Sudley House facts for kids
Sudley House is a beautiful historic house located in Aigburth, Liverpool, England. It was built in 1824 and later changed a lot in the 1880s. Today, it is a popular museum and art gallery.
The house displays the amazing art collection of George Holt. He was a wealthy owner of a shipping company and used to live in Sudley House. His collection includes famous paintings by artists like Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, Edwin Landseer, John Everett Millais, and J. M. W. Turner.
George Holt's daughter, Emma Georgina Holt, gave the house and its art collection to the city of Liverpool in 1944. Now, National Museums Liverpool takes care of it, making sure everyone can enjoy its history and art.
Contents
The Story of Sudley House
Building a Grand Home
The house, first known simply as Sudley, was finished in 1824. It was built on land that once belonged to the Tarleton family. The first owner was Nicholas Robinson, a corn merchant who became the Lord Mayor of Liverpool in 1828. He paid £4500 for the land.
After Robinson passed away in 1854, his two daughters inherited the house. They both died in 1883, and the house, along with its large estate of almost 30 acres, was put up for sale in 1880.
In 1884, Victorian shipping owner George Holt bought Sudley House. When he bought it, the house was changed quite a bit. The main entrance was moved, and a new office area was added. These changes made the inside of the house look a little different from its original design.
A Home for Amazing Art
George Holt was a passionate art collector. He mostly bought paintings from art dealers and at exhibitions. Some of his most important purchases, which you can still see in the house today, include J. M. W. Turner's Schloss Rosenau. This painting shows Prince Albert's home in Germany. He also bought Viscountess Folkestone by Gainsborough.
The collection also features paintings by other famous artists like Richard Parkes Bonington, Edwin Landseer, John Everett Millais, Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, and artists from the Pre-Raphaelites group.
George Holt's only child, Emma Georgina Holt, owned the house after her father passed away in 1896. She inherited a very large estate. In 1944, Emma Holt generously gave the house and its entire art collection to the city of Liverpool. Today, the collection at Sudley House is special because it is the only British art collection of its kind still shown in its original home.
Modern Updates and What to See
Sudley House closed for two years for a big renovation project that cost £1 million. It reopened on May 26, 2007. During this time, the house was redecorated to look like it did during George Holt's time.
The first floor was also changed a lot, adding three new exciting areas for visitors:
- Two Childhood Rooms: These rooms show how Victorian children learned and played. You can see a large Victorian dolls' house, old educational toys, and fashion dolls.
- A Costume Room: This room has changing displays of historic clothing. Sometimes, it shows parts of the huge clothing collection of Emily Tinne and her children, which is owned by National Museums Liverpool.
- A Gallery for Temporary Exhibitions: This space hosts special art shows that change over time.
On the ground floor, the library now has a display about the Holt family. You can watch a film about them, see family portraits, and even a model of the steamer Verdi. This ship belonged to the Lamport and Holt shipping company, which George Holt helped start in 1845.
See also
- Vanessa (Millais painting)
