A Royal Tudor Bed and A Northern Rogue ….. that excellent exhibition moves to Chetham's Library ….. alongside a series of lectures

Anyone who has visited the Cathedral during July into the start of August will have encountered the exhibition on A Royal Tudor Bed and A Northern Rogue.

That Tudor Bed, 2024

And some like me will have been present at the opening talk and discussion by Ian Coulson and Dr Peter Lindfield.

The exhibition will move on from the Cathedral to Chetham's Library on Monday August 12th till September 11th. Dr Lindfield tells me that access to the exhibition will be free  using  the library’s bookable tours, https://lnkd.in/ewqqYQyn".

Ian Coulson, 2024

And during its time at Chetham's there will be a series of talks.

THE FIRST TUDOR BED: DISCOVERY AND COMPARISON

WITH IAN COULSON

THURSDAY 22 AUGUST 2024, 5:30PM

BARONIAL HALL

https://lnkd.in/eCRSZhrV

THE DUKE, THE FORGER, AND THE MYSTERY BLUE

WITH HELEN HUGHES

WEDNESDAY 28 AUGUST 2024, 5:30PM

BARONIAL HALL

https://lnkd.in/eNjintST

Dr Peter Lindfield, 2024

MAKER AND FAKER OF ‘ANCIENT TUDOR RELICS’: GEORGE SHAW OF UPPERMILL

WITH DR PETER N. LINDFIELD

WEDNESDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2024, 5:30PM

BARONIAL HALL

https://lnkd.in/eQtykv2X

 EXHIBITION CLOSING: HENRY VII’S AND ELIZABETH OF YORK’S MARRIAGE BED AND MANCHESTER

WITH IAN COULSON & DR PETER N. LINDFIELD

WEDNESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2024, 5:30PM

BARONIAL HALL

https://lnkd.in/eSrnsdHu

So there you are.

Location; Chetham's Library

Pictures; from the opening day of the exhibition at the Cathedral, 2024 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Two beds ….. one Cathedral ..... and tales of high politics and deep deception

I knew I was going to enjoy the exhibition …. A Royal Tudor Bed and a Northern Rogue which opened yesterday in Manchester Cathedral and runs through into August.*

Ian Coulson  and the Royal Tudor Bed, 2024

It is the story of the wedding bed of Henry V11 and Elizabeth of York made in 1485 after the battle of Bosworth.

The bed is a masterpiece in rich ornamental decoration which delivers a mix of messages related to the change of power, the promise of peace and stability after a fractious period of conflict and all wrapped up with plenty of symbols of fertility to reinforce the political statement that the couple would have children to cement the the Tudor Dynasty.

And it is the bed that was gifted to Sir Nicholas Mosley, he of Hough End Hall here in Chorlton which remained in the family’s possession for centuries, and even in the 1930s nearly made it  back to south Manchester.

Dr Peter Lindfield, 2024

But the exhibition is also about George Shaw of Uppermill, the Northern Rogue of the title who made Tudor replica beds to order, but missed out the vital bit that they were replicas.

The 1485 bed, 2024

His story is equally fascinating, and Dr Peter Lindfield and Ian Coulson took an invited audience through the history of both the Tudor royal bed and Mr. Shaw’s less that accurate copies.

On hand was the original 1485/6 bed with a Shaw recreation.

The talk was informative, lively and the interaction between the two speakers underlined both their deep knowledge and interest in the story.

So that is it.

The exhibition remains in the Cathedral till August 11th and then Chetham’s until August 15th.

Added to which there is an excellent set of notes to accompany the two beds and that “Northern Rogue”

One of Mr. Shaw's copy beds the Henricus VII Rex bed, c.1842

Leaving me just that personal note that despite the signs “Please do not touch”, Ian Coulson gave me permission to run my hand over the carving of his Tudor bed, and not for the first time I reflected on the power of touch to deliver the excitement of a bit of history. 

Location; Manchester Cathedral

Pictures, from the exhibition …. A Royal Tudor Bed and a Northern Rogue, 2024, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*A Royal Tudor Bed and a Northern Rogue ……. the exhibition at the Cathedral ….. starting today, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2024/07/a-royal-tudor-bed-and-northern-rogue.html

A Royal Tudor bed and a Northern Rogue ……. the exhibition at the Cathedral ….. starting today

This is an event I am looking forward to.

It’s the story of George Shaw who Peter Lindfield writes “was the West Yorkshire architect-antiquary-forger, who created Tudor-revival homes in Victorian Britain and whose sizeable workforce churned out numerous pieces of fake Tudor furniture sold to Northern aristocrats as genuine family possessions”.

His co-curated exhibition is “at Manchester Cathedral from July 2nd will shine a spotlight on Shaw's ingenuity and highlight his broad, challenging output”. 

It is on until August 11th before transferring to Chetham’s until August 15th.

And along with pictures and information panels the exhibition includes  a selection of the original beds. 

One is by Mr. George Shaw, that delightful if less than entirely honest "Northern Rogue", the other is the Tudor original that served as the template for his deceptions. 

Leaving me just to conclude “For the first time, the work of George Shaw, a Tudor Revival architect from Uppermill, is reunited with his inspiration in a building that he Tudorised around 1848”. 

Location; Manchester Cathedral till August 11th and then Chetham’s until August 15th