The American Friends of the Georgian Group
and The Colonial Dames of America

Reception and Lecture on one of the
“greatest buildings of the Georgian age.”

The Rescue of Wentworth Woodhouse
by Peter Brown

About the Lecture:
Architectural Historian and Restoration Consultant Peter Brown, M.B.E., F.S.A., will be visiting from England to give an engaging presentation on the rescue of Wentworth Woodhouse — a restoration that was a joint effort of the Georgian Group and others over the last 20 years.

The historic home, now administered by a newly-created preservation trust, was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as “one of the greatest buildings of the Georgian age, with interiors of exceptional value.” Built and decorated by one of England’s most prominent Whig families, the Marquises of Rockingham and Earls Fitzwilliam, the house was commissioned by leading firms of the day.

Using family papers, as well as drawings from Lord Burlington’s practice and James ‘Athenian’ Stuart, this talk will reimagine the splendor of this house and highlight the challenges facing the newly-created trust.

About the Speaker
Educated at Sheffield and Leeds, Peter Brown worked for the National Trust before becoming the first Director of Fairfax House in 1984. He was named Company Secretary of York Civic Trust in 2006, then served as its Director from 2009 to 2015.

Throughout his career, he also has curated 14 exhibitions — and written the related catalogs — some of which toured England. He also has authored four books and numerous papers for national and international Symposia. He currently is writing The Town & Country House of Yorkshire 1660-1860, to be published in 2019; and Wanstead House, A Study of Dispersal and Destruction 1822-24, to be published in/around 2020.