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This week marks the peak of cherry blossom  season here at Harewood, a brief but magical moment in our seasonal calendar.

Here are the trees looking incredible.

Known as Sakura in Japan, Cherry Blossom takes on a spiritual meaning, symbolising the transience of life and acts as an icon for the nation. They’ve become a cultural phenomenon around Japan attracting huge numbers of domestic and international tourists to marvel at the displays all over the country. The display at Harewood may not be quite as spectacular but we still eagerly look forward to it before it’s gone in a cloud of pink & white blossom sprinkled around the Estate.
Another sign that Spring is here and, in many ways, the perfect embodiment of seasonality.

Cherry Blossom & HF&DP

Cherry Blossom has become an hotly anticipated moment in Josh Whitehead’s foraging calendar, patiently waiting for the blossoming buds to appear before rounding up a team to harvest. Plenty for our chefs to play with but not enough to impact on the display. Josh will be making a range of sugars, salts, vinegars, oils, syrups and cordials using the years harvests. They’ll feature in sweet & savoury dishes and cocktails throughout the course of the year. Courtyard Café and Terrace Tearoom General Manager, Iain Silver is eager to work the syrups in to our cocktail menu at the Terrace Tearoom when we reopen at Harewood House.

By using a range of methods, like dehydrating, pickling and curing, we’re able to prolong their season and enhance their flavours.

Expect flavours of marzipan and a very light hint of the fruit.

There are some spectacular blossoming trees on the estate, but the best display is at Knap’s Yard on the lawn in front of the Harewood Holiday cottages.

The view from the cottages is spectacular and a special treat for any guests staying at the right time of the year.

In Japan there’s a designated forecast for when the blossoms will be at their best, known as the “Cherry Blossom Front”, eagerly watched by those planning “Hanami”, celebrations amongst the Blossoms.

We don’t have a forecast for it in Yorkshire but they’re usually at their best in the last week in March or first week of April.

Eddy Lascelles, Managing Director, Harewood Food & Drink Project

“Over the last couple of weeks the team have re-homed 15 pictures across the State Floor, taking 4-5 people approximately 4 full days to undertake.” 

Hanging pictures in a house like Harewood is a little like playing Tetris – move one, and it inevitably means you have to move something else to fill its place, and on it goes. Each replacement has to be appropriate in terms of size, period, medium and content in relation to its new neighbours, so it’s a carefully thought through procedure. It’s something that the House and Collections team do often at this time of year, in preparation for new displays at the start of the season. Over the last couple of weeks the team have re-homed 15 pictures across the State Floor, taking 4-5 people approximately 4 full days to undertake. 

The process is time consuming and sometimes logistically challenging. Most of the pictures moved during this year’s re-hang were located high-up on the walls of several different State Rooms, with carved and gilded frames making them heavy and cumbersome to manoeuvre (particularly those with elaborate decorative corners). The team used a scaffold tower to make the process as safe and secure as possible for both staff and artwork. It also offers the unique opportunity to experience a room from above and see Harewood’s magnificent ceilings up-close – a rare treat. 

After having cleared a room of furniture, the scaffolding was erected and dismantled several times within each room, taking particular care to avoid delicate fixtures and fittings (such as chandeliers and mirrors) and ensuring carpets were protected using drugget. The works to be relocated were first of all removed from the walls across each of the different spaces, creating space to then reinstall each one in their new homes. Between locations, each picture rested for a time on foam blocks or easels, and if necessary picture lights and fixings were adapted to suit their new positions. Depending on the weight of the piece, dolly wheels were sometimes used to transport pictures between rooms. 

Whilst off the wall, it’s a great time to inspect pictures up-close and undertake a quick visual check of their condition, as well as appreciate their detail at close range. It’s also an opportunity to look at the reverse of a picture, which tells an alternative story about a work through the scars of framing alterations and old exhibition labels. 

When re-hanging the pictures, a hydraulic scissor lift was used (where possible) to lift them to the first level of the scaffolding where they could then be manually lifted up the scaffolding and into position by the team. The pictures were then carefully attached to the walls using picture chains and hooks. Finally, a team member on the ground made visual checks to ensure the pictures were level – often it’s helpful to use the pattern of the wall hangings to make sure they are sitting at the same height as their neighbours. 

Although re-hangs take time and planning, they are a rewarding task. It is always interesting to see familiar pictures in new places – literally seeing them in new light, and allowing new comparisons and new stories to be told. 

– Beckie Burton, Assistant Curator 

“The last twelve months have left us all a little battered and bruised but so thankful and humbled by the incredible support you’ve shown us”

In advance of Harewood Food and Drink Project returning to the Courtyard Cafe on 29 March, Eddy Lascelles reflects on the past twelve months in the latest HF&DP blog. 

I began writing this on 21 March,  which is a year to the day that we took on the running of the catering on behalf of Harewood House Trust at the Courtyard Cafe and the Terrace Tearoom. You could say that things haven’t quite gone according to plan.

The last twelve months have left us all a little battered and bruised but so thankful and humbled by the incredible support you’ve shown us, a huge thank you from all the team here. We’ve never felt more excited and motivated for the future, and we think you should be too.

We’ve had more openings, closures, cans and cannots than we can count, at times it’s been tough, but hopefully the end is now in sight.

As spring is sprung there’s plenty to look forward to. The landscape starts to show signs of life having laid dormant over the Winter months.

Spring at Harewood  – Brighter Times on the Horizon

The first daffodils of the year are always cause for celebration and optimism for the year ahead, as well creating a beautiful display all around the Estate. The Cherry Blossom will soon burst in to life, a stunning spectacle which takes on spiritual connotations in Japan.

All in all, there’s plenty to be optimistic about :

• Muddy Boots Café is open again and running a specials board with some great dishes cooked by chefs Iain and Callum.
• The Courtyard Café reopens for takeaways on the 29^th March. Keep reading for what to expect.
• We’ll announce plans for reopening the Terrace Tearoom in due course.
• We’ll soon be announcing a series of exciting events we’re working on. Keep your eyes peeled for updates, or sign up to our mailing list. These are not to be missed.

If you’re visiting the Courtyard Café, expect a variety of seasonal hot and cold savoury and sweet dishes made by our team of chefs and local independent artisan suppliers.

Hebridean Black Sheep

It’s difficult to talk about Spring at Harewood without talking about Harewood Lamb. Or, in this case Hebridean Hogget.

Visitors to Harewood will probably have seen the flock of Hebridean Black Sheep grazing much of the year on the South Front, between the House and the Lake. In the next few weeks you’ll start to see adorable little black lambs appearing amongst the flock.

As the name suggests, the “Hebs” are indigenous to the island of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides. They were brought here by the 5th Earl in the 1880’s after he’d seen them visiting friends in Northumberland. They’ve settled in well and have been a feature on the landscape ever since. If they’re younger than one-year they’re classed as Lamb and older than two years is known as Mutton.

Harewood at Home // Easter Special

Hebridean Hogget will be the main feature for our upcoming Harewood at Home // Easter Special. Harewood at Home is our premium takeout offering which has proven to be so successful throughout the last two lockdowns. Expect a decadent three course meal prepared by Josh. His menu sees a twist on familiar Easter classics such as Hot Cross Buns, Spring Lamb, Easter (Duck) Eggs and, of course, Chocolate.

The menu heavily features Harewood produce throughout the menu, from the land, from the farm and from the gardens. Great food, you can feel good about! The “Hebs” will also feature in our Harewood Spring Lamb Stew served with Wild Garlic Dumplings, available from the Courtyard Café, which is another thing that’s abundant around the Estate for the next couple of months.

Go to the link at the bottom of the page to see the full menu and booking details.

The Next Generation 

This week marked another milestone for HF & DP as we presented our first ever apprentice, Callum, with the certificate of his apprenticeship. He passed with a distinction – here’s Callum being presented with his certificate by Eddy, Josh and Fliss.

When we set up HF & DP, we wanted to create an environment where the next generation could learn and develop. Seeing Callum develop both professionally and personally is something we’re extremely proud of.

Since joining us almost three years ago, Callum’s become an integral part of our team, Josh Whitehead’s sidekick, a Muddy Boots maestro and you’ll find him regularly let loose running the pots and pans at Muddy Boots Bistro evenings.

Developing the stars of tomorrow is key to HF & DP’s mission, so to see Callum’s development is a real privilege. Following hot in his footsteps we’ve taken on three new apprentices, one in the kitchen and two front of house: We’re sure that Jasmine, Annabelle and James will prove to be equally as successful in their careers.

With talents like these, the future of the industry is in good hands.

Welcome back to the Courtyard Café

Harewood Spring Lamb Stew with Wild Garlic Dumplings, available at the Courtyard Cafe

We’re delighted to be back running the Courtyard Café and there’s plenty to enjoy on our new menus, as well as classic favourites. As well as the Harewood Spring Lamb Stew served with Wild Garlic Dumplings, you can expect the return of our fish and chips with a difference, a Northern Monk Ale Battered Haddock with Skin on Chips, Minted Mushy Peas and Home-Made Tartar Sauce. It developed an almost cult following last year. We source all our fish from the brilliant Tarbetts Fishmongers, based in nearby Chapel Allerton, a must visit if you’re looking for great fresh fish.

The legendary Courtyard Café Fish and Chips

For those with a sweet tooth, you’ll find a range of bakes, cakes and brownies made by local artisan bakers Bakeri Baltzersens and Jodie Bakes – we highly recommend the Cruffin, a hybrid between a croissant and a muffin. Yes, it is as good as it sounds.

Have you tried the Cruffins from Bakeri Baltzersens? They are as good as they look.

For coffee lovers, expect the best, made by local independent roastery North Star Coffee.

It’s good to be back, we can’t wait to welcome you to Harewood again.

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‘You are often dealing with an element of the unknown … there may be structural issues that tell an important part of the Terrace story.’

Over the last year, visitors will have noticed barriers surrounding areas of the Terrace – this was due to the deterioration of the historic balustrade, which was no longer deemed safe for visitors. 

Built in the 1840s by Sir Charles Barry, best known as the architect of the Houses of Parliament in London, the Italianate Terrace is the largest of his projects at Harewood, which also included major alterations and improvements to the house itself, all commissioned by Louisa, Third Countess of Harewood, whose portrait hangs in the Dining Room.

Louisa, 3rd Countess of Harewood standing on the Terrace. George Richmond, c.1855.

Historic England’s Emergency Heritage fund

The work to repair the balustrade and ensure its safety  was stalled due to the pandemic, the closure of the site for three months and the subsequent loss of income. Following our reopening in the summer, as part of a joint application with four other Treasure Houses of England, we were delighted to receive a significant grant from Historic England as part of their Covid-19 Emergency Heritage at Risk Response Fund, meaning the work could begin again.

From November onwards, the Dobsons team have been working hard to restore the balustrade to its former glory. The main tasks included the strengthening and damp proofing of the undercroft rooms that sit below the Parterre, as well as replacing a number of the carved stone ‘bottles’ along the balustrade itself.

No simple task

Work such as this is no simple task, and a team from Pearce Bottomley Architects were brought in as specialist conservation advisors on the South Terrace repair works, which involved reviewing the work carried out by the project team and providing specialist advice and recommendations.

‘We discovered a lead lining to the brick vaults which was presumably installed by the Victorians’

“When working on historic buildings you are often dealing with an element of the unknown. There may be structural issues that are not apparent until the opening up works start or even hidden archaeology that can reveal itself throughout the project. During the opening up works on the South Terrace we discovered a lead lining to the brick vaults which was presumably installed by the Victorians to act as waterproof membrane. This is an unusual and unique technique which we felt told an important part of the Terrace story. Therefore the lead lining remained in situ and we carefully placed a new modern waterproof membrane on top to redirect the water which was leaching into the brick vaults.”

The South Terrace Undercroft and the lead lined vaults. Photo credit PB Architects.

Some of the decayed bottles on the balustrade. Photo credit PB Architects.

Along the balustrade, several bottles needed to be replaced, ensuring the historical accuracy of the replaced bottles, whilst also ensuring their longevity. To do so, one of the existing stone bottles was carefully removed from the balustrade, taken to M&G stone workshops based in Keighley where it was used to create a template for the new ones. New stone, sourced from a local quarry at Leeming in Clitheroe, was selected due to its similar colouring and properties to the historic stone. When the work was being done, it became clear that there had been a number of replacements over the years, in different materials including some concrete bottles inserted in the 1960s.

Protecting it from the Yorkshire weather

The South Terrace is of course exposed to all sorts of Yorkshire weather, and as PBA explains, “’to ensure longevity it is important to consider the compatibility of materials, for example the lime mortar used must be more porous than the stone. The mortar acts as a sacrificial layer and draws moisture through it via capillary action so the stone remains as dry as possible. Water is the biggest enemy in terms of stone deterioration, so making sure the stone is protected by drip mouldings and repairing these if they are damaged to ensure water is directed away from the stonework’.”.

The work has now been completed and visitors can once again enjoy walking along the balustrade and taking in the stunning Capability Brown landscapes. Why not also see if you can spot which bottles are new on your next visit ? 

The finished balustrade.

Special thanks to Pearce Bottomley Architects for their work and contribution to this blog and Dobsons Construction Ltd for undertaking the restoration work. 

The Terrace Balustrade Restoration was funded by Historic England and DCMS as part of their Programmes of Major Works grants and we are incredibly grateful to DCMS and Historic England for generously supporting this as part of the Culture Recovery Fund. 

This World Book Day, we wanted to share some stories from the books that call the libraries at Harewood their home. There are more than 10,000 books held within the 3 libraries – Main, Spanish and Old Library- at Harewood, collected by every generation of the Lascelles family and covering a range of different genres. From Classic Literature to Zoology, the libraries aren’t short of a story to tell ! 

Classic Literature – Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray, 1869.

Vanity Fair is a novel by the English author William Makepeace Thackeray. Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, the story follows the inter-linked lives of two women – the quick-witted Becky Sharp and the naïve Emmy Sedley – who both attempt to make their way in British society.

The novel’s title, Vanity Fair, references a fictional town named ‘Vanity’ in John Bunyon’s Pilgrim’s Process, which hosted a never-ending fair representing the sin of materialistic attachment. Thackeray’s narrative is framed as a puppet show taking place at this fair.

Vanity Fair’s subtitle, A Novel without a Hero, reflects the novel’s flawed characters and its satirisation of British society.

Vanity Fair was first published between 1847-1848 as a 19 volume serial – a popular method of publishing novels at the time. It was also illustrated with Thackeray’s own drawings.

The book was the first to be published under Thackeray’s real name, the author often choosing to use comic pseudonyms, such as George Savage Fitz-Boodle and Michael Angelo Titmarsh.

There are a number of Thackeray’s works in the libraries at Harewood, suggesting he was a popular author with the Lascelles family. This two-volume edition of Vanity Fair, published by Smith, Elder &Co. in 1869, belonged to the 5th Earl of Harewood.

Art and Design – The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director, Thomas Chippendale, 1755.

The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director, published in 1754 by the Yorkshire-born cabinet-maker Thomas Chippendale, was the first comprehensive catalogue dedicated to the design and production of furniture. It contained 160 engraved designs for a range of household furniture in a variety of styles. It enabled clients to order straight from the book or mix and match ideas to create something new.

The Director had widespread appeal and was an instant success. Not only did the book launch Chippendale’s professional reputation and generate trade, but it also played a key role in securing Chippendale’s design legacy around the world, with copies reaching as far as Russia and America.

Harewood’s copy of the Director is a 2nd edition, published in 1755. It contains the bookplate of the 1st Earl of Harewood, though it’s possible it may have belonged to Edwin Lascelles, builder of Harewood House and patron of Chippendale’s most lucrative commission.
This copy was re-bound in the 20th century by the high-end book binding firm Riviere & Sons, decorated with tooled and gilt decoration on the spine.

Horticulture and Landscape Design – Botany for Ladies, Jane Loudon, 1842

Botany for Ladies was written by Jane Loudon, an English author who was a pioneer of both popular gardening manuals and science fiction.

Loudon’s first book, The Mummy, published anonymously in 1827, was a fictional account of living in Britain in the 22^nd century and explored ideas around future technology. It caught the attention of John Claudius Loudon, a leading horticultural writer, whom Jane went on to marry.

After her marriage, Jane became fascinated with her husband’s field of horticulture, helping him with his research and publications. She realised that the highly technical language used in gardening manuals of the day was off-putting to women who might not have been taught much, if any, science as part of their education, and set about writing her own.

Becoming known as the ‘Mrs Beeton of the garden world’, Jane produced books that were precise and correct in content, written in an anecdotal style that was easy to follow.  The opening remark in Botany for Ladies (1842) reads: ‘The following pages are intended to enable my readers to acquire knowledge of Botany with as little trouble to themselves as possible.’

Her popular books helped thousands of women across the country to learn more about, and enjoy, gardening as a hobby. Jane was a self-taught artist and illustrated her own books.

There are a number of Jane Loudon’s gardening manuals in the libraries at Harewood, alongside works by her husband, though not, unfortunately, The Mummy.

Ornithology and Zoology – British Zoology, Thomas Pennant, 1776.

Thomas Pennant was a Welsh naturalist and travel writer. British Zoology was one of his first publications, forming a comprehensive study of animals across the British Isles.

It contained information on quadrupeds, birds, reptiles and fish, and was accompanied by over 100 colour illustrations. The work also included an appendix analysing and notating bird song.

British Zoology was first published in two volumes between 1766 and 1767 in folio form. Due to the inclusion of many expensive large-scale illustrations, the book was not a commercial success, however it was well received by fellow naturalists and earned Pennant a position as a fellow of the Royal Society.

Harewood’s copy of British Zoology is a later 4th edition, in a smaller ‘quarto’ format, which would have been less expensive to produce. It is still, however, very well illustrated with engravings. Thomas Pennant travelled around Britain with the artist Moses Griffiths, whose sketches were often used to accompany his observations.

Pennant was also a travel-writer and made notes about numerous tours taken across Britain, one of which included a visit to Harewood. Although he saw promise in Harewood’s landscape, the House was not to his taste, which was ‘fitted up with a profusion of expense and ornamental gilding…calculated for parade more than comfort’.

History and Geography – A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, Captain James Cook and Captain James King, 1784

Published five years after his death, A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean gave an official account of Captain James Cook’s third and last voyage to the Pacific between 1776-1779.

On this voyage, it had been Cook’s mission to discover a shorter sea route for trade between Britain and the Pacific. It’s true purpose however, was concealed under the guise of returning the Polynesian, Omai, back to the island Raiatea, who had travelled with Cook to England two years. Omai had been presented to British society and even had his portrait painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

As a Captain of the Royal Navy, Cook spent a total of 12 years exploring the Pacific on three separate voyages. He is credited with making the first European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian islands, as well as the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. Cook was killed in Hawaii in 1779 after attempting to kidnap the local ruler, Kalaniʻōpuʻu.

This book, based on Cook’s own journals, was so popular that the first edition sold out within three days. It contains several engraved plates and maps, illustrating the type of terrain encountered on his voyage as well as local individuals and animals.

The books within Harewood’s libraries are cared for by an independent charity. Whilst the house was forced to remain closed to visitors during the pandemic, our work to conserve these treasured objects never stopped. By Adopting a Book today you can help support the work of our Collections Care team, ensuring these books, and the many more items in our care, can continue to be shared when we are allowed to re-open, for the long-term benefit of the public.