Historic Decoration

Study the history of interior design at the Duke of Northumberland's London home

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• Learn about the many and varied aspects of British interior design

• Explore the challenges facing owners today and the secrets of restoration

• Absorb the beauty of one of the world's finest interiors: Robert Adam's spectacular sequence of rooms designed for the 1st Duke of Northumberland

• Stroll through Syon House, a secluded gem set in parkland only eight miles from the centre of London, on the banks of the River Thames

• Enjoy a two-course lunch in the Kitchen Garden Restaurant, followed in due time by afternoon tea in the Green Drawing Room

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Experts leading the study days include

• Interior designer Lady Caroline Percy, sister of the Duke of Northumberland, consultant on art and antiques, and founder of Hotspur Design

• Patrick Baty, expert on paint whose projects have ranged from the heraldic beasts of King Henry VIII to wartime RAF stations and Baroque churches

• Stephen Calloway, curator, art historian and writer whose work for the V&A Museum included exhibitions on Rex Whistler and 'The Cult of Beauty'

• Allyson McDermott, one of the world's top authorities on conserving and 
  recreating wallpaper, working with the National Trust and Houses of Parliament

• Mark Sutton Vane, a foremost expert on lighting who has worked on projects as varied as the London Olympics in 2012 and Hampton Court Palace

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Study days cost £180 ($240), including two-course lunch and afternoon tea