Lionel de Rothschild, director of the family bank, described himself as a banker by hobby and a gardener by profession. After purchasing Exbury, he rebuilt the house in Georgian style, but with modern conveniences and the art collections of his father and uncle.  The house was run by a staff of over twenty.   The 200 acre gardens were extensively remodelled by hundreds of workmen with a railway being built to expedite the work. The 8,000 acre estate also included a Home Farm, orchards, and greenhouses. In addition to maintaining Exbury, Rothschild sailed his sporting yachts off Cowes, cruised the Mediterranean every summer on board his ship Rhodora, and travelled by train to his London home in Kensington Park Gardens.

6-6:45 pm    Member’s reception with the speaker, Mansion and Living Artfully open for touring
7-8 pm    Lecture (seating opens at 6:45 pm)

About the Speaker:

Michael Hall has been curator at Exbury House for the Rothschild family for 27 years. He received his PhD from the Courtauld Institute with a thesis on Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808-1879) as a collector of Old Master paintings. He has been a Visiting Scholar at the Getty Research Institute and J.Clawson Mills Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum, New York. Besides writing extensively on gold boxes, French porcelain, and collecting, he is also honorary curator to the Lord Mayor of London, recently writing a book on the Samuel collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings in London’s Mansion House. 

About the Managing Great Estates Lecture Series:

Marjorie Merriweather Post maintained multiple residences within the great estate tradition, balancing a lavish entertainment schedule, magnificent gardens, and a fine collection of art at each home. Join Estella Chung, exhibition curator, and a host of distinguished speakers to embark on a fascinating study of the management of great estates from Gilded Age to Edwardian Era England to mid-century Europe and America. 

Wednesday, October 2:  DC’s Downton Abbey in a Mad Men-Era, by Estella Chung

Wednesday, October 9:  Gilded Age Newport: Society Stalwarts and their Staffers, by Charles J. Burns

Thursday, October 17:  The Rothschilds at Exbury, by Michael Hall

Thursday, October 24: English Country Estates in the Edwardian Era, by Curt DiCamillo

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