Investment at
top English Heritage properties - including elegant Kenwood in North London,
aristocratic Audley End House & Gardens at Saffron Walden in Essex,
majestic Kenilworth Castle & Elizabethan Garden in Warwickshire and opulent
Osborne on the Isle of Wight - will guarantee even more historic interest for
days out during 2014.
Better Than Ever
- Kenwood Re-Opens Kenwood House, Robert Adanis 18th century masterpiece in north London,
re-opens at the start of December 2013 after extensive repair and restoration
work.Home to one of
the greatest art collections in Britain, part of the restoration work now
nearing completion will re-display its glorious paintings and show them at
their best. With a new roof, refreshed exteriors and its wonderful Adam rooms
restored, the overall atmosphere will also be transformed to feel less like a
house and more like a home.There will be
new introductory displays to enjoy, which tell the story of the house and its
residents - from Judge Lord Mansfield and his mixed race great niece Dido Belle
to brewing magnate Edward Guinness, who gave Kenwood to the nation. Visitors
can also visit the restored ornamental dairy, where 18th century
ladies once took tea and played at being dairymaids.
As well as
famous paintings by masters including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Turner, Reynolds
and Gainsborough to admire, full length portraits of extravagantlydressed
Jacobean courtiers located on the upper floor, will be able to be seen
by all, thanks to the installation of a lift. Set in 112-acres
of leafy parkland landscaped by Humphrey Repton and dotted with garden
ornaments and sculptures -including famous works by Henry Moore and Barbara
Hepworth - Kenwood has wonderful views across London. Entry will continue to be
free, but tailored guided tours for groups can be pre-booked - and for just a
small charge, will be better value than ever.
Kenwood,
Hampstead Lane, London NW3 7JR
Tel: 020 83481286 www.english-heritage.org.uk/kenwood
Royal childhood at Osborne
At Osborne,
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's holiday hideaway, Swiss Cottage and Museum - used as a
giant 'play house by their nine children - will re-open following restoration
of the buildings and conservation of the collections.The charming buildings will tell the
story of childhood at Osborne, with a new exhibition and hands-on activities
exploring the lives and characters of all the royal princes and princesses,
alongside over 4,000 original artefacts in the cottage and museum which have
been carefully conserved after being on almost continuous display for nearly a
century. The Swiss
Cottage Quarter is conveniently located roughly halfway between Osborne House and Queen
Victories private beach. Osborne, East Cowes, Isle of Wight, P032 6JX
Tel: 01983 200022 www.english-heritage.org.uk/osborne
Victorian
childhood at Audley End House & Gardens The story of
eight children who grew up in the 1830s and 40s at Audley End is to be told as part of the opening of
the second floor Nursery Suite in the Jacobean mansion, for the first time.Life in the nursery for them and their succession of wet nurses, nursery maids and governesses - at a time when
aristocratic children were rarely seen or heard by their parents - is being unveiled
as part of a £1m project. The series of rooms in which they spent so much of
their young lives - eating a wholesome diet of 'nursery food,' reading and
playing with toys - can be explored helped by interactive displays.Along with the
Nursery Suite, another
previously unseen part of the house will also open next year, when the Coal
Gallery reveals its importance for heating the house, and providing it with hot water.There's more to
see in other parts of the house too - with improved presentation in the State Rooms and
a virtual tour of the house to enjoy.
Audley End House & Gardens,
Saffron Walden, Essex, CB114JF Tel: 01799 522842 www.english-heritage.org.uk/audleyend
twitter. @EnglishHeritage
