Lady Carnarvon’s Castle Conversations
Why not join me to enjoy a plethora of fascinating topics and guests from the world of Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey?
Whether you love movies or care about the planet; wish to discover the best gardening or cooking tips; hear about innovation, music or the history of flight. I hope you will thoroughly enjoy the library we have created.
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Wednesday, 1 April, 2026
The story behind the scenes: Lady Carnarvon and Emily Howes talk about the Painter's Daughters
LADY CARNARVON'S PODCAST
I’m delighted to welcome the novelist Emily Howes to the Castle to talk about her book ‘The Painter’s Daughters’, inspired by Gainsborough’s portraits of his two girls and the striking shift from their lively childhood images to a stiffer, unhappier adulthood.
Emily shares how she researched 18th-century Bath, its muddy, smelly, party-like medical culture, through visits and sources such as James Hamilton’s biography, Letters from Bath, and books on travel, while noting how little survives from the daughters’ own voices.