VISIT TO THE HOUSE, ART COLLECTION AND GARDENS OF NEVILL HOLT
Tuesday 27th May 2025
By kind permission of David Ross, once again we were honoured to have an exclusive tour of the wonderful gardens at Nevill Holt, near Market Harborough, with the Estate's head gardener, Andy Bretherick, as guide and on hand throughout to answer horticultural queries.
This year we were doubly honoured, as David also granted us exclusive access to his stunning home which houses the UK's greatest private collection of British Art post 1960.
The tour of the house, which has work by all the greats of modern British art, including David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Sir Peter Blake, Gilbert and George, Terry Frost, Richard Hamilton, Allen Jones, R B Kitaj, Graham Sutherland, Eduardo Paolozzi, Sir Anthony Caro and Grayson Perry among many others, was conducted by David's manager of collections, Albany Bell, provided expert insight into the works on display.
The house itself is also of great interest, having been built in the 13th century with major additions in each subsequent century. It was owned for more than four hundred years by the Nevill family and more recently the Cunards, owners of the world-famous shipping line. It was the childhood home of radical socialite Nancy Cunard and many notable musicians, writers and performers of the early twentieth century were often guests at the house.
The glorious ten acre garden, parts of which dates back to the 17th Century, was designed by Chelsea Gold Medal Winner Rupert Golby and includes three distinctive walled gardens, magnificent herbaceous borders and a monumental, ancient Cedar of Lebanon. Dotted among the fabulous planting schemes is one of the most extensive private collections of contemporary British sculpture in England, including works by Sir Antony Gormley, Turner Prize winner Rachel Whiteread, Allen Jones and Nic Fiddian-Green.
