The Attingham Summer School 2025

 

June 28 – July 13, 2025

 

Since its foundation in 1952, THE ATTINGHAM SUMMER SCHOOL has enjoyed outstanding success and is highly regarded by museums, universities and historic preservation societies throughout the world for its careful selection of members, and sustained academic standards.

The School has three main purposes:

  • To EXAMINE the architectural and social history of the historic house in Britain and its gardens and landscape setting.
  • To STUDY the contents of these buildings – their paintings, sculpture, furniture, ceramics, silver, textiles and other applied arts – as well as the planning, decorative treatment and use of the interiors.
  • To STIMULATE debate on problems relating to the conservation and presentation of the country house and its contents.

 

The 72nd Attingham Summer School

 

The Attingham Summer School, a 16-day residential course directed by David Adshead and Tessa Wild, will visit country houses in Sussex, Oxfordshire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, and Lincolnshire. From West Dean, our first base, we will study, amongst other houses and gardens: the complex overlays of Arundel Castle, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Norfolk; Petworth House, where the patronage of great British artists such as Turner and Flaxman enrich its Baroque interiors; Parham, a fine Elizabethan house in an unrivaled setting; Standen, an Arts and Crafts reinterpretation of the country house and Broughton Castle, a moated and fortified manor house with a chapel first consecrated for Christian worship in 1331.

In the Midlands a series of related houses will be examined: Hardwick Hall, unique amongst Elizabethan houses for its survival of late 16th-century decoration and contents; Bolsover Castle, a Jacobean masque setting frozen in stone and Chatsworth, where the collections and gardens of the Cavendishes and Dukes of Devonshires span more than four centuries. Other highlights include Robert Adam’s crisp neo-Classical interior and Fishing Pavilion at Kedleston Hall.

The final part of the course will explore the rich estates and collections of Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire. Our itinerary will include the superb state apartments created for the visit of William III in 1695, fine collections and landscaped gardens at Boughton House – ‘the English Versailles’; Burghley House, a great Elizabethan ‘prodigy’ house, with its striking Baroque interiors, outstanding collections, and Capability Brown-designed landscape; and Deene Park, originally built as a medieval manor house and aggrandized and remodeled by successive generations of the Brudenell family since 1514.

 

 

Enrollment and Fees

 

The USD course fee for this residential course $7,200. The fee includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch, and all but few dinners. Tuition, admissions and travel by private coach during the course are also included. Participants are strongly advised to insure against cancellation, as no refunds will be made following payment, unless another suitable candidate can fill the place. In such cases, an administrative fee of $100 will be due. 

Accommodations vary throughout the course and include standard university rooms, but all bedrooms are for single occupancy and have en-suite facilities. Not included is the cost of transportation upon arrival to or departure from the UK, as well as drinks, laundry, or guide books purchased throughout the course. Accepted members are also required to purchase a membership with the Royal Oak Foundation, and will be asked to show their card at certain National Trust properties. 

 

 

Applications

 

The deadline for applications is January 31, 2025. All candidates will be notified by the end of March 2025 if they have been awarded a place. Click the button below to begin your application. 

 

2025 Summer School Application

Deadline: January 31, 2025

Applications Now Closed

Scholarships

In addition to general enrollment, scholarship assistance granted by the American Friends of Attingham 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 American Friends of Attingham Scholarship Application Form by clicking the button below. Please follow the instructions on the form to apply for financial assistance. 

Note: Applicants who are members of the French Porcelain Society and have a professional or academic interest in ceramics are eligible for the new, French Porcelain Society 2025 Summer School Scholarship. Applicants for this scholarship should state clearly that they are an FPS member.

 

Scholarship Application From

Deadline: January 31, 2025

Applications Now Closed

Image Credit: Burghley House, Lincolnshire. Photo by Lee Hellwing.