Family Legacy, National Heritage: The Representation of the Past at Waddesdon Manor

• Main Authors: Hui-Ling Lee, 李惠玲
• Other Authors: Sung-Shan Wang
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/83255q

碩士 === 國立臺北藝術大學 === 博物館研究所碩士班 === 100 === Waddesdon Manor is a late Victorian country house near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in 1874 to house his collection of mid-eighteenth century French decorative arts and for summer entertaining, the house, along with the bulk of its contents and surrounding land, were bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957. It has since become a popular attraction. The house has undergone various changes, most notably the transition from a private residence to a museum in the late 1950s, and the extensive Centenary Restoration in the early 1990s. In 1993, Jacob Rothschild, the 4th Baron Rothschild, gained unprecedented permission from the National Trust to manage Waddesdon Manor as a semi-independent operation, and the property is now under the management of the family’s charitable foundations. The country house has long been regarded as a symbol of Britain’s heritage. Waddesdon Manor attained this status after its bequest to the National Trust, making it more than the embodiment of a prominent family’s legacy. As a historic house museum, the property is renowned not only for its buildings, but also for its picturesque gardens and landscapes. Each element discloses stories about not only the materialistic aspects of architecture and related objects, but also about the intangible trait of human associations. However, these are of more than antiquarian interest insofar as the presentation addresses our future expectations as well. In short, at Waddesdon Manor, past, present, and future are the preconditions for representing the past. This study attempts to show that the act of representing the past involves a constant search for meaning and creativity, which addresses present and future concerns. Also central to this study is the examination of the representation of the past in a country house, from a museological perspective with a viewpoint drawing from the internal operations of the organization. In an attempt to unearth what lies under the façade of a depiction of time past, the representation of the past at Waddesdon is examined through three routes: the past account of architecture and collection through family legacy, present-day activities in conjunction with the idea that the house is a living organism, and future prospects by exploring what lies beyond a family memorial. Waddesdon was first and foremost a family home. Therefore, the legacy of the family will be addressed first by way of Waddesdon’s architecture and its contents, to analyze the depiction of the past. Before the rise of the modern preservation movement, evolution was the norm for most country houses, which survived and endured throughout history. Adaptation to practicalities or trends makes a house a living organism, although the ritualized character of visits to country houses has not noticeably altered. Thus, the present-day practices and activities at Waddesdon are also analyzed. Past and present endeavors influence future events. The transmission and communication of diverse human experiences, aesthetical or cultural, might stand as the more elevated objective anticipated through the representation of the past, just as commemoration is but one aspect of the heritage belonging to a country house open to the public.