National award for No 1 Royal Crescent

Bath Preservation Trust's "Georgian House" at Number 1 Royal Crescent.
Bath Preservation Trust’s “Georgian House” at Number 1 Royal Crescent.

Congratulations to the Bath Preservation Trust for landing a ‘Highly Commended’ award at the annual Museums and Heritage Awards ceremony held last night – May 14th, 2014 – in London.

Bath Preservation Trust members holding the Certificate of Commendation
Bath Preservation Trust members holding the Certificate of Commendation

The Trust were competing – with others – in the Permanent Exhibition category which was won by The Mary Rose Trust with The Mary Rose Museum – based in the Historical Dockyards at Portsmouth.

Bath had entered No1 Royal Crescent – The Whole Story – an exhibition you can see within the new-look Georgian building which once again links the servants’ quarters with the main house at this premier Bath-based tourist attraction.

Over in Bristol, another ‘Highly Commended’ award – this time for the ss Great Britain Trust competing in the Educational Initiatives category with The Future Brunels Programme.

The winner there was National Museums, Liverpool with House of Memories – Northern Model.

Overall winner on the night was the Victoria and Albert Museum in London

Meanwhile tomorrow in Bath No1 opens its first real ‘blockbuster’ exhibition in the Brownsword Gallery, which will run until the end of the year. It is called Portrait of a Lady? Ruin and Reputation in the Georgian era.

It stars 200 mezzotint portraits of Georgian ladies – from duchesses to whores – and tells the story of how ladies could ‘rise or fall’ by their liaisons in the opinions of 18th century society. Both fascinating and risqué, it has been curated by famous 18th century historian, author and broadcaster Hallie Rubenhold.

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