This August, Northamptonshire’s Boughton
House will be home to a specially curated
exhibition exploring seminal moments in the
life of composer George Frideric Handel. The
exhibition will chart key episodes in Handel’s life,
following him from Rome to London’s West End,
and Montagu House - the ancestral home of the
Duke of Buccleuch, where he was a frequent
visitor.

Learn about the advent of Handel’s Italian
opera company, under the patronage of the
Duke of Montagu (an ancestor of the Duke of
Buccleuch), and his celebrated Music for the
Royal Fireworks of 1749, commissioned by the
Duke. The exhibition will bring together for the
first time a collection of artefacts, including a
1720 harpsichord (probably Handel’s own) and
celebrated sculptor Louis-Francois Roubiliac’s
own first model for Handel’s monument in
Westminster Abbey, plus a Chelsea porcelain
orchestra and some very rare orchestral
instruments from the period. To see
further works by renowned sculptor
Roubiliac, you can visit the restored
Montagu monuments at nearby St
Edmund’s Church, Warkton.

Handel at Boughton will be launched
with a special event on Sunday
17th July, hosted by the Duke of
Buccleuch. Commencing with a tour
of the recently restored gardens and
landscape, the day will include a
buffet brunch, House tour, exhibition
entry and performance from countertenor
James Laing and Parisian dance company
Les Corps Eloquents – where scenes from
some Handel’s most spectacular operas will be
recreated. The day will culminate in the world
premiere dance performance of Luke Styles’
“Passacaille”, a 21st century re-imagining of
Handel by one of today’s most celebrated young
composers. The event starts at 11am and
ends at 5pm. Tickets are £65. For tickets visit
www.boughtonhouse.co.uk/events/handelboughton
or call 01832 274734.

Boughton House and Gardens will open
throughout August. Guided House tours will
begin at 1pm, with the last tour at 3.30pm daily.
The Great Hall Tour, plus entry to the Gardens,
Armoury and special Handel at Boughton
exhibition costs £10 for adults, £8 for children
and £30 for families (2+2), under five’s go free.
The State Rooms tour is available for an extra
£2 per person, while the Bed Books and Beyond
Tour costs an additional £12.50 per person.

The Gardens will open between 12pm-
5pm, with last entry at 4pm. Tickets
cost £6 for adults, £3 for children and
£14 for families (2+2). As an added
bonus, Gardens tickets holders will
also gain access to the Armoury and
special Handel exhibition.

Tickets for the summer openings
can be booked in advance by calling
01536 515731 or purchased on a first
come, first served basis at the gift
shop on the day.

 
Handel at Boughton