Focus falls on the 'big house' at inaugural lecture
Posted on 15 November 2012
Organised by the Yorkshire Country House Partnership (YCHP) and supported by the Historic Houses Association, the first annual YCHP lecture on 22 November is presented by Professor Terry Dooley, from the National University of Ireland (NUI), Maynooth.
In recent years the understanding and appreciation of country houses has changed; they are now seen as part of the national patrimony with the potential to drive the tourist economy
Professor Terry Dooley
The Yorkshire Country House Partnership is a collaborative venture between the University of York and eleven country houses in Yorkshire, including Castle Howard, Nostell Priory, Brodsworth Hall and Harewood House.
It brings together various areas of curatorial and academic expertise for a programme of structured research into the country houses of the region, investigating their history, collections and archives.
By taking Elizabeth Bowen’s words – “The big house has much to learn .....But it also has much to give” – as his starting point, Professor Dooley will discuss the challenges faced by country houses both in Ireland and the UK.
Professor Dooley says: “Written in 1941, Elizabeth Bowen’s words continue to have resonance today. In Britain and Ireland country houses have faced many challenges over the last century. In Ireland these were magnified by the perception that houses were bastions of colonialism, and after Independence in 1922 few people had any sympathy for their plight.
“In recent years the understanding and appreciation of country houses has changed; they are now seen as part of the national patrimony with the potential to drive the tourist economy. While it has become gradually accepted in both jurisdictions that the country house has ‘much to give’, there remain many challenges for those who own and manage country houses as to how best to present or re-present what they have to offer.”
Professor Dooley is Director of the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates at NUI Maynooth and author of The decline of the big house in Ireland (2001). He has also edited The Irish country house: its past, present and future (2011). In 2003, he was commissioned by the Irish government to write a report on the future for Irish historic houses. Its main recommendation subsequently led to the establishment of the Irish Heritage Trust.
Dr Christopher Ridgway, curator at Castle Howard, who leads the Yorkshire Country House Partnership, says: “We are very pleased to inaugurate the annual YCHP lecture with support from the Historic Houses Association. Professor Dooley brings a wealth of knowledge and insight into the historic house in Ireland which has many affinities with, as well as differences to, houses in the UK. The collaboration between Yorkshire and Ireland has opened up valuable research initiatives in the field of country house studies.”
The Yorkshire Country House Partnership Lecture takes place on Thursday, 22 November at the Bowland Auditorium, Berrick Saul Building, at 6.30pm. The lecture is free and no booking is required.
For further information on this and other lectures hosted by the University of York, visit www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/public-lectures/.
Notes to editors:
- For further information on the Yorkshire Country House Partnership visit www.ychp.org.uk
- For further information on the Historic Houses Association visit www.hha.org.uk
- For further information about public lectures at the University of York visit www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/public-lectures/
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