Heritage Open Days: George Romney talk with Alex Kidson

Join us in the Drawing Room for a fascinating insight into one of the most fashionable portrait painters of the 1700s. George Romney expert Alex Kidson, will be delving into the early career of the local artist and his connections to Sizergh.

Arrive in the Lower Hall for a welcome drink before a talk from leading national expert Alex Kidson on Romney, followed by a Q&A.

Focusing on a young George Romney at Kendal, Sizergh and Lancaster between 1756-1765, this 45 minute talk will explore the early career of Romney and his connections to Sizergh and the local area. Several members of the Strickland family of Sizergh were among the leading patrons of George Romney when he was based in Kendal as a young man, learning to become a fashionable portrait painter before trying his fortune in London. This talk will discuss Romney's Strickland portraits in the context of other north-western commissions that he received concurrently, featuring a number of recent discoveries, and it will end by looking forward to how the artist's work changed on his exposure to metropolitan conventions of portraiture.

The talk will take place in Sizergh's Georgian Drawing Room, a location in the house which was remodelled by Cecilia Strickland, an early patron of Romney. This room is still evolving today, as we prepare to launch a re-hang of the Romney collection at Sizergh in March 2026.