Research Day

Yesterday we all went to Calke Abbey to look through the research document the National Trust held about the house. We wanted to gather information that would help us accumulate ideas for our final exhibition.


We arrived at Calke Abbey at 10am, and the National Trust workers assisted us to the back room where all the research documents were stored. We were all grateful for these resources they had provided, and the knowledge they personally shared about the house. It was very informative and, most of all, interesting. There was an overwhelming amount of research in the archive at Calke Abbey, so it was difficult to know where to start, and what direct everyone was going to take. Everyone spent most of the morning sifting through research notes, from the detailed timeline of the family members the estate was inherited by to the building’s architecture and the delayed/gradual modernisation of the building and the life within it.

Research Day 

Everyone gained an insight into the lives of the people who had lived at Calke in the past. Also, it was particularly useful reading the inventories of each room. The inventories showed the spaces and objects we will be working with/around in the way they will be when the house is open to the public.


Emily and Helen were particularly interested in Henry Harpur Crewe ('The Isolated Baronet), who married Nanette Hawkins (The Lady's maid), as well as Sir Vauncey Harpur Crewe. They were interested in these two due to the unsociable personalities these men had.


Helen predominantly found the collections of newspaper articles useful, when finding out further information into the life of Nanette Hawkins.


Bryony and Ruth also focused their research mainly on the character of Sir Vauncey Harpur Crewe. They also concentrated on the Schoolroom and the objects within it. They discovered that the schoolroom was a bedroom for George Crewe and then also became a Schoolroom for Sir Vauncey and his children as well. What was fascinating about this room was the surrounding walls had Newspaper backing the wallpaper.

Bryony’s research led her further, when she read about Sir Vauncey through the servant’s accounts. She discovered that he would refuse to see the servants in person and he would communicate to them through letters and notes. Sir Vauncey would also sack the servants for ridiculous things like letting the fire get too hot or cold.

They both wanted to look at the history of the Schoolroom further. They have decided to collaborate and create a sculptural approach focusing on the Armies occupying the space at Calke and focus it within the Schoolroom. Within the room is a Doll’s house, which they aim to use as their main source of inspiration and possibly using it as a representation of the house itself.


Opposite, Jayne was keen to create a response to the various fashions of wallpaper; the distinctively different patterns of the age and the various means by which the papers would have been made. There was little information available about the precise wallpaper history but she found it interesting how the wallpaper depicts a living experience through time, from the 18th century through to 1960's. Jayne also found that each time the National Trust started to conserve and fireproof the walls hidden treasures were uncovered. In the drawing room for example, various colour schemes were uncovered behind the mirrors and the gold and white Pugin style wall covering that can be seen today. 

This trip to Calke Abbey helped us decide the direction we are all planning to take, for example; investing further into a particular character or theme. I thought it was a privilege to be looking through all the collected research the members of the national trust have gathered.

Chloé

Calke Abbey Group

                                                    

 Chloé

The National Trust

National Trust, Calke Abbey

Want to gain an insight into a world of curious collections and eccentric characters hidden within a once-neglected grand country house? Take a look at Calke Abbey on the National Trust website to see the building and the history we will be interpreting.

Jayne

The Beginning...

We are a group of third year Theatre Design Students from Nottingham Trent University.  There are seven of us in total: Bryony Ruth, Chloe, Emily, Emma, Helen, Ruth and myself, Jayne. We are all interested in varying aspects of theatre ranging from scenic art to costume, puppetry to interactive installation, amongst other things.

We are at the start of an exciting opportunity to create an exhibition of varying art forms within the National Trust property, Calke Abbey, in Derby. The project will explore the history of the building and its former residents to inspire a range of artistic outcomes that respond to the curious decline of what was once a grand country-house estate. 

Yesterday, we ventured the building guided by two members of the National Trust Team; Alison Thornhill the Community and Engagement Manager, and John Parkinson the House and Collections Manager. They both guided us through the current accessible parts of the building showing the spaces we could use to exhibit. As the house is currently closed to the public, most of the furniture and artefacts were covered with dust sheets and the window shutters were closed, but it was still an inspirational insight into the building and its history we will be responding to. Hopefully we will be able to arrange another viewing soon when more of the rooms and artefacts are uncovered and visible. 

We ended the tour with a meeting to discuss our interests and intentions which helped us to gauge an understanding of what the National Trust would like to see. The health and safety regulations and the practical limitations with working within a heritage building were also discussed, as was to be expected. This project is certainly going to be a challenge!

So where do we go from here? The next step is to research the history of the building and its former owners to generate an overall theme to respond to, through any suitable practice of our choice.

Please follow this webpage page to keep up to date with the entire design process, from research right through to the final exhibition.

Jayne