Current exhibition: Broadlands: a country house in Hampshire

Broadlands exhibition poster

The great house, surrounded by gardens and parkland, is a familiar image in the English countryside. It speaks of the power of the landed classes and their interests, from classical architecture and connoisseurship to landscapes of the picturesque and rural improvement. This exhibition looks at the country house, its contents and context, through one Hampshire property, Broadlands, near Romsey, mainly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when these establishments were at the height of their importance. Home successively to the St Barbe, Temple (Palmerston), Ashley and Mountbatten families, Broadlands was remodelled by Capability Brown and Henry Holland. Vignettes of daily life are drawn from family correspondence and the records of domestic service, horticulture and farming.

The exhibition will run from 30 January until 30 March 2012.

Where to find the Gallery:

The Special Collections Gallery is situated on Level 4 of the Hartley Library, University of Southampton. The Library is on the east side of the University Road, on the University's Highfield campus.

Opening hours:

During exhibitions the Special Collections Gallery is open to the public Monday to Friday 1000 to 1600. Admission is free. Visitors may be asked for proof of identity by Library Reception staff.

For news on Special Collections exhibitions and events go to the calendar of events.