgud A Life in Letters , edited by Richard Mangan (Arcade Publishing 2004), p. 75. Gielgud notes that "Whistler's death is a major tragedy" adding that "He wanted to prove that 'artists can be tough' and alas, he has done so—but
5475-402: Was to be demolished, with the new building to house a gym; an outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts were to be added. In 1973 Trent Park was opened to the public as a country park, which at that time surrounded the university buildings and is 320 hectares in area. For some years, country park included publicly accessible countryside, farmland, a golf course and an equestrian centre. Some of
5550-422: Was to predominate until the second half of the 18th century when, influenced by ancient Greek styles, it gradually evolved into the neoclassicism championed by such architects as Robert Adam . Some of the best known of England's country houses were the work of only one architect/designer, built in a relatively short, particular time: Montacute House , Chatsworth House , and Blenheim Palace are examples. While
5625-460: Was used as the location for scenes set in and around a boys' boarding school in the 1983 Doctor Who story, " Mawdryn Undead ", featuring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor. English country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house . This allowed them to spend time in
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