Behind the scenes in the Collection

Waddesdon Team — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:49:12 +0000

March is always a busy time in the collection department – the Manor reopens for the main season on 31 March. It’s at this time of year that the house is woken from its winter slumbers, with covers removed from furniture inside and from sculpture outside. Every area of the house is busy, with the Stewards and Housekeeping staff re-instating the rooms and unpacking small objects and porcelain, while the Curators install the temporary exhibitions for this year.

Each type of object requires special display conditions requiring a lot of forward planning and creativity. For example, our book curator has been adapting a drawing exhibition space with new shelves and stands, as well as a handling collection and DVD, to show off some of the wonderful 18th-century books from the Morning Room that are normally difficult to see. A little later in the season, we are also working on an exhibition of design by the Brazilian brothers Humberto and Fernando Campana, featuring wonderfully exotic, colourful chandeliers – a nice counterpoint to the historic chandeliers in the collection.

Behind the scenes, collection staff have also been busy working towards the launch of the new website for Waddesdon Manor, which will also provide a platform for exploring the collection on-line. At the moment, we have about 700 trade cards and other prints up on the site, but we are preparing a selection of about 50 highlights from across the collection – furniture, porcelain, paintings, textiles, sculptures and books – to give a sense of the breadth of the collection and a taster of what can be seen here.

Waddesdon Manor – A National Trust property

Waddesdon Team — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:29:54 +0000

Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild built Waddesdon Manor between 1874 to 1889. He used Waddesdon to entertain his guests and display his vast 18th-century French decorative art collection. Typical were the Savonnerie carpets and Sèvres porcelain which rank, in relevance and importance with those kept in the Louvre in Paris and the Royal and Wallace Collections in London. Baron Ferdinand also collected portraits by Gainsborough and Reynolds, and his art treasures included the 17th century works by Dutch and Flemish Masters.

Waddesdon Manor has one of the most beautiful gardens in Britain famous for its Parterre, seasonal displays, shady walks and views. At its heart lies the Aviary stocked with species that were once part of Baron Ferdinand’s collection. The Wine Cellars, modelled on the private cellars at Château Lafite-Rothschild contain thousands of bottles of wine which date back to 1868.

Visitors to Waddesdon Manor:

Visitors to Waddesdon require ‘timed tickets’ to enter the Manor. During August admission for children is free, and if you are a visitor to the house you must also have a ticket for the gardens.

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Behind the scenes in the Collection

Waddesdon Manor – A National Trust property