The National Trust has reopened Beningbrough Hall in York following an £800,000 refurbishment.
The revamp centres on Making Faces: Eighteenth Century Style – a new interactive set of galleries aimed at bringing the property’s collection of 18th Century portraits to life.
Visitors can access software to commission their own 18th Century style portrait and try their hand at modelling to see how different materials produce different styles of sculpture.
An entire collection of portraits ranging from Tudor times to the present day – provided by the National Portrait Gallery in London – can also be accessed using a free audioguide and an IT facility called the Portrait Explorer.
Ray Barker, property manager at Beningbrough, said: “The new portrait galleries will attract people from the local community and around the country.”
Beningbrough Hall will also present Visiting Portrait exhibitions – an annually changing portrait display featuring people who visited the country house during the 18th Century. The first exhibition is called Women in the Royal Academy and features the National Portrait Gallery’s recent acquisition of George Romney’s Mary Moser (1770–1).
Fiona Spiers, Heritage Lottery Fund manager for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “We are passionate about opening up heritage. Innovative interaction is a great way for visitors to explore the wealth of stories behind the paintings and the house – learning has never been so much fun.”
In addition to the new galleries and exhibitions, the National Trust has refurbished six period rooms to allow visitors access to the Hall’s baroque architecture – three of which have not previously been open to the public.
New all-weather access paths in the gardens and a pre-school portrait playroom for younger children have also been constructed.
The Heritage Lottery Fund and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) supported the new visitor experience, which was designed by interactive gallery specialist Casson Mann.
Beningbrough Hall also features as one of 50 National Trust properties currently offering visitors a discounted entry fee or a tea shop voucher if they arrive by bike, bus, train, ferry or on foot, as part of the National Trust’s recently launched car-free campaign.
The National Portrait Gallery has been in partnership with the National Trust at Beningbrough Hall & Gardens since 1979. The partnership is part of the gallery’s national programme of collaborations, touring exhibitions and long-term loans. Details: www.nationaltrust.co.uk
