3 News from April 2016

Re-thatching our cottages

CEO Michael Rooney and the Board of Trustees are very

pleased to announce that Sulgrave Manor has been awarded a grant of £86,000 by the Heritage Lottery

Fund, thanks to money raised by National Lottery

Thatcher Jonathon Fallick at work on the cottage Players! Funded by this generous grant we will be able to develop a Transitional Business Plan on which we can Sulgrave Manor staff and trustees and residents of the base decisions that will make Sulgrave Manor stronger village of Sulgrave are thrilled to see the re-thatching of and more self-reliant in the future. our cottage roofs which began in the autumn. We all think As part of our application the Trust identified a number it looks wonderful! The new roofs on all four cottages are of key tasks to undertake including the following: scheduled to be completed in May. The work was done by Neil Painting, Master Thatcher, and his team.  The production of a comprehensive Business Plan for the future. The funding for this long-awaited and essential work was provided by very generous donations from World  A Heritage Asset Survey of the buildings, collections, Monuments Fund Britain, American Express, The National gardens and associated land, with an assessment of their use now and in future. Society of The Colonial Dames of America, and Karen Buchwald Wright through the Friends of Sulgrave Manor.  Employing a Marketing & Communications Officer

for 1 year. This individual will be involved in the development of a new Website and a Marketing Strategy and to administer all aspects of the Trust’s marketing and communication needs.

 The rebranding of the Trust which will feed into the

website design.

 The introduction of a new EPoS system (Electronic Point of Sale) which will improve all aspects of the day-to-day administration of the Trust and ensure the timely production of financial reports.

‘Watch Day’ Friday 27th November In awarding this grant the Heritage Lottery Fund As part of the agreement for WMF raising funds for us we recognises the importance of Sulgrave Manor as a held a ‘Watch Day’ to showcase the work that their heritage asset both within the UK and the US. money is funding. The day was free for everyone and featured thatching demonstrations, house and garden This is an exciting time for the Trust as it looks to the

tours. Channel 8 (Oxford TV) attended and filmed part of future and this grant is the first step in undertaking that journey. This generous grant for Transition Funding from * the day for ‘That’s Oxford’. The film can be viewed on

YouTube at the following link: ……………………………………………………. the Heritage Lottery Fund will most certainly assist in …………www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgkG8mY3GMM that process.

Book conservation work ’s Great Coat

Thanks to a very generous donation from the Pillsbury During the winter the staff at Sulgrave Manor have been Marketing Foundation we are able to move forward with busy behind the scenes. The archive has been a hive of the conservation of one of the most significant objects in activity. We have had conservators in working on our our collection, George Washington’s Great Coat. After wonderful reference library and the books are now stable the work it completed, the coat will be displayed in a and ready to face another 100 years or so in the archive. bespoke display case. The books and dust jackets that needed repairing have been repaired and stabilised, and all books (which was the According to H. Clifford Smith, writing about the coat majority of them) that need book shoes now have been in Sulgrave Manor and the Washingtons, "It was jointly individually measured and fitted. presented in 1933 by Dr. Alfred Washington Ewing and his sister, Mrs. Maud Janet Wills, fifth in descent from John Augustine, youngest brother of George Washington."

We are investigating whether this coat could be the same one that George Washington is wearing in our Gilbert Stuart portrait, and, even more importantly, whether it could possibly be the coat in the iconic image of Washington on the US one dollar bill.

Repairing and shoeing books is actually quite an exact art! The first step is to survey the books and record the level of work needed. Once this is done the work of conserving and cleaning the books can take place. After corners, spines and dust jackets are checked and repaired, each book is placed into a custom fitted book shoe and returned to the shelf.

Our portrait of George Washington . by Gilbert Stuart, during conservation

Caroline Bendix, Louise Drover and Georgia Genco worked Valentine Walsh, Conservator of Fine Paintings, continues hard to complete the work. However, we still have some to make discoveries as she works on our Gilbert Stuart books that are in need of further, more intensive and portrait of George Washington. It was ‘wrapped to fit’ specialist repair work which will need to be carried out off around a stretcher sometime in the late 19th or early 20th site. But they have been stabilised for now until we can century when it was put into a mid-19th century frame either source more funding or raise funds through which was historically inappropriate and too small. The donations for their work. painting is being relined with a new stretcher and when

complete will be the 25 by 50 inch format that Stuart favoured. We’re shopping for a replacement frame. Much of the GS portrait conservation work was made possible by a $20,000 matching grant funded by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and the Friends of Sulgrave Manor.

Conservation of our textile collections will start shortly in the skilled hands of Louise Squire and Luba Nurse. They’re working on the George Washington coat, which matches the one worn in Gilbert Stuart’s paintings. We hope to be able to confirm whether or not it is the garment he wore when sitting/standing for this portrait.

IN THE SHOP WATSON CHAIR LECTURE The Shop at Sulgrave Manor now features beautiful Monday 9 May at 6:30 pm; British Library, crafts made by local artists and artisans, such as lovely willow baskets in a variety of traditional shapes, plus “Dying for Shakespeare” The Watson Chair lecture is an annual Sulgrave Manor hand-painted scarves made by Tamsen Flack, Education event. The goal of the lectures is to promote better Team Supervisor at Sulgrave Manor knowledge and understanding of Anglo-American

relations, past, present and future. In this year's lecture Nigel Cliff will focus of the 1849 performance of Macbeth in New York that provoked a riot which left some 30 people dead. The rivalry between 's leading actor and America's first stage star lit the torch for this unlikely fight. Mr. Cliff is the author of the book The Shakespeare Riots and an historian, biographer and critic who began his career as a theatre and film critic for The Times.

The lecture will take place at the Eccles Centre in the British Library in London. For tickets (£5 to £8) contact the British Library Box Office on 01937 546546, or order through the British Library's website, searching for "British Library Events". Free tickets for students and the unwaged

are available by phoning Sulgrave Manor on 01295760205. Local crafts at Sulgrave Manor Shop UPCOMING EVENTS at SULGRAVE MANOR Please check the Sulgrave Manor website for more information about upcoming events

Monday 2 May 10am: Tudor Easter Celebrations and William Shakespeare Celebration

Monday 2 May: May Day Celebrations & Fun Dog Show Live Music, Large BBQ, May Pole Dancing, Gift Stalls, Homemade Refreshments, Face Painting, Manor Tours The quills, parchment and ink pots pictured here sold well in the Sulgrave Manor Shop over Christmas. & the Royal Crowning of the May Day Queen by Town Mayor; The Fun Dog Show starts at 1pm; Judge – Hannah Oliver-Byre from Combined Just arrived at the Sulgrave Physio Ltd Manor shop — the last eight remaining enamel Sunday 5 June: Dames Day at Sulgrave Manor boxes painted with the The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America image of Sulgrave Manor, a will hold a special event that begins with a church special production by Halcyon Days of London. service at the local parish church at 10.30am. After a The Halcyon Days short walk to the Manor, participants will enjoy house emporium is known for its and garden tours, followed by a special luncheon. All hand-crafted signature are invited. The cost for the day, including lunch, is £85. enamel boxes. They measure 5cm x 4cm and Sunday 26th June: Sulgrave Village Fete

stand 2cm high. Sunday 3rd July: Independence Day Celebrations

Battle re-enactments, living history camp, American Since the supply is very limited, we are offering the boxes first to Sulgrave Manor trustees and honorary advisors. BBQ, exhibition of Native American artefacts, live The cost is £150 if purchased at Sulgrave, or £150 plus UK music, traditional games, “Find out about the shipping costs. The price includes VAT. Contact the shop ” on the house tours, children’s at [email protected] for further information. At craft activities and more! (10am – 5pm) this time the boxes cannot be mailed overseas, but we would be happy to hold one if you are planning to visit Sunday 4 September: Sulgrave Car Show

Sulgrave. Please email [email protected] Sunday 25th September: Harvest Fayre

IN THE GARDEN STAFF NEWS

In recent months we have had staff changes with two valued staff members leaving Sulgrave Manor.

Julie Wood, Events and Wedding Manager for Sulgrave Manor, left our team in early March. Julie had done a fantastic job for us for several years and we wish her well in her new adventures! Charlotte Taylor has been appointed to take over Julie’s position. Charlotte’s background is in television industry and she has a great deal of experience in the organisation of events and managing staff. We are confident she will prove to be a This winter saw the gardening team embark on a project valuable member of the team. to improve the state of the yew hedge behind the buttery Archivist Helen Clark decided to leave Sulgrave Manor and the ‘Washington’ circle. The hedge was significantly trimmed back, partially as routine and also because of a in October. Helen was a highly valued member of our team and her expertise and knowledge will be greatly large dying patch that was going to have to be removed anyway. This process was done to remove some of the missed. width of the hedge which should be done approximately every 80 years. It also will also give the hedge the opportunity to regenerate itself and become a thicker and Spreading the word healthier hedge. A big thank you is in order to Bill and Sue Rogers who spent the week helping us with this project. Our General Manager Cymon Snow has been busy forging new links with nearby groups, which helps to publicize Sulgrave Manor’s history and programmes.

Recently he met with several groups that are especially Opening times at Sulgrave Manor

interested in the Manor’s heritage as the home of Sulgrave Manor is open to the public every weekend Washington’s English ancestors. Cymon joined the from April through to the end of October. During British American Committee, which arranges trips and August we are open every day of the week except for social events for the USAF servicemen at Croughton, Fridays. However, individuals, groups and school parties Welford and Fairford, in September was appointed are welcome to book private visits at any time. Chairman in January this year. The three-year

Opening times are 10am until 5pm (last entry 4pm) with appointment is not an official Sulgrave Manor tours at 11am, noon, 2pm and 3pm. We hold special connection but will certainly help in furthering the events for the public several times throughout the year. cause of the Manor. It has already brought the Manor Check our website for details and entrance prices: some benefit as 5 airmen from the base have been here

to do some volunteer work on two occasions and will be www.sulgravemanor.org.uk returning on a regular basis.

Sulgrave Manor Trust gratefully acknowledges the generous support we have recently received from the following:

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