Gala dinner at Kedleston Hall

An evening at Kedleston

After driving through the beautiful countryside of Derbyshire, you will find yourself approaching the grand neo classical mansion of Kedleston hall, set amongst 820 acres of landscaped grounds seamlessly surrounded by idyllic parkland designed by Robert Adam. The grounds are dotted with Neo-classical features including the Fishing Pavilion, the Bridge and a spectacular series of lakes and cascades.

This will be the beautiful setting for the AVEC10 Gala Dinner. Upon arrival drinks will be served in the North Forecourt and throughout the evening you will have time to tour the house and grounds. Dinner will be served in a pavilion in the grounds, with views down onto the lake.

A Brief History of Kedleston

The Curzon family have owned the estate at Kedleston since 1297 and have lived in a succession of manor houses near to or on the site of the present Kedleston Hall.

The present house was commissioned by Sir Nathaniel Curzon (later 1st Lord Scarsdale) who at the age of 32 inherited Kedleston in 1758. His love for Italian art and architecture coupled with his desire for a grand house to entertain guests and show off his extensive collections led him to demolish the existing house to start again.

The current house was initially designed by the Palladian architects James Paine and Matthew Brettingham and was loosely based on an original plan by Andrea Palladio for the never-built Villa Mocenigo. Soon after, Curzon met a relatively unknown architect, Robert Adam who first designed some garden temples to enhance the landscape of the park, replacing the formal gardens with landscaped grounds. Curzon was so impressed with Adam's designs, that Adam was quickly put in charge of the construction of the new mansion.

When he met Sir Nathaniel Curzon, Robert Adam was 30 years old, recently returned from Italy and full of enthusiasm for the monuments of classical antiquity.

Building a new mansion for Kedleston was Adam’s first major commission. Adam drew on his and his patron's love of Italian architecture, a passion that earned him the nickname 'Bob the Roman'. Adam supervised almost every detail inside and out, including much of the Hall’s interior decoration and furnishings.

Fashionable Kedleston soon proved to be expensive. Money ran out before the two planned southern wings could be built. Despite this, Kedleston Hall remains one of the masterpieces of 18th-century English architecture.

George Nathaniel, Lord Curzon, inherited Kedleston Hall in 1916. In the 1920s some alterations were made to the ground floor when Nathaniel established a Smoking Room and converted a sculpture gallery into a space to house his Eastern Museum.

His greatest gift to Kedleston is the Eastern Museum, a glittering collection of gifts he received while serving as Viceroy of India and during his travels in Asia.

By the 1970s however, the Hall was a serious financial burden. The house, parkland and most of the contents were given to the National Trust in 1987. The Curzon family still live in the Family Wing.

The National Trust continues to care for this very special place with an on-going programme of restoration and re-decoration.

 

Kedleston Hall exterior

Kedleston Hall detail

Kedleston Hall interior

Kedleston Hall fireplace