Spotlight on Shropshire mansion's Lady as her tale is told
Lady Rachel Labouchere's final wish was for people visiting her Shropshire grand estate and home to be able to see it as she did.
The former owner of Dudmaston Hall, in Quatt, near Bridgnorth, and her diplomat husband, Sir George, moved back to the hall in 1966 and worked tirelessly to renovate it before gifting the property to the National Trust in 1976, with the hall being officially opened to the public in 1980.
The estate has been in the same family for more than 850 years and the hall was finished during the 17th century.
The eight centuries of history has made it difficult for the trust to tell the story of all former family members, so it was decided at the beginning of 2012, that Lady Labouchere's time would be the focus of a new exhibition.
One year and £40,000 later, the One Lady's Legacy and Love exhibition has opened.
Project officer Jennifer Bell said: "We decided Lady Labouchere would be the main focal point and it seemed logical for us to tell her story.
"Her husband, Sir George, was a diplomat and had seven postings with Lady Labouchere, and this has become the focus of our interpretation.
"Working with property staff at Dudmaston and project curator, Sarah Kay, we used Inspired Thinking Group to help us produce creative interpretation.
"This was challenging because our design requirements had to fit in with the National Trust as a brand, be creative and have a distinctive look to visitors to fit in with the modern side of the hall."
The five galleries at Dudmaston were put together by Lady Labouchere, who died in 1996, and Sir George, during the 1960s.
The Spanish gallery depicts Sir George's time as the British diplomat in Spain between 1960-66, during the reign of the dictator General Franco.
The botanical gallery includes watercolours painted by Lady Labouchere, as well as some of her favourite pieces.
Modern art was something Sir George was passionate about and that particular gallery holds many of his favourite pieces.
The costume gallery is changed on a yearly basis but currently has outfits on display which would have been worn by Lady Labouchere while she was Spain, as well as family items dating back to the 1800s.
It is believed Lady Labouchere's love of painting was inspired by her aunt and former estate owner, Lady Evelyn Blacklock, whose portrait work sits proudly in the exhibition gallery.
The staircase, which leads from the inner hall, has been opened to the public for the first time and is covered in a green carpet, chosen by Lady Labouchere, to match some of the artwork on the walls.
The stairs lead to the Yellow and Peacock guest bedrooms, which were designed by Nina Campbell – one of the world's most influential interior designers of the 1960s.
On the other side of the rooms is the servants' staircase, where the walls are now adorned with maps, paintings and information about Lady Labouchere and Sir George's travels across the globe, as part of his role as a diplomat.
Miss Bell said: "They travelled across the world but she said that as she agreed to share his life, he had to help her restore Dudmaston, which is what they did.
"A map showing the destinations Sir George and Lady Labouchere visited on diplomatic service, introduces the notion of travel for visitors and gives a feel of the distance they were posted.
"We wanted to create the look of a departures and arrivals board for visitors, again reinforcing the notion of travel but also returning to Dudmaston.
"With the new focus on our property story at Dudmaston, hopefully visitors will engage with the creative use of interpretation here and connect with the travels of Sir George and Lady Labouchere."
The estate is still used as a family home today and is occupied by Mark Russell Hamilton – the great-nephew of Lady Labouchere – his wife, Elfreda, and their two children.
