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Things to see in the House at Croome

Seven large paper mache bird head sculptures painted in black and white facing each other in a circle with chairs underneath.
A Conference for the Birds by Marcus Coates | © Nina Leonard

At Croome's heart lies the House, the brainchild of the 6th Earl of Coventry, an 18th-century trend-setter who collaborated with the best new talent of the day – Robert Adam and Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

Contemporary exhibitions and installations

With about four-fifths of its collection absent, the House at Croome isn’t necessarily what you would expect from a traditional National Trust property. Instead, rooms, many with beautiful 18th-century plasterwork and fireplaces, are used to present temporary exhibitions and installations continuing the 6th Earl’s legacy of nurturing new talent.

Marcus Coates – Conference for the Birds

7 July 2023 – February 2024

Conference for the Birds by artist Marcus Coates, is a sound and sculpture installation celebrating the lives of birds depicted in Thomas Bewick’s A History of British Birds.

You are invited to sit with the sculptures, created as enlarged facsimiles of Thomas Bewick’s prints, and listen to seven different bird species discussing their lives with each other.

The birds, played by six wildlife experts and Marcus Coates, discuss topics from migration to predation and the challenges they face day to day.

Conference for the Birds was originally commissioned by Newcastle University as part of their Mapping Contemporary Art in the Heritage Experience (www. research.ncl.ac.uk/mcahe) research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Courtesy the artist and Kate MacGarry, London.

Thomas Bewick: Looking Closely

6 April 2023 - 18 February 2024

Explore the playful work of Thomas Bewick in our Looking Closely exhibition with A History of British Birds and Tales from the Tail-pieces.

Thomas Bewick (1753 – 1828) was an artist-engraver and naturalist born at Cherryburn, Northumberland. He revolutionised print art in Georgian England with his detailed miniature woodblock prints depicting rural life and the natural world. Through his enquiring gaze of animals and birds he was drawn to look closely at shapes, forms and colours in a way that is natural to both artists and scientists.

Thomas Bewick: Looking Closely takes place in the Tapestry Room and the Library in the House.

The display in the Tapestry Room explores Bewick’s career and work, including a chance to see both volumes of his most famous book A History of British Birds which form part of Croome's collection, along with an exploration into five common birds engraved by Thomas Bewick and found at Croome today.

In the Library, Tales from the Tale-pieces shows a collection of Thomas Bewick prints known as vignettes, and often referred to as tale pieces. These were supplementary images inserted to fill blank-space within pages, often bearing no relationship to the contents depicted. An indication of his humour and moral character can be seen through close inspection of the scenes, many offering commentary on important social issues of his time. Yet there is something enduring within the work that make them relevant within contemporary society, functioning as modern-day cautionary tales.

Thomas Bewick engraving showing children riding gravestones as pretend Cavalry
Churchyard Cavalry by Thomas Bewick | © Courtesy Ikon

Robert Adam bookcases display

Opened 26 May 2023

In 1761, the 6th Earl of Coventry commissioned one of the finest architects of the day, Robert Adam, to design magnificent bookcases for Croome Court but you won't have seen them there for a long time, in fact they've not been there since 1975. After the bookcases had left Croome Court, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London acquired them and for many years, provided care and conservation, ensuring the public were able to admire them. Croome has borrowed around half of the bookcases on a three-year loan from the museum so they can be enjoyed once more in the house for which they were intended. This new display, exploring the design and construction of the bookcases, is an opportunity to look closely at beautifully carved details in separate pieces. Find out more about the Robert Adam bookcases display at Croome here: Robert Adam bookcases display | National Trust

Threads: My Happy Place

From 21 March 2023 until 8 January 2024 Croome will host My Happy Place, an exhibition by independent textile group Threads.

Throughout the year the display will evolve in response to seasonal changes and physical, geographic and emotional changes that reflect the participants personal place of happiness.

Like so many others, Threads were not able to meet in person throughout 2020 and their online catchups just weren’t the same. My Happy Place represents a way of coming together in person to share common interests, to make work collaboratively and to be supportive to each other. The exhibition is their way of celebrating all that is wonderful about the world through the varied medium of stitch.

Find out more: Threads: My Happy Place | National Trust

A selection of two and three dimensional textile art by Threads with spring themed work.
Threads: My Happy Place | © Nina Leonard

Permanent installations

Two artists were commissioned to create original works to present select pieces from the collection in ways that are thought-provoking and respond to Croome’s spirit of ‘expect the unexpected’.

Bouke de Vries’ ‘Golden Box’ and Will Datson’s ‘Chair Play’ installation give a new perspective on these fascinating objects and the Treasures of Croome.

2 metre high 'Golden Box' installation with a reflective cube whose interior is encrusted with exquisite pieces of Meissen, Worcester and Sevres porcelain from Croome’s collection.
'Golden Box' installation/Bouke De Vries | © Jack Nelson
A family with a pushchair walk in the grounds at Croome, Worcestershire. In the background Croome court can be seen.

Discover more at Croome

Find out when Croome is open, how to get here, things to see and do and more.

Our partners

Arts Council England

Arts Council England invest public money from government and the National Lottery to make sure everyone's creativity is given the chance to flourish and we all have access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences.

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The National Lottery Community Fund

The Big Lottery Fund, now called the National Lottery Community Fund, awards money raised by National Lottery players to fund great ideas that help communities to thrive.

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Green Fingers Project

Our project engages looked after children in artistic, horticultural and healthy lifestyle activities. We aim to improve the emotional and physical wellbeing of Looked After Children (LAC) and carers through green activities along with healthy living information, activities and training to give LAC and carers a better understanding of health and healthy lifestyles.

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