Skip to main navigationSkip to main content
The University of Southampton
MusicPart of Humanities

Music's Hidden Histories at Tatton Park

Published: 12 June 2013

The Music Room at Tatton Park in Cheshire was restored to some of its former glory last week when staff and students from Music at Southampton used it to make a set of short films about music-making in country houses.

'Music's Hidden Histories', part of Tatton Park's larger multi-year 'Hidden Histories' project, has been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Tatton Park Trust, and supported by Cheshire East Council and the National Trust as well as the University of Southampton. Project director Professor Jeanice Brooks and project manager Penelope Cave, who is in the final stages of her PhD on country house music-making, devised the film scenarios with help from PGR researcher Katrina Faulds and recent PhD graduate Leena Rana. An 1822 Broadwood grand piano of the type originally found in Tatton Park's lavishly decorated Music Room was specially moved in for the shoot. For the performance elements of the films, pianists Cave and Faulds were joined by undergraduate soprano Emma Bryant, and a series of special guests: dancing master Stuart Marsden (recently seen on BBC 2's 'Pride and Prejudice: Having a Ball') and the Pleyel Ensemble, led by pianist Harvey Davies.

The four short films will be broadcast on the Tatton Park website and used on mobile devices to enhance visits to the house. They will also be distributed through the National Trust for use in educational projects in other properties. The films are produced by the specialist music media company WashMedia, whose co-founder Steve Polydorou is a Southampton Music graduate.

For more information, see the 'At Home With Music' research project page.

Useful Downloads

Katrina Faulds
On set at Tatton Park
Penelope Cave & Emma Bryant
Privacy Settings