My house was FULL of kids!
And a sneak peek at our MASSIVE project
Dear lovely friends!
What a whirlwind these past weeks have been. Between filming, a rather special live interview, and a house full of Nestor’s friends from every corner of Europe, I have scarcely had a moment to sit down…though I wouldn’t have it any other way. There is so much I have been longing to tell you.
In this newsletter, I’ll be sharing:
An evening I’ll never forget
Dinners of Diplomacy
The scarves go on sale!
A little book news
A tiny tease of what’s coming
Let’s dive in!
An evening I’ll never forget
Last week I had the great honour of sitting down, live, with the Countess of Derby (affectionately known as Cazzy by her friends and family) and I’ll admit I was a little nervous beforehand! There is such a wonderful poise about her, and from the moment she appeared, she had the whole room in the palm of her hand!
Nearly a hundred of you joined us, and the hour simply flew by!
Our subject was General Cornwallis, one of history’s most misunderstood figures, and a man Lady Derby happens to descend from. She has made it her mission to reframe a reputation that history has treated rather unfairly, and she shared some genuinely new research: fresh detail about the illness that gripped Cornwallis at the surrender at Yorktown, and the story of a private meeting with George Washington, a moment that says so much about diplomacy and civility once the fighting is done.
We wandered from the truly global nature of the American Revolutionary War to the role of the French and the delicate business of handing over power, and your questions at the end were an absolute joy. If the evening left me with one thought, it was how much history still has to teach us about reconciliation and truth.
The whole conversation is now up on Patreon, so do go and watch, and cosy in.
Dinners of Diplomacy
Lady Derby is also about to host a wonderful event, Dinners of Diplomacy, taking these same themes further with a marvellous line-up of expert speakers.
If you can’t be there in person, the Two-Day Digital Delegate Pass brings the whole thing to you: every session streamed live, a live Q&A, a sixty-day replay, a digital archive pack and a certificate to round it all off. Early-bird pricing runs until 1 September, so do be quick if you fancy it.
You can explore all of Lady Derby’s work, including her podcast, books and so much more on her website:
The scarves go on sale!
And a date for your diary: our Rory Hutton x Mapperton silk scarves finally go on sale on Monday 10th August!
I have been longing to share these with you!
Each one carries the motifs from the house that I love most, and because it is such a limited run, once they’re gone, they really are gone. Do get yourself on the waitlist so you’re first through the door on Monday.
A little book news
I have been talking about my book rather a lot lately, filming reels and popping up in your feeds, and I make no apologies for it! I am so proud of this one, and every single pre-order has meant more to me than I can say.
If you haven’t reserved your copy yet, there is still time, and it truly does make all the difference.
A tiny tease of what’s coming
I have been hinting at a huge project for a while now, and I am still keeping my lips firmly sealed! But I can give you the smallest peek at what it involves.
Think loving recaps of every past season of your favourite period dramas, and conversations with some of Britain’s most extraordinary historic houses…the sort of thing I have always dreamed of bringing together in one place.
Our Patrons will be the very first to know in September, with a public launch to follow.
So do stay close: follow along on Instagram, keep subscribed here and perhaps forward this to a friend who wouldn’t want to miss it.
A new home for our textiles
From September, I’ll be moving our textile boxes out of the West Room and into their new space in the house, which feels like a lovely milestone.
And there’s something rather exciting on the horizon: we have a meeting booked with De Gournay on 14th September about the West Room itself. More on that very soon...
Training again
I’m full steam ahead for the Amsterdam Marathon on 18th October. This past week I ran almost 30k, with another 16k this weekend, and I’m really in the swing of it now.
The runs only get longer from here, which is, quite frankly, a killer, but I’m loving every mile.
As always, thank you, truly, for being here, for reading and for cheering me on through the busiest and most exciting of seasons. There is so much unfolding just beneath the surface, and I can’t wait to share what comes next.
With love and gratitude,
xxJulie