All of our lectures are live streamed and are open to anyone to join us online, Fellows and Non-Fellows.
To view any of our past lectures please visit our YouTube channel.
To view any of our past lectures please visit our YouTube channel.
ORDINARY MEETING OF FELLOWS LECTURE
Faith, Patriotism, and Beauty: Henry Arundell’s Transformation of Wardour Castle by Frederick Hervey-Bathurst
This lecture examines the works of art, architecture and landscape architecture devised in the second half of the eighteenth century for the Old Wardour Castle in Wiltshire and for its surrounding landscape. This eighteenth-century reinvention of the Castle and its landscape was the magnum opus of a pious Roman Catholic: Henry Arundell, 8th Baron Arundell of Wardour.
In addition to the conventional understanding of the creation as an eighteenth- century Picturesque landscape, this lecture argues that, set against the backdrop of contemporary anti-Catholic sentiment in Britain, it is a personal proclamation of Lord Arundell’s place in English society. Not only is this a motivating force behind the construction of the landscape but also, its composition is an expression of Arundell’s English-Catholic identity. With a pedagogical and historiographical retelling of Arundell family history at its heart, the landscape confirms Henry Arundell’s sense of belonging and position in eighteenth-century British society.
Correspondence between Arundell and his artisans illustrates how the then burgeoning discipline of antiquarianism was tactically employed to tell a history which both stressed the past contributions of Catholicism to English history whilst demonstrating a place for Catholics in an emancipated England of the future.
Frederick Hervey-Bathurst studied Architectural History at the universities of Virginia and Edinburgh. After a brief career in finance, he enrolled at The Bartlett School of Architecture in September 2024 to train as a Landscape Architect. Frederick writes regularly on architecture and landscape for publications like The New Criterion, Country Life, Garden History and the magazines of The Georgian Group and RIBA. He is an active committee member of the Georgian Group and a trustee of Europa Nostra UK.
This event will be both in person at Burlington House and online. Please select the appropriate ticket below.
Attendance at Burlington House:
Open to anyone to attend.
The event will begin at 5pm, with tea/coffee from 4.30pm.
Pre-registration is essential for non-Fellows but we encourage Fellows to register as well.
Fellows must ensure they sign the guest book.
Sherry is served in the Foyer following the lecture.
Attendance online:
The event will be live-streamed on Zoom (if you register) and recorded on our YouTube channel.
The event will begin at 5pm.
You will receive an email reminder with the link to join the day of the lecture.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].
