CELEBRATED LECTURER MARY GREENSTED TO GIVE TALK ON ICONIC ARTS & CRAFTS HOME, RODMARTON MANOR

Mary Greensted, former curator of Cheltenham Museum and former Chair of the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen is the special guest of The Athelstan Museum next month (Wednesday November 24) when she gives a talk about the Arts & Crafts Movement and its role in the creation of Rodmarton Manor near Cirencester.

Rodmarton Manor is a large Grade 1 listed country house in Rodmarton, built for the Biddulph family in the early 20th century in the Arts & Crafts style to a design by Ernest Barnsley. Ernest was well known at the time and had workshops at Sapperton, near Cirencester. 

The Manor has remained in the same family since it was first built and is currently lived in by the fourth generation of the Biddulph family – John and Sarah Biddulph and it opens to the public at specific periods of the year. 

Mary, who is now a patron of the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen, and has known three generations of the Biddulph family, said:

“My talk will have some background on the Arts & Crafts Movement, but will be mainly about Rodmarton Manor itself – why it was built and the people involved in its creation. These include the architect, Ernest Barnsley; head-gardener, William Scrubey as well as the young artist, Hilda Benjamin, who designed the well-known appliqué wall hangings in the Manor house and, of course, the driving force behind the whole project, Margaret Biddulph.

“As early as 1913, Rodmarton Manor was described by the architect-designer, C R Ashbee as ‘The English Arts & Crafts Movement at its best’ and the Manor remains one of the most perfect expressions of the movement.”

Sharon Nolan, chairman of The Athelstan Museum, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Mary to Malmesbury to share her knowledge with us at our guests. We’ll be hosting her lecture at the Rausling Building (old Moravian Church) and we’ll also take great delight in showing her our very own Turner within the museum itself.”

The Athelstan Museum will also be taking part in another initiative in November. They will join 1,600 other cultural attractions globally as part of the Museum Shop Sunday awareness day on Sunday November 28 . The museum will be open between 10.30am and 3.30pm.

Mary Greensted’s talk will take place at 7pm on Wednesday 24th November in the Rausling Building, Oxford Street, Malmesbury SN16 9AX. To book a ticket at £9, visit https://www.athelstanmuseum.org.uk/event/rodmarton-manor-the-story-of-an-arts-and-crafts-house/

The Malmesbury Abbey Turner - it was thanks to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Art Fund and local Wiltshire donors that the Athelstan Museum was recently able to purchase and display the original Turner watercolour of Malmesbury Abbey and secure the iconic picture for future generations. The Turner now has pride of place at the top of the stairs in the newly renovated mezzanine floor of the museum.