Chatsworth's 105 acre garden and surrounding 1000 acre park is a fascinating and varied historic landscape, particularly famous for its waterworks, rock garden and sculptures. It encompasses work by many of the finest landscape designers of English history, from the formal London and Wise parterres of the late 17th century and the work of William Kent and Capability Brown in the 18th century, to the great, self-taught Victorian genius Joseph Paxton, who was head gardener for more than 30 years. Created and developed on a suitably ducal scale, the garden has absorbed the best of each generation to become an uniquely layered landscape. The last 60 years has seen the garden develop in new ways, and become home to a growing collection of contemporary sculpture and new landscape design by Dan Pearson and Tom Stuart Smith. This lecture spans five centuries to tell the story of one family's impact on a Derbyshire valley.
Views: 233 | Enquiries: 0I have an art history degree, and I have been giving public lectures for 30+ years. I worked at the historic estate of Chatsworth, in Derbyshire, for 19 years, latterly as their head of communications, and give a number of talks about its art collections (ancient and modern, garden and park landscape, history and family, including a lecture on Deborah, the Mitford Duchess of Devonshire, who I knew well. I was lucky enough to lecture around the UK, in Europe and all over the USA on behalf of Chatsworth, and I now take that experience, and close knowledge of my subject, to audiences around the UK as a freelance lecturer.
I also give lectures about two very different Victorians, John Ruskin and Joseph Paxton, both fascinating and inspiring men for totally different reasons, as well as on the brilliant land-artist Julie Brook.
I am lucky to talk about subjects that I feel passionate about, and am grateful to receive feedback from audiences that my lectures are entertaining, engaging and inspiring, as well as informative and thought-provoking. My lectures are normally given with digital powerpoint images, and last an hour, though I can adapt some of my talks for after-dinner or other occasions.
As well as my lecturing, I have a private practice as a Life Coach, working one-to-one with clients, and I also work part time for arts and heritage charities helping with communications.
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