Aislabie @ 350

Genius of the Place: John Aislabie’s personal style at Studley Royal

On the evening of his 350th birthday, December 4th 2020, this talk will explore the lifestory of John Aislabie (politician, entrepreneur, Chancellor of the Exchequer, national villain and – most significantly – outstanding landscape designer) and the World Heritage Site he created at Studley Royal.

Understanding of John Aislabie’s achievements has developed very considerably following many years of National Trust research, including publication of Mark Newman’s “Wonder of the North: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal” in 2015. This talk will take that work as a foundation, but also include - for the first time - fruits of further research (some only completed this summer) that have still more to reveal about John Aislabie’s schemes for the grounds and the truly pioneering scope of his personal vision for landscape design.

Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and a link to the recorded session will be sent shortly afterwards.

Mark Newman is the National Trust's Archaeologist for Yorkshire and the North-East. He started out as a volunteer schoolboy on rescue excavations in Kent before obtaining his BA in Ancient History & Archaeology and MA in Archaeological Method and Practice from the University of Birmingham. He then worked as a field archaeologist in England, Australia, the U.S, Italy, Cyprus and Guyana before joining the NT in 1988 as the archaeologist on the project to build the Visitor Centre at Fountains Abbey/Studley Royal. He has remained the archaeologist / landscape historian for the property ever since. His work at Studley Royal has given him a particular passion for designed landscapes and for conservation management. Mark currently advises the NT on properties over a region stretching from Berwick-on Tweed to the Pennine boundaries of Greater Manchester.