Settoriali - museums

THE CULT OF THE COUNTRY HOUSE (continue)

The War produced a new attitude towards countryside and if the city, in particular London,

needed expensive rebuilding, the countryside was regarded as something that needed

protection from disorderly suburbanization. This protection from suburbanization meant for

example the cordoning of national parks and agricultural reserves. This protection prevented

misuse of the land.

- In the city: the renewal of the housing stock;

- in the country: the cordoning off of the national parks and agricultural reserves.

Post-war years saw a democratic renewal of British society

The city and the country were planned separately to avoid uncontrolled suburbanization.

In the past World War, what was the new role of the landed gentry? Britain had emerged from

the Second World War with a new strong working class consciousness (working class was

becoming more powerful for the first time). So, the traditional rigid class structure, which has

always been very prominent in Great Britain, was still there, but the novelty of the Welfare

State was gradually transforming the country into a more democratic one. In this new

democratic country, 4/5 of the population lived in cities. Perhaps in this new context the need

for a landed aristocracy was no longer felt and also perhaps the need for for the preservation

of country houses. So why should aristocratic country houses been worthy of attention, been

worthy of preservation in this new labour and democratic contest?

In 1945 there is a novel that explain the idea of sense of change and transition: it is

"Brideshead Revisited" by Evelyn Waugh, who sides with the conservative and aristocracy.

In his novel she express his deep concern the destiny of the country house, and the civilisation

that it stood for and this is the quotation.

"The country house stand for a pre-war society of established values and very clear social

relations

Its very fabric is the product of a uniquely English artistic tradition, and it's occupant, in their

family relationships, employment of servant and ownership and rule over the surrounding

countryside, reflect a secure social order.

The fear for the landed classes was that this tradition might be lost for ever, especially now (in

the 1940s and 1950s) that the ugly spectre of socialism haunts the corridors of Whitehall". So

now that the socialist idea seems to be dominant in society.

For aristocracy to survive a new pretext, argument has to be found to demonstrate the

usefulness of this class to the electorates.

Land owners found a new socially useful role for themselves as professional farmers.

Agriculture in this difficult economic context became very important. Besides this another

urgent economic question was prominent, which was the preservation of country houses. The

expensive preservation was no longer possible, for owners and for the public (the public

couldn't be asked to pay for the preservation). And so yet again, just as during the Second

World War alternative uses had to be found (schools, colleges, hospitals, holiday centres and

convalescent homes).

During the late 1940s and the 1950s there was an extensive demolitions of the country houses

and of the countryside: if only 28 houses has been lost during the war (the country house was

not a privilege target during it), 282 houses has been demolished between 1945 and 1955,

and by 1974 the number had raised to 629.

The most prominent houses and those with artistic interest, were nationalised (bought by the

State) as museums, for the benefit of the semi educated masses.

In this context, from 1945 the National Trust, acquired a new role: the unique agency

administer of this heritage.

In 1946 Hugh Dalton (Secretary of the Treasury) established the National Land Fund (which

have initial fund of 50 millions pounds), through each, a number of building of interest were

assured to the nation. Another measure which was taken was the acceptance of the country

houses in lieu of tax → in place of the tax (if you were a land owner you couldn't effort to

maintain your house, you could give it to the state so the state would manage it and you don't

have to pay taxes).

A number of these houses were nationalised as museums and administrated by the National

Trust.

The destiny of aristocracy and country houses is closer, has always been closer. But in the past

war years the labour government secured a future for country houses as part of the national

heritage. But why was a labour government interested in it? Two factors should be

considered:

1) the awareness of the importance of country houses among the British population, was

increased by German bombing raids had damage historic towns and this had increased in the

population the awareness of the importance of preserving their cultural heritage;

2) another element that increase the awareness was the extension of artistic education in

1940. The extension of artistic education among all the classes (also the working one),

generated a wide spread, a popular attachment to the traditional landscape.

This new wide spread was responsible for the origin of the country house business, so the

exportation of country house in economic terms.

THE STATELY HOME BUSINESS, 1945-64

This exportation (started in the previous years, so it was a very gradual process) had few but

interesting precursors in earlier decades, for example "Warrick Castle" which was a precursor

of the Stately Home Business and that was open to the visitors well before the Second World

War and remained so even during the conflict. This was true also for the St. Michael Mount.

The National Trust, opened more and more houses in 1950-60s during the economic boom

which started around the 1956.

The Stately Home Business became an established part of the leisure and culture industry. The

boom draw this business: visiting Stately Home was considered by the population as a rich

experience. This grow more suddenly in 1980 during the Thatcher period (she was elected in

1979) and "The New Right" wanted to destroy the so-called "Old England" of the working

class and Welfare State project, as a threat to the modernisation of the country. A return to

what was perceived as 90s Victorian model which representing economic dynamism. Looking

back to Victorian values and economic model was a way of forcing the idea that Britain needed

to retrieve its international role which the country had lost. To retrieve this role, according to

Margaret Thatcher, privatisation and business enterprise have to became stronger. For the

Conservatives the country house became the epitome of State heritage and a powerful

ideological symbol.

This conservative government was a curious blend of Old and New Rights (1980s).

In 1983 the English Heritage, which is similar to the National Trust, was established. It

emphasised and promoted of public understanding and enjoyment of heritage.

The English Heritage greatly contributed to emphasise the importance of the authority of

landed classes. Around this time, country houses became the epitome, a sort of myth of State

heritage and the traditional country house as the symbol of England was invented. The ways

to spread and promote this tradition were many, for example they passed through the media:

huge production of Hollywood comedy located in country houses, marriages, television series

(BBC), contributed to the building of that kind of national identity.

Today the National Trust whose members are from the middle class, is almost exclusively

associated with people's mind with the country house. His membership during the early 1945

to 1992 (1975: 0,5 million; 1985: 1,2 million ca; 1995: over 2 million; 2014: close to 4 million)

becoming one of the most popular and powerful in Europe.

In 1983 the National Heritage Act, which was the act that established English heritage, the

main idea was for the first time to “make heritage pay" (The act allowed of the promotion of

heritage, for example through gift shops, catering facilities, etc.). Heritage should become a

major economic source for the country.

The percentage of private museums which were open during the 1980s was 56%.

THE QUAINT COUNTRY AND THE DISNEY EFFECT

When you invest a lot of money and your effort in promotion, in specific kind of heritage, in a

global context it means that you are specialised in that sector. With globalisation, which

started in 1980s, each country tended to specialised in a specific tourist sector. Skiing in

Switzerland, arts in Italy, while in England the kind of heritage they look at became of

paramount importance. Britain specialised in holidays, that emphasise the historical and

quaint (pittoresco) country.

This emphasis on the preservation of heritage became so strong that in 1980 there was a wide

debate on the opportunity of preserving so much from the past.

In the mid 1980 the director of a museum in London said that this growth of heritage was so

strong that the country became a big open-air museum. This idea was widely debated, for

example the american novelist Tom Wolfe has claimed provocatively that the British

population service a national Disneyland for foreign tourists.

This fantasy can also be found in a famous novel of 1999 by Julian Barnes, "England England".

This novel imagines a park called " England England" covering the all island, and this sort of

Disneyland would contain scaled-down replicas, sort of miniaturised England of the well-

known historic buildings of the country.

Besides commercialisation, other pressures have an impact on preservation

The heritage industries with its commercialisation of the past and along with it its

transformation into form of entertainment, is to a large extend expression of the banality of

the late capitalist mass-society.

We should not failed to recognised that conservation today is not exclusively the result of

commercialisation. There are pressures besides the economic one which have an impact on

preservation. For example preservation has to do with the cultural identity of the nation or of

the territory. Resource on the membership on the National Trust for Scotland has shown that

Scottish heritage has been, and is still today, a significant element in the development and

reinforcement of cultural nationalism.

Furthermore there are examples of preservation which are urged by local inhabitants (not

only at the national level) and this projects are usually aimed at:

- preventing development schemes;

- preserving the living conditions of a neighbourhood.

A relevant place is the preservation of in London. The preservation and

Covent Garden

renewal of Covent Garden was strongly influenced by local inhabitants and activists. They

were concerned to preserve buildings from redevelopment after the ending of Covent Garden

as a market.

These schemes for preservation of an area can have unexpected consequences.

Conservation scheme promoted by inhabitants for the benefit of the inhabitants, the

neighbourhood resulted into an immensely successful tourist site, but