Boston Manor:In the Fields and on the Table. London Luminaries talk- Food & drink by John Collins

Описание: This talk by Boston Manor is the twelfth in the London Luminaries series 4 entitled the Boston Manor: In the fields and on the table.

Boston Manor House was built in 1623 and has witnessed many changes in society and its relationship with food and drink. In this talk we will look at what was eaten and drunk at Boston Manor House over the centuries and explore what was produced on the estate for the house’s residents and beyond.

John Collins is the Senior Manager for Historic Houses at the London Borough of Hounslow and has overseen Hogarth’s House since it reopened to the public after a major refurbishment in 2011. Most recently John has been a key figure in the Mulberry Garden project at Hogarth’s House, a five year National Lottery Heritage Fund funded scheme which saw a new learning studio built and a redesigned exhibition garden both open to the public in 2021. Before this John was Community Development Manager at Imperial War Museum North and has a background in the field of community engagement with historic sites and their collections.

The west of London has been the resort of royalty, aristocrats, artists, writers and wealthy property owners for centuries. As well as building elegant villas, they developed gardens which provided a feast for the senses and supplied food for the table.

In our own times, issues of the sustainability of food production and equity of its distribution are hot topics. In this series of 14 talks, we explore how food was produced and consumed in the past by our Luminaries to help inform discussions on the future of food and drink. Much food was produced locally; great houses such as Chiswick House and Fulham Palace had their own kitchen gardens and Alexander Pope boasted of the sources of his meat supply: ‘To Hounslow Heath I point, and Banstead-Down, / Thence comes your Mutton, and these chicks my own.’ Yet modern luxuries such as tea and coffee stretched supply chains around the globe. Wining and dining also provided hosts with opportunities to display their hospitality and particular taste through the choice of menu and table setting.

This varied banquet of 14 talks thus also explore cultural dimensions of food and drink.