Two absorbing illustrated lectures by Mark Meredith; Mansions & Legends of Gilded-Age America, 1870-1930. Discover the real-life history which sparked "Downton Abbey" and many more films, plays, television and novels.
Ticket: £30.00 to include sandwich lunch with a glass of wine or soft drink.
"Cash for Coronets": Between 1870 and 1914, no less than 454 heiresses exchanged their crisp new American dollars for musty, old European titles. The new monies were primarily used to restore the crumbling ancestral piles inherited by cash-strapped aristocrats. We'll hear how the couples were matched and the dollars were made and spent on many of these buildings, which are today among our best-loved national treasurers.
"Great English Mansions - Made in America": These mansions, built during America's 'Gilded Age', came in all shapes and sizes, but many were inspired by various classic English houses. They were resurrected and lived in by an eclectic mix of millionaires. Through the splendour of the architecture on both sides of the Atlantic, we'll discover stories and characters associated with these international treasures.
Booking form on the website at www.theartssociety.org/henfield or call Rosemary Nice on 01273 492221.