MAD about Waddesdon

The MAD about Waddesdon festival got off in fine style with a great outdoor concert by Jools Holland on last Friday, 28^th June. The ever reliable Jools performed with His Rhythm and Blue Orchestra, featuring Gilson Lavis, Guest Vocalists Ruby Turner & Louise Marshall, alongside Special Guest Roland Gift, the voice of the Fine Young Cannibals. It was a fun evening, especially as the threatening Midsummer rains held off on the front lawn of this magnificent Rothschild mansion whose warm sandstone glowed beautifully as a backdrop to the stage as the sun went down and floodlights came on.

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/waddesdon-in-summer.html

The concert is used to finance the MAD about Waddesdon festival aimed at young people which is held over the rest of the weekend at this wondrous National Trust property!  The MAD stands for two days of Music, Arts, Dance and Drama with over 2500 youngsters from local schools and community groups in Buckinghamshire.  Plus workshops, performances and much much more.

Travel about six miles out of Aylesbury on the A41 and on a hilltop on the left a strange mirage comes into view, a huge 16th Century French Renaissance-style château with flags flying magically on a hilltop to the left. As you come into the picturesque village of Waddesdon some clues to the ownership of this apparition become apparent. The local hotel is called the “Five Arrows” and it and many of the buildings in the village sport a “5 Arrows”, the coat of arms of

Jools Holland

the fabled Rothschild family. The Rothschild banking dynasty was immensely powerful in 19th century Europe. From roots in the Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt, Mayer Amschel's five sons set up a banking network in the then five major financial centres of Europe - London, Frankfurt, Paris, Naples and Vienna. The Five Arrows, as they became known, created vast wealth and established themselves at the very peak of European society. There is a further clue in the colour of the woodwork on most of the buildings which are painted in a dull dark red. The name “Rothschild” means “red shield” for this was the form and colour of the street signs in the Jewish Ghetto in Frankfurt, elsewhere the street signs were blue shields. So this colour, now known as Rothschild Red, is not a design statement but a reminder of their origins in the ghetto and that being Jewish, they were not considered “blue bloods.”

Waddesdon Manor was built (1874-89) by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to entertain his guests and display his vast collection of 18th-century French decorative arts. The furniture, Savonnerie carpets and Sèvres porcelain rank in importance with those in the Louvre in Paris and the Royal and Wallace Collections in London. There is also a fine collection of portraits by Gainsborough and Reynolds, and works by Dutch and Flemish Masters of the 17th century.

Louise Marshall

Rico Rodriguez, the man from Jamaica who introduced SKA to Britain

Roland Gift, the voice of the Fine Young Cannibals 

Ruby Turner

Already living in Buckinghamshire, close to several members of his family, Ferdinand bought 3000 acres of land from the Duke of Marlborough in 1874 with the intention of erecting a property to house his growing collection of art treasures. Never intended as a home, Waddesdon Manor was designed as a pleasurable showpiece where specially invited guests could share in Ferdinand's passion for 18th century French art.

The massive building project took 15 years to complete, but the results were breathtaking both externally and internally. Designed by a French architect, Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur, the 19th century brick and stone cladding was used to create a stunning Renaissance style chateau, imaginatively fitted out with authentic French interiors. Wood paneling, screens and fireplaces are just some of the 'second-hand' materials, salvaged from French palaces and old Parisian houses being demolished, that were used to create the beautiful rooms at Waddesdon Manor.

http://daithaic.blogspot.co.uk/2007/11/waddesdon-manor-buckinghamshire.html

The patronage of the arts by the Rothschild’s continues with Jacob (Lord) Rothschild being an important patron heading up many organisations, restoring Spencer House in London and commissioning works of art himself.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2011/04/london-in-spring.html

So each year at Waddesdon there is always a new reason to visit as under his patronage something fresh delights in the House and grounds. So if you can’t get to MAD at Waddesdon this weekend head to Waddesdon this summer for its many delights, its superb contents, its wonderful setting and gardens, its excellent restaurants and retro ice cream van but also for its fresh twist on art and architecture.

Parterre

But for the Friday with picnics and champagne on the lawn giving way to exuberant bopping such worthy thoughts seemed far away as Jools & Co. delivered an evening of fine showmanship and music worthy of the exalted surroundings.

For details, events, directions and opening times here is Waddesdon’s website;

http://www.waddesdon.org.uk

The MAD about Waddesdon Festival also has its own page on Facebook;

https://www.facebook.com/MADaboutWaddesdon?ref=hl