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Work and PlayParticipating houses: Brodsworth Hall, Burton Constable, Harewood House, Temple Newsam.The country house is often thought of today as sitting in splendid isolation – socially and physically detached from society – in the midst of its parkland. These great houses were, however, the beating heart at the centre of estates that spread across the surrounding countryside. These estates accounted for over half of the land in England by the late nineteenth century, and so played an important part in creating the farms, villages, factories and towns, where we live and work today and many of which still have a distinct identity linking them to the landowning family. The project explores how estates changed the face of the landscape over the last six centuries, creating both the iconic images of the England as the rural estate village as well as some of the first industrial landscapes. By drawing on the rich archival sources of the participating houses, historic maps and surveys are used to demonstrate when, how and why the landscape was changed to create the modern landscape. Whole communities worked in the shadow of the great houses: the lives of men, women and children were all part of the society and economy that sustained the house, its family and their lifestyle. Using diaries and letters, photographs and oral history the stories of some of those people are brought to life. Yorkshire has more great estates than many counties and the families that lived in the great houses also owned land across the UK and Ireland, as well as further afield in the Caribbean. The project will explore the distinct landscapes – rural and urban, agricultural and industrial – that were forged by the landowners, and will explore how the they played a crucial role in determining the character of the landscape that we have inherited today. The participating houses pursue a number of linked exhibitions that focus on various aspects of the estate, its landscape and the lives of those within it. Drawing on themes which include Agriculture and Industry, Community and Architecture, and Design and Leisure – the exhibitions explore change and continuities within the landscape from the medieval to modern time, coming right up to date to explore the role of estates in the landscape today, including their involvement in conservation, rural development and heritage. The various exhibitions being staged at Burton Constable, Brodsworth, Harewood, and Temple Newsam focus on diverse aspects of the estate and their communities, ranging from the parks and gardens laid out around the houses to connections with colonial landscapes in the Caribbean. There will also be an international conference, which will examine the connections between the estate landscape and the communities of those who lived within them. A diverse programme of accompanying events and activities will take place at each house throughout the season. See individual house pages for details. For further details regarding the Estates Project, please contact Dr Jonathan Finch, Department of Archaeology, University of York, The King’s Manor, York, YO1 7EP, or email: jf13@york.ac.uk |  | |||||||||||||||||||
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