KCET Premieres 'Country House Revealed' Series Begins Tuesday, November 13
Burbank, CA - November 08, 2012 - KCET, the
nation's largest independent public television station, invites viewers to get
a rare glimpse behind some of the finest homes in Great Britain in Country House Revealed, airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
Hosted by art historian and BBC
television anchor Dan Cruickshank, Country
House Revealed gives audiences an exclusive look behind the estate wall of six of Britain's greatest
private country houses which have never been open to the public.
Cruickshank unveils the history and
secrets of these luxurious abodes and examines the lives of the families who
reside in them.
From
the Tudor ebullience of South Wraxall Manor, to the rigor of Kinross in
Scotland, to the beauty of Hawksmoor's Easton Neston to the palatial Georgian
sweep of Wentworth Woodhouse, the Victorian exuberance of Clandeboye to the
Edwardian ingenuity of Marsh Court, the properties exemplify the architecture
and fortunes of the nation itself.
Episode
Descriptions
"South
Wraxall" airs Nov. 13
Episode 1 tells the story behind South
Wraxall Manor, an immaculately preserved relic of the Mediaeval and Tudor ages,
hidden in the depths of the Wiltshire countryside. Built by a family with a
dramatic and checkered history - the Longs - who rose in prominence through the
Tudor period to become knights of the realm, friends of Henry VIII and
Elizabeth I, and one of the most powerful dynasties in England. Along the way
Cruickshank discovers how a brutal family murder inspired one of Shakespeare's
greatest plays, examines how the Longs' skullduggery and connivance brought
them unprecedented wealth, and meets both the last member of the Long family to
live there and the house's current owner - Gela Nash-Taylor, founder of the
American fashion house Juicy Couture.
"Kinross"
airs Nov. 20
Host Dan Cruickshank explores the
stunning late 17th century property, Kinross House. Kinross House tells a
unique story about a man imperative to the restoration of King Charles II --
Sir William Bruce, a onetime merchant who became one of the richest men in
Scotland. With insight from Sir William's descendants, journalists and Scottish
aristocracy, secrets long since forgotten are revealed, and offer an
explanation into his ultimate downfall. Cruickshank is granted privileged
access into the world of architect Sir William Bruce, who changed the Scottish
landscape by building the first fully classical house in the country. The
program follows the story of Kinross house from its early beginnings through to
its current owners and poignant sale in 2010.
"Easton
Neston" airs Nov. 27
Cruickshank examines the architecture
of Easton Neston in Northamptonshire in this third episode. Easton Neston,
considered an architectural gem, was completed in 1702 and is one of the most
beautiful examples of a short-lived but glorious style known as the English
Baroque. Work on the house was begun by Sir Christopher Wren and finished by
his mysterious protégé, Nicholas Hawksmoor. Who designed what, and precisely
when, has become a long-running debate, which Cruickshank unveils. In addition
to unraveling its colorful history, Cruickshank takes a look at the house's
present-day use, such as hosting a Formula One racing team as well as being the
headquarters of a global fashion brand.
"Wentworth
Woodhouse" airs Dec. 04
Episode 4 shows Wentworth Woodhouse
near Rotherham, one of the largest privately owned country houses in Europe. Built
in the 18th century, Wentworth Woodhouse was once one of the most powerful
places on earth. The building exemplifies the workings of British Parliamentary
democracy before the Reform Act of 1832, and is important in the history of
Whig politics, its owners having included influential Prime Minister Charles
Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquis of Rockingham. But today Wentworth Woodhouse is something of
a mystery. Few people know the house, and fewer still have witnessed its
palatial grandeur at first hand. Cruickshank reveals a story of intrigue,
family feuding and political wrangling dating back over two hundred years.
"Clandeboye" airs Dec. 11
Episode 5 looks at the Clandeboye
Estate in Northern Ireland. There are few other houses in Britain like
Clandeboye - a monument to a man whose life was like a Victorian fairy tale of
adventure, and a monument to the golden age of the largest and most far flung
empire the world has ever seen. Clandeboye House and estate was, like the
empire itself, an epic creation - but unlike the empire, it still endures, a
vignette of a now almost forgotten age and surprisingly little altered since
Lord Dufferin died in 1902. The house is overflowing with relics from the
empire and Dufferin's aristocratic adventures - stuffed baby bears, Egyptian monuments,
tiger skins and weaponry from India, Canada and Burma to mention just a few,
with extraordinary photographic albums that document the collecting of these
unique 'souvenirs'.
"Marshcourt"
airs Dec. 18
Episode 6 views Marshcourt in
Stockbridge, Hampshire, designed by Edwin Lutyens. Marshcourt is one of the
most extraordinary buildings in Britain - a white chalk Lutyens masterpiece,
possibly his greatest, perched above the flowing waters of Britain's best and
most exclusive fishing river - the Test. Built as an Edwardian pleasure palace,
with its interior still miraculously intact, it evokes the decadence and
frivolity of that vanished age, as no other. However, Marshcourt stands for
something more: a Britain dominated by finance. It was Herbert Johnson, a broker,
which paid for this opulence. The first great houses were built by robber
barons, and 500 years later it was the bankers' turn. Marshcourt's narrow
escape from the wrecking ball, as Johnson repeatedly teetered on the edge of
bankruptcy, is testament to what that transformation has meant for this
country.
ABOUT
KCET
On-air, online and in the community, KCET
plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and
Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming
as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. KCET
currently produces the Emmy®, duPont-Columbia and Peabody Award-winning SoCal
Connected, a hard-hitting prime-time nightly television news program that
examines the issues and people of Southern California. Throughout its 48-year
history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news
and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions,
its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and
community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported
community institution. For additional information about KCET productions,
web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit
kcet.org.
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