The 9th Duke’s Exhibition
A new, intriguing permanent exhibition exploring Haddon’s restoration and revival by the 9th Duke of Rutland in the 1920s opened at Haddon Hall on April 25th 2019 and returns for 2020.
Grandfather of the current custodian of Haddon Hall, Lord Edward Manners; the 9th Duke of Rutland saved Haddon Hall from certain ruin, restoring it to the family home we see today.
The 9th Duke’s life experiences ranged from castles to deserts to trenches, he was a skilled man of his time: archaeologist, historian, archivist, architect, photographer, filmmaker, ornithologist, soldier of the Great War and a Duke – who sadly died in his early 50s.
One of the finest examples of a fortified medieval manor house, Haddon Hall dates from the12th Century to the early 17th Century, whereupon it lay dormant for over two hundred years from 1700 until the 1920s. By the early 1900s, Haddon Hall was at the early stages of ruin – basically maintained during its long sleep, it had become covered in ivy, the garden had overgrown, roofs were leaking, and the timbers infested. Much of the furniture, tapestries and pictures were still in situ but a significant amount had been stored in barns, distributed around the estate or destroyed.
The exhibition explores preservation work of the Long Gallery, the medieval kitchens, the 9th Duchess of Rutland’s role in restoring the magnificent gardens, uncovering the very rare early fresco-seccos that were plastered over during the reformation in the Chapel and the general restoration throughout the rest of the Hall.
Most of the text belonging to this exhibition has been taken from the Duke’s own leather-bound notebooks, in which he recorded his work in meticulous detail. The photographs were also all taken by the Duke himself.
A photographic pioneer, some of the Duke’s equipment is also on display for the exhibition. His tiny photographic studio is still in the Eagle Tower today.
Lord Edward Manners said: “If the 9th Duke hadn’t devoted most of his life to the restoration of Haddon Hall, after being mothballed for 200 years, it would now be a ruin. He was a remarkable man: soldier of the Great War, architect, photographer, archaeologist, archivist, historian but his major life’s work was Haddon. This exhibition gives a glimpse into the workings behind this mammoth and complex project; with previously unseen material including his own immaculate and detailed personal records.”