Secrets of Britain's Historic Houses and Gardens
Every year, millions flock to the homes and gardens of one of Britain’s most important cultural institutions – the National Trust. Behind closed doors, dedicated teams of volunteers, experts and curators battle to keep its priceless heritage alive. In this third series, meet more of the people saving the past and discover hidden histories of artifacts, as well as what it takes to conserve them.
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Season Three:
Episode 1: The Doll’s House
Beatrix Potter’s Dolls’ House and a portrait that could be Lawrence of Arabia.
Enter the houses that became places of inspiration for three literary legends. Discover the countryside escape of Beatrix Potter in the Lake District, where she wrote some of her most famous works including Peter Rabbit. In Dorset, visit the house of T.E. Lawrence,
aka Lawrence of Arabia. In Sussex, a renovation project is under way at the home of Henry James, author of The Portrait of a Lady.
Episode 2: The Nude in the Attic
The revealing statue of a high society mistress and a Cumbrian farmhouse transformed.
The compelling and sometimes scandalous family stories behind two very different National Trust houses are revealed. At Knole House, ancestral seat of the Sackville family lies a risqué tribute to a Georgian playboy’s mistress. At the other end of the social scale, is the
Lake District farmhouse Townend where 12 generations of the Brownes left a valuable archive covering 400 years of history.
Episode 3: Peacocks and Elephants
The Peacock Dress, a symbol of the British Raj, and a painting with a controversial past.
The Peacock Dress, worn at the lavish Delhi Durbar at Kedleston Hall marking Edward VII becoming Emperor of India needs conversation. At Dyrham Park, a painting by an unknown artist of the port of Bridgetown in Barbados-at the time the centre of production for sugar, an industry intrinsically linked with the horrors of slavery – is thought to show an important event in the island’s history.
Episode 4: Women on the Frontline
The homes of two formidable women who refused to bow down to the enemies at their gates.
Enter the homes of two Royalist women who refused to submit during the English Civil War – Ham House and Corfe Castle. When the monarchy was restored, Elizabeth Murray was richly for her loyalty but now her treasures need restoring at Ham House. Meanwhile, the National Trust’s biggest ever conservation project is underway at Corfe Castle, shoring up its remaining walls.
Episode 5: Goldfinger
The 20th century treasures of architect and Bond villain namesake, Ernő Goldfinger.
One of the few 20th century buildings under the care of the National Trust lies in the leafy London suburb of Hampstead. Numbers 1,2 and 3 Willow Road were designed by, and home to, modernist architect and Bond villain namesake Ernő Goldfinger. Now one of Goldfinger’s most prominent pieces, a sculpture by British artist Matthew Frere-Smith made from Perspex and nylon is undergoing conservation.
Episode 6: Raising the Roof
Resurrecting Cornwall’s answer to the Sistine Chapel and a Tudor mansion gets a new roof.
At the grand Cornish mansion Lanhydrock, a huge conservation project is underway to save one of the most spectacular 17th Century decorated ceilings in Britain, Meanwhile, at Coughton Court, it’s a race against time to save the Tabula Eliensis, an oil-painted cloth depicting the coats of arms of 29 Catholic gentlemen, including Thomas Throckmorton, who were interned by Elizabeth I.
Season Two:
Episode 1: Hardwick Hall, Biddulph Grange Garden, Belton House
Conservation of an antique art treasure reveals a mystery lurking beneath the paint.
Go behind the scenes at some of the UK’s most magnificent houses and gardens. At Belton House, conservation is taking place on an art treasure. But could the painting contain a hidden mystery? At Biddulph Grange a beautiful Chinese bridge is painstakingly rebuilt, while Hardwick Hall must save a 450-year-old table from collapse bef ore it goes on a North American tour.
Episode 2: Sissinghurst Castle & Bateman’s
The homes of two British literary legends are under threat and need urgent restoration.
Head behind the velvet rope and go behind the scenes at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, former home of writer Vita Sackville-West. Her writing room is in danger of collapse, including a collection of phone numbers she scrawled on the wall. Can experts save it? Another literary legend, Rudyard Kipling, made a manor called Bateman’s his home. But could his priceless writing desk have woodworm?
Episode 3: Forthlin Road, Hardman’s House, Dudmaston
Venture inside birthplace of The Beatles, the childhood home of Sir Paul McCartney.
Gain exclusive access to the childhood home of a music legend. Forthlin Road, Liverpool is the house Sir Paul McCartney grew up in and is considered by many to be the birthplace of the Beatles. It’s been lovingly restored, but there’s still one project the team need to tackle. Dudmaston Hall in Shropshire holds works by Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. But one masterpiece may be rotting away.
Episode 4: Cragside, Seaton Delaval Hall, Cherryburn
Can conservators fix a painting damaged by too much wild partying over 200 years ago?
Cragside was the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity. It is filled with engineering marvels, but now the team must carefully restore and replace a priceless clock. Seaton Delaval Hall was home to a family whose hard-partying lifestyle led to them being dubbed the ‘Gay Delavals’. But can conservation experts repair a painting that may have been damaged by a champagne cork?
Episode 5: Ightham Mote, Chartwell, Smathhythe Place
Can a prized World War II relic owned by Winston Churchill be saved from destruction?
In 1922, needing a countryside retreat, Winston Churchill bought Chartwell House in Kent. Now open to the public, it contains many items owned by the great man. But one of its prize possessions, a relief model used during D-Day, needs essential repair. A few miles away, Ightham Mote, England’s oldest surviving medieval moated manor, has an insect problem that’s eating a precious artefact.
Episode 6: Mount Stewart, Castle Ward and The Argory
Could the portrait of an aristocrat reveal some hidden secrets about his marriage?
Beside the waters of Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland lies Mount Stewart, the historic seat of the Stewarts. Now a team of experts battle to save unique dodo and dinosaur statues in house’s extensive gardens. A few miles away, in the architectural wonder of Castle Ward, a portrait could hold a hidden story. While in The Argory, a Victorian garden seat undergoes restoration to its former glory.
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