LGBTQ+ heritage is an important part of the history of the nation. It also plays a vital role in unlocking the histories of some of the places in our care.
Known as 'the dancing Marquess,' Henry Cyril Paget, 5th Marquess of Anglesey, was considered the 'black sheep' of the family owing to his eccentric behaviour and love of performance and costume.
(2/15)
Virginia Woolf
The author Virginia Woolf was a leading light of the Bloomsbury movement in the early 20th century. Her life was shaped by her unconventional approach to gender and sexuality.
(3/15)
Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson
Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, who bought and renovated Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent, enjoyed an open marriage and both had numerous same-sex extramarital relationships.
(4/15)
William John Bankes
Kingston Lacy in Dorset was profoundly shaped by William Bankes, who fled England in 1841 to avoid prosecution for same-sex acts. Although forced to leave the home he loved, he continued to send back works of art and treasures.
(5/15)
Edith Craig, Christopher St John and Tony Atwood
Edith was a prominent producer, writer and actor. Along with Christopher and Tony, the three women found refuge in Smallhythe Place in Kent to express their art, gender and sexuality, living together in a ménage à trois.
(6/15)
TE Lawrence
After his military career, TE Lawrence (also known as Lawrence of Arabia) retreated to Clouds Hill in Dorset. There’s been much debate about his sexuality, largely prompted by his book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926)...
(7/15)
...in which he wrote about homosexual encounters among soldiers during the Arab revolt of 1916–18. He remains an important figure for many in the LGBTQ+ community.
(8/15)
Oliver Messel
Oliver Messel was one of the foremost stage designers of the 20th century. He grew up at his family home of Nymans in West Sussex, surrounded by art and culture. ...
(9/15)
...For 24 years, Oliver was in a same-sex relationship with Vagn Riis-Hansen, who supported him through some of his happiest and most creative years.
(10/15)
Simeon Solomon
Wightwick Manor in Wolverhampton has 10 paintings by Pre-Raphaelite artist Simeon Solomon, who was hailed a genius in his lifetime. In 1873, he was arrested and fined after an attempted liaison with another man...
(11/15)
...followed by a second arrest and three months in prison a year later. Sadly, his career never recovered and he passed away in the workhouse in 1905.
(12/15)
Rex Whistler
The famous murals painted by Rex Whistler can be seen in several country houses in our care, including Plas Newydd in Wales and Mottisfont in Hampshire. He was at the centre of a prominent group of artists, many of whom were gay.
(13/15)
Most of his friends and contemporaries assumed Whistler was homosexual, and he certainly had romantic involvements with both men and women.
(14/15)
To learn more about LGBTQ+ history at opur places, and why it matters, visit our website: bit.ly/3E9gcbY
Clean water is fundamental to our lives, but just 14 per cent of our rivers are currently in good ecological health.
For too long, many in government, business and other parts of society have looked the other way as the health of our water has deteriorated.
One in 10 freshwater and wetland species in the UK are now threatened with extinction, while future generations of children could be denied the chance to simply paddle in a cool stream or play in the sea.
We've been fighting against our waterways - these homes for wildlife and places for recreation - rather than working with them for the last century and action to both save and restore them is long overdue.
This week is #GreatBigGreenWeek, and what better way to mark it than with a celebration of Britain's original smart home, Cragside.
A thread 🧵
Home of Lord William Armstrong and Lady Margaret Armstrong during the 19th century, Cragside remains one of the greenest places we care for.
William's passion for efficiency, innovation and engineering and Margaret's love for natural sciences combined to create a remarkable Victorian property which was way ahead of its time.
Embedded into the houses and landscapes we care for are the stories of those who challenged conventional ideas of sexuality.
To celebrate #Pride, we’re exploring these LGBTQ+ histories. (1/13)
The white triangle of our flag is from the wall @NTKingstonLacy.
William Bankes profoundly shaped the building, but had to flee England in 1841 to avoid prosecution for same-sex acts. While in exile, he continued to send back works of art to his beloved Kingston Lacy.
Spaces of sanctuary or celebrations of identity; the places in our care are filled with stories of those who challenged conventional ideas of sexuality.
To celebrate #Pride, we’re exploring the LGBTQ+ histories we look after, and the hidden lives of those who shaped them. (1/13)
The white triangle of our flag shares a glimpse of the whitewash walls of the cabin at Bucks Mill, Devon.
The summer retreat of artists and life partners, Judith Ackland and Mary Stella Edwards, they visited to paint each year from the 1920s, until Judith’s death in 1971. (2/13)
The pink chevron is made from the summer blooms @SissinghurstNT, Kent.
Sissinghurst was home to Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, whose unconventional marriage allowed both to pursue same-sex affairs. (3/13)
One morning at a country manor in Essex, the household wakes to find its elderly owner, Emily Inglethorpe, has been murdered. There’s only one man for the job; Hercule Poirot.
Do you fancy following the clues to unravel this mystery?
Emily was a wealthy woman, who inherited a lot of money and the manor from her late husband. Her will states that when she dies the estate goes to her stepson, John, but her fortune is hers to bequeath freely. At the moment, the money will go to her new husband, Alfred.
On the night of the murder, a poisoning, there was an argument heard between Emily and one of the men. Alfred storms off for the evening, Emily eats dinner and goes to her room where she seemingly wrote a new will – but it’s vanished.