Margaret Anderson, The Hon. Mrs Ronald Greville DBE (1863-1942) by Emile-Auguste Carolus-Duran (Lille 1838 – Paris 1917) Portrait of The Hon. Mrs Ronald Greville East front of Polesden Lacey, Surrey by Emile-Auguste Carolus-Duran ©National Trust Images/James Dobson

Margaret Greville (1863-1942) was a wealthy heiress and a member of the aristocracy through her marriage to the Hon. Ronald Greville, the heir of an old political dynasty. Following her marriage, Margaret entered the glamorous social set that surrounded the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, who commented on her ‘positive genius for hospitality.’ Margaret’s money and position was a powerful combination in Edwardian Britain, and while she was a successful hostess, Margaret was also a significant collector. Polesden Lacey in Surrey now houses the extraordinary collection Margaret created for both her London townhouse and her country estate. At both residences she worked with the interior decorators Mèwes and Davis and White, Allom & Company to create lavish interiors for the display of her collection. Margaret’s objets d’art collection included carvings by Cartier and Fabergé and provided a dazzling display for her guests and visitors. Once Margaret came into her inheritance in 1913, she complemented her father’s collection of Dutch 17th century paintings with the addition of Italian Medieval and Renaissance religious works and European and British portraits. In 1942, Margaret Greville bequeathed Polesden Lacey to the National Trust ‘for the largest number of people to have enjoyment thereof,’ anticipating that her collections would be combined ‘to form a Picture and Art Gallery’. The life-size portrait of

Front of Polesden Lacey, Surrey

Lady Greville, by society portraitist Emile-August Carolus-Duran (1838- 1917), was recently returned to Polesden Lacey in 2024 following conservation at The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio at Knole. Dr Alice Strickland, a curator for the NT in London and the South East, will speak about Lady Greville and her life at Polesden Lacey while Anna Vesaluoma, a Paintings Conservator for the NT, will delve into the meticulous conservation of this painting and the incredible results. Now re-displayed at Poleden Lacey in its rightful place on the loggia staircase, the portrait remains a record and symbol of Greville’s incredible legacy.

Anna Vesalouma

Anna Vesalouma is a Paintings Conservator for the National Trust, based at the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio on the property of Knole House, Kent. During her time at the ROF Conservation Studio, Anna has treated a wide range of paintings from across National Trust properties, including works by Carolus-Duran, John Singer Sargent, George Romney and Melchior D’Hondecoeter. Before joining the Trust, Anna worked two years as a painting conservation fellow at the Yale University Art Gallery, in New Haven, Connecticut, where she focused on the conservation of American paintings. She holds a postgraduate degree in the Conservation of Easel Paintings from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, and a BA (Hons) in Painting from the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Alice Strickland

Dr. Alice Strickland is a curator for the National Trust in London and the South East. Her doctorate considered British women artists of the Second World War and she was awarded a Paul Mellon research grant for a publication on women artists of the First World War. Her publications include contributions to Laura Knight a Celebration (Penlee exhibition catalogue, 2021) and Learning from the Masters (Ashgate, 2013). Her book Laura Knight 2019) forms part of a series on Modern Women Artists published by Eiderdown Books.

Tickets: $15 members*; $25 non-members

*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account