Attingham is a late-Georgian mansion with Regency interiors and collections. The heyday for the Hill family was during the time of Thomas, 2nd Lord Berwick who inherited Attingham in 1789. Sadly, Thomas’ extravagant spending led to financial ruin and a sixteen-day sale of Attingham’s contents in 1827. Luckily, some of the items were saved from the sale and subsequent members of the family introduced their own collections and gave Attingham its Italian twist.
The collection includes Regency furniture, silver, paintings, porcelain and textiles which reflects the changing fortunes of the family. Some of the impressive collection items from the time of Thomas 2nd Lord Berwick are below.
Thomas 2nd Lord Berwick: Grand Tour Glories
As a young man in his 20s Thomas travelled to Italy on his Grand Tour accompanied by his Cambridge university friend, Edward Daniel Clarke, who acted as his tutor. Whilst in Rome in 1793, Thomas commissioned the famous artist, Angelica Kauffman, to paint his portrait and two large paintings which were intended for Attingham. These three paintings can be seen in the Drawing Room at Attingham today.