Harewood House Trust is today announcing the successful application of a Collaborative Research Award from The Exchange, a network developed to nurture collaboration between academics and creative SMEs. Working with the University of Leeds as an academic partner, the £5000 funding will support research into the fascinating and little known story about how Harewood House adopted electricity.

Princess Mary, 6th Countess of Harewood, was instrumental in electrifying Harewood House. A rich archive exists which will provide the basis for the research. From this archive, held at Harewood and the West Yorkshire Archive Service, the research aims to discover the important role Princess Mary played in electrifying Harewood and what the wider role of women was in adopting electric lighting in country houses. Further research will be done into early discussions (1901) about the possible use of hydroelectricity at Harewood.

The results will feed into a drama workshop for family audiences which will take place on the 21st August at Harewood, and will inform new training for guides and volunteers. The existing lighting display, which is located Below Stairs, will be re-interpreted as part of this work.

At the University of Leeds, a workshop will be held for pupils from IntoUniversity as part of their summer programme. IntoUniversity offers an innovative programme of activities that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, inspiring them to achieve and in particular to aspire to university study.

Harewood House Trust looks forward to working with Dr Michael Kay, the researcher who will be carrying out the research, and supporting the development of dramatic performances reflecting this fascinating aspect of Harewood’s history.

Dr. Michael Kay said, “This project gives us the exciting opportunity to tell a new story about electricity at Harewood, through new archival research and interpretative materials.  Working with actors will allow us to bring to life the people involved in this story, which will be fun and engaging for young audiences.”

This summer look out for the following events:

• 11 August – IntoUniversity workshop at the University of Leeds
• 21 August – Dramatic Performance, Electrifying Harewood House, with related Below Stairs activities
• 11 September – Heritage Open Days drama workshop at the University of Leeds, with museum object handling and craft activity

The project titled Electrifying the Country House – Harewood’s electricity story, will commence on 20th June 2016.

Yorkshire’s rich textile heritage is providing inspiration for a year of artistic activity.

Harewood is delighted to be a participating partner in The Yorkshire Year of the Textile. In September (date tbc) we will be presenting an unusual event combining flamenco music, poetry and our Axminster carpet!

Yorkshire Year of the Textile, which gets underway this week, reflects on the University’s history.

Its origins lie partly in the Yorkshire College of Science, which was founded in 1874 amid concerns by the local wool and textile industries at the threat posed by new continental technologies.

Awarded £98,500 of Arts Council England funding through its National Lottery funded Grants for the Arts programme, Yorkshire Year of the Textile is partnering with a wide variety of organisations.

Partners include Calderdale Museums, Harrogate Borough Council, Harewood House Trust, Leeds Museums & Galleries, Marks & Spencer, South Asian Arts UK and the University of Huddersfield.

The project will feature textile and public art interventions, literary and performance strands with textiles as their theme, with events aimed at all ages and open to all.

The programme will include artistic responses across visual art, dance, music and sound as well as exhibitions, workshops, panel discussions, lectures and poetry readings.

Professor Frank Finlay, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Leeds, said: “It is hugely exciting to be commissioning an outstanding group of artists, poets and performers, who have all shown such enthusiasm for the project – a year-long celebration made possible by generous Arts Council funding.”

Michelle Dickson, Director North, Arts Council England, said: “I am pleased that we have funded the Yorkshire Year of the Textile through our Grants for the Arts programme.

“It is an excellent example of how a partnership between the arts and cultural sector, local authorities, higher education and the private sector can come together to create a wide variety of experiences for both the local audience and visitors. I look forward to seeing how the work progresses.”

Professor Ann Sumner, the University’s Head of Cultural Engagement, said: “We look forward to building and sharing audiences, as we explore our textile heritage with our partners in new and exciting ways from innovative workshops to early career commissions.”

“Many of the artists are responding to our newly-conserved Man-Made Fibres sculpture by Mitzi Cunliffe in thought-provoking ways – from Sue Lawty’s Textere pavement piece to Jane Scott’s knitted work and Kate Goldsworthy’s intervention, Man Re-Made Fibres.

“Cultural engagement on campus is a key programming strand in the lead up to the launch of our Cultural Institute in October. We hope to transform our campus spaces and encourage more visitors to campus to explore our cultural attractions”

Highlights from the Yorkshire Year of the Textile in June include:

• A Knit Workshop led by textile artist Elizabeth Gaston at Leeds Wool Festival at Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills, on Saturday 4 June, 10am-4pm. Participants will learn to hand knit and help create the project’s first ‘community canopy’. A series of such canopies will be displayed across the University campus, as well as at venues including Armley Mills and Halifax’s Bankfield Museum.
• Two events on Wednesday 8 June: a lunchtime History Threads panel at 12.45pm in the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery looking at William Gott’s important 1815 Pattern Book of Dyehouse Recipes for dyeing wool (pictured above); and a Knit-Lit workshop from 2-4pm at The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery with artists Elizabeth Gaston and Jane Scott.
• Wednesday 15 June: ‘Re-visiting Russell’s Marshall Portraits’ History Threads panel discussion about the John Russell portraits of John and Jane Marshall owners of Temple Works at 12.45pm, Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery.
• Monday 20 June, at Axminster at Harewood at Harewood House: a debate centring on textile conservation, looking at the issue of balancing conservation ethics with authenticity and aesthetic appearance.
• From mid-June, at ULITA – an Archive of International Textiles on the Western Campus, The Synthetics Revolution exhibition explores man-made fibres and everyday fashion through the collections of the School of Design’s Yorkshire Fashion Archive and ULITA. The exhibition has been curated in collaboration with The Enterprise of Culture, a pan-European collaborative research project based in the School of History that examines the history of the fashion business. It is funded by HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area).

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• From Monday 27 June, Revolutionary Fabrics, at the M&S Company Archive on the Western Campus, will showcase a hand-picked selection of Marks & Spencer garments from the archive to tell the story of how new ‘wonder’ fabrics such as Crimplene (named after Harrogate’s Crimple Valley near the ICI lab where it was developed), Bri-nylon and Tricel had a huge impact in post-Second World War clothing.
• An exhibition at The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery about artist Mitzi Cunliffe’s work. She created the huge Man-Made Fibres sculpture that adorns the Clothworkers’ South building. A celebration event on Wednesday 29 June will mark its 60th anniversary.

Read more at Leeds Universities website: www.leeds.ac.uk

The Camping and Caravanning Club has joined forces with the Treasure Houses of England as its exclusive campsite accommodation partner from 2016-2018.

All 10 Treasure Houses have at least one high quality Club Site located nearby, each of which makes the perfect base for campers, caravanners and motorhomers planning visits to Treasure House destinations.

For the nearest, recommended Club or Camping in the Forest Sites to Harewood House, click through for details.

All about The Camping and Caravanning Club

Founded in 1901, the Club is the world’s oldest and largest Club for all forms of camping. It’s a not-for-profit organisation that today represents nearly 600,000 camping and caravanning enthusiasts. Television presenter and outdoor enthusiast, Julia Bradbury, is the Club President.

We understand the importance of being able to switch off, relax, and enjoy precious moments with people who matter the most. That’s why the Club operates a UK network of more than 100 good-quality, affordable Club Sites.

The Club also operates 16 Camping in the Forest sites, in partnership with the Forestry Commisison, and more than 1600 minimum-facility certificated sites. This amounts to a total of more than four million pitch nights available each year.

Whether you fancy a beach-side break or a country retreat, there’s a Club Site for you. Owned and managed by the Club, we can guarantee you’ll find exceptional standards of cleanliness and some of the friendliest places to camp in the UK.

Our Camping in the Forest sites are set in beautiful Forestry Commission woodland, and offer a ‘back-to-nature’ experience.

Alternatively, our Certificated Sites are tucked away in secluded locations, ranging from back-to-basics hideaways in a national park, to full-facility family fun on working farms.

Try glamping with Ready Camp

What’s more, if you’re new to camping, or fancy a spot of glamping, the Club offers a choice of glamping units, including our Ready Camp network of pre-erected tents on 29 UK Club Sites.

They’re perfect for touring without the hassle of hitching up a caravan or pitching a tent. All you need bring are towels and bedding.

The Club’s also operates a Travel Service, which provides a one-stop-shop for all overseas camping and caravanning needs, from choosing the right campsite to arranging discounts on ferry crossings, plus escorted tours to European and Worldwide destinations.

“The Club wants more people to enjoy the outdoors and feel the same enthusiasm we feel for it,” says the Club’s Director General, Robert Louden MBE. “Sharing the adventure is hugely important to us.”

By the passion, knowledge and expertise we can impart, The Camping and Caravanning Club can play a major role in making everyone’s camping experience an adventure.

For information on joining the Club, click here.

• Entries now open: www.brownleetri.com
• 20% discount from 9am Friday 25th until midnight Monday 28th March
• 2016 Brownlee Tri date: Saturday 24th September

The Brownlee Tri will be returning to Harewood House in Leeds for its third consecutive year on Saturday 24th September 2016. Alistair and Jonny Brownlee’s hugely popular triathlon will once again offer Sprint and Super-Sprint distances for individuals and a Sprint relay for teams around the spectacular Harewood course.

As an Easter Bank holiday special and to celebrate the launch, entries will be discounted by 20% until midnight on Monday 28th March.

The 2016 Brownlee Tri will build on the success of the 2015 event, when over 6,000 people descended on the beautiful Harewood estate. With over 1600 registered participants, the event was a huge success bringing together triathletes of all ages and abilities to experience the unique and exciting course. Alistair Brownlee commented “We are excited to bring the Brownlee Tri back to Harewood House again this year. The 2015 event was great and enjoyed by many. We can’t wait to do it all over again, this time even bigger and better.”

The event will once again offer a packed Entertainment Village and the opportunity for competitors and spectators to explore the grounds of the Harewood Estate, including the Bird Garden and Adventure Playground.

To enter online, visit the website here: www.brownleetri.com

Visitors to Harewood House this Easter will be able to enjoy a brand new attraction. From 25^th March, an exciting new Farm Experience will be open to the public featuring giant rabbits, alpacas, pygmy goats and pot-bellied pigs. During the spring school holidays, visitors will be able to speak to the animal keepers about the latest additions and see the pigs being fed their lunch. The Farm Experience is designed to give visitors more to enjoy, more reasons to come back, and to provide even more educational opportunities for schools.

The winter investment has extended beyond the new Farm. The Bird Garden has also seen substantial redevelopment with tonnes of shrubbery removed opening up new views across the Lake, new fencing installed and importantly, the Penguin Pool has been renovated. Brand new rock work has been hand sculpted, refreshed nest burrows created and a new archway within the pool constructed. The welcome addition of six new Humboldt Penguins to the colony should provide greater opportunities for them to breed successfully this year (we hope!).

Nicholas Dowling, Bird Garden and Farm Experience Manager said, “The new Humboldt’s are a great addition to the colony. They have settled in well and have bonded with the existing birds which is always a relief.”

Learning sits at the heart of the winter project work. Refreshed interpretation in both the Farm and Bird Garden sit alongside a new Minibeast Trail which has been specifically designed to support the protection of native wildlife here in the UK.

Christopher Ussher, Chief Executive of Harewood House Trust said, “Harewood is pleased and excited to be launching both the Farm Experience and the redeveloped the Bird Garden. Education is at the core of the message and we want families to join us this spring to enjoy everything that’s on offer.”

The project work is part of a three year development plan for Harewood with more work in the Bird Garden due to complete later this year.