NEW Eighteenth-Century Idylls: A Study Tour of the ‘Matchless Vale’ of the Thames
Study Tours
Dr Matthew Morgan
Wednesday 16 – Friday 18 September 2026
£495
Tour Description
Over the long eighteenth century, artists, architects, garden designers and connoisseurs created a variety of idyllic environments along the Thames, a short distance upriver from the sprawling, polluted, busy metropolis of London. They were inspired by the beauty of the river landscape, but also by concepts of the classical and medieval past, and by romantic ideals in their construction of alternatives to modern urban living.
During this Study Tour, we will look at the ways in which the Thames from Putney to Twickenham was reimagined as a particularly British Arcadia. We will explore buildings inspired by classical architecture, or Gothic cathedrals, gardens that emulated the paintings of Claude Lorrain, sumptuous interiors, and the paintings, drawings and prints that captured this moment. In so doing, we will delve into key aspects of taste that will help us understand the wider story of British art in the long eighteenth century.
There will be two ‘classroom sessions’ in situ, at Orleans House and possibly at Strawberry Hill,to complement and contextualise what we will discover in our site visits to Chiswick House, Marble Hill, Ham House, Osterley Park, Strawberry Hill House, Sandycombe Lodge, and Richmond Hill, with its beautiful vistas.
Lecturer's Biography
Dr Matthew Morgan is a freelance art historian, educator and museum professional. He was the Museum Director of Turner’s House, and is an Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London. He has been working in the heritage sector for a decade, including at the Royal Collection, the National Gallery, the Wallace Collection and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Prior to that he was a Director in Christie’s Valuation Department. He has contributed to TV documentaries, podcasts, radio shows and has lectured widely across the country and made a series of short films which can be seen on YouTube.