The Attingham Study Programme 2027
The Historic House in Wales
June 5 – 11, 2027
Wales has often been overlooked in British country house studies, overshadowed by a focus on the historic houses of England and Scotland. Recently however, new research has emerged to redress this balance, revealing a rich and distinct landscape, where the country house was often the center of cultural life, where women were important patrons and managers of vast Welsh estates, and where travelers from England and beyond admired and celebrated the historic houses they encountered.
Based in North Wales, this intensive seven-day Attingham Study Programme will examine the Welsh country house and its wider estate. It will look at the architecture, contents, and context of the houses, as well as the people who lived and worked in them. The Programme’s first base will be the Bangor University, whose Institute for the Study of Welsh Estates (ISWE) has been leading the way in archival research for the last ten years. From there it is planned to visit several significant houses including Penrhyn Castle where the slate furniture and fittings are a strong visual reminder of how profits from industry enabled the building and collections. On Ynys Môn (Anglesey), we will explore Plas Newydd and the hidden gardens of Plas Cadnant. We will travel west to Portmeirion, the fantasy village created between 1925 and 1973 by the Welsh architect and environmentalist Clough Williams-Ellis, whose home Plas Brondanw we will also see. The castles of Gwydir and Gwrych will illustrate in differing ways the complexities of caring for historic buildings in the twenty-first century.
The Course will travel through North Wales via Thomas Telford’s A5 road to Llangollen where we will visit another Plas Newydd, home of the “Ladies of Llangollen”, an Irish couple who sought sanctuary in Wales. We will spend the last two days of the course in the estate village of Hawarden where we will be based in Gladstone’s Library, Britain’s only residential library, founded by former Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone in 1894. From our base in Flintshire, Powis Castle and Erddig are within easy reach.
The Study Programme will include visits to other privately-owned houses as well as those listed. As with all Attingham courses, we will be supported by a team of expert lecturers and onsite speakers.
The course will directed by Elizabeth Jamieson and and course coordinator Rita Grudzień.
Enrollment and fees
The USD course fee for this residential course is $5,440. This fee includes standard accommodation, breakfast, most lunches and dinners. All bedrooms are for single occupancy and have en-suite facilities. Participants are strongly advised to ensure against cancellation, as no refunds will be made following payment, unless the place can be filled by another suitable candidate.
Applications
The deadline for applications is January 29, 2027. All candidates will be notified by the middle of March 2027 if they have been awarded a place. Payment of fees in full will be due by Friday, April 30, 2027.
Scholarships
In addition to general enrollment, some scholarship assistance is available for qualifying candidates thanks to the generosity of various individuals and charitable organizations.
Any candidate wishing to apply for a scholarship must complete the scholarship application form below. Please follow the instructions on the form to apply for financial assistance. Anyone awarded full scholarship funding from The American Friends of Attingham will be strongly encouraged to make a personal contribution of $250.
Scholarship Application From
Applications Open Soon
Deadline: January 29, 2027
Image Credit: Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd © Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.