ON October 13, 1886, the septuagenarian Patrick Allan-Fraser was presented with the freedom of the burgh of his native Arbroath. It was an honour that, according to J. M. M’Bain’s Eminent Arbroathians (1897), ‘he appeared to value more highly than any of the others which had been conferred upon him’. M’Bain’s judgement rings true. In the course of his long life—funded through the inherited fortune of his wife, Elizabeth, which he managed skillfully—Allan-Fraser was an unusually energetic patron of the institutions and amenities of his home town, including its water supply, library and infirmary.
No less notable was the settlement of his estate when he died a few years later without issue on October 18, 1890. All his Scottish properties and possessions, including an impressive collection of drawings, paintings and sculpture, were placed in a trust with two clearly stipulated responsibilities.
One of these was to ‘provide for the comfortable maintenance and support’ of 10 ‘aged or infirm... painters, sculptors and literary men’. The other was to establish what was, in effect, a school for the Arts at his former home—also inherited through his wife— at Hospitalfield on the outskirts of the town.
Denne historien er fra August 26, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra August 26, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
