The Bantry Standard- History and Conservation

Egerton Shelswell-White holds the Standard in the main hall, with a portrait of the 1st Earl of Bantry, Richard White, in the background.

Richard White, 1st Earl of Bantry, was responsible for defending Bantry Bay against Wolfe Tone and the French invasion fleet.

In 1796, when Richard White was alerted by rumours of a possible invasion, he raised a militia, many of whom were his tenants and employees. The militia was called the Bantry cavalry.

Every such militia would have rallied around a Standard. The Standard had a heron on one side (the White family crest) and a crown on the other, which reflected allegiance to the King of England.

In 2011 we commissioned May Berkouwer, textile conservationist, to restore the Standard. In February 2012, May travelled to Bantry to fit the Standard back on to its original pole in the Entrance Hall of the house where visitors to the house can view it again.

                   

For more information on the May Berkouwer’s brilliant work please go to her website.

Photography Workshops with Ben Russell

This March, Ben Russell will be holding three workshops at Bantry House and they will be a mix of presentations and tuition along with practical sessions. Bringing people out and about in the grounds of Bantry House, the house, gardens, bay and mountains are right at your doorstep and are there for you to get some really great shots.

‘The three levels are for guidance but there’s a good bit of flexibility in each session; I try to answer whatever questions come up and help everybody so they get the most out of the day.’ says Ben Russell who is an illustrative photographer and has had thousands of his images published.

Digital Photography Essentials — Saturday March 10, 10am-4.30pm

This is a get-you-started workshop for people with limited knowledge or confidence. Essential info about cards and batteries, camera handling and framing up good shots. Nothing too complicated unless you ask Ben specifically and he would be only too happy to help. This course helps you master the basic basics.

Superb Photography — Bank Holiday Monday March 19, 10am-4.30pm

This is more of a fill-in-the-gaps workshop, to help you get those superb shots that you think you should be able to get, but don’t always manage. If you have some familiarity with your camera (whatever type) and want to move up a level, this is probably for you. Ben will cover composition, and look at the settings that help you get the best from your camera, together with a bit of computer editing. It can be as technical as you want it to be!

DSLR User’s Photography — Saturday March 24th, 10am-4.30pm

This is for those of you with exchangeable lens cameras — SLRs or the new mirror-less SLRs (eg Lumix G, Olympus PEN, Nikon V-1) — with a bit of photography experience. If you are fairly new to digital photography and have only recently got an SLR, you might think about coming on the Digital Essentials workshop first (come on both for €135). Ben will be covering the basics of good exposure and colour balance, as well as composition and camera handling, along with de-mystifying all of those buttons!

The workshops cost €85 (€80 if you pre-pay) or €75 each for pre-paid groups of two or more. This includes entrance to Bantry House gardens; and tea, coffee and snacks. The class will be stopping for lunch at the nearby Maritime Hotel but, of course, you are welcome to bring your own if you prefer.

Why not find out more about Ben Russell and his workshops on the Hands-On Website or call him on 027-66133

Country House Rescue Film Craft Fair at Bantry House

Thanks to everyone who made it to the Craft Fair last Wednesday. It may have rained a lot but it was a lovely day and the place looked amazing for the filming of Channel 4′s Country House Rescue.

West Cork Fuchsia Craft Group set up in the Stables at Bantry House; the perfect place for the local craftspeople to sell and showcase their creations, while the crew from Country House Rescue interviewed people who were both working at the fair and taking it all in. So for all of you who made it on the day and didn’t mind being filmed, expect to see yourself gracing our screens later on this year.

For anyone who didn’t make the fair, however, we’ve just posted an album of photo’s over on our Facebook page, so why not take a look?

And don’t forget to stop by our blog or Facebook page, from time to time, to see more updates and news on events being held at the house.

We hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Filming of Spring Craft Fair at Bantry House

                           

Hi everyone! We hope you all had a nice weekend.

A couple of exciting things have been taking place lately and we’re only too  happy to start announcing and telling you all about them.

On February 8th, The West Cork Fuchsia Crafts Group will be holding their Spring Craft Fair in the east stables at Bantry House and it’s certainly not one to be missed.

With a vast selection of fine ceramic art, delicate glass work and beautiful jewellery along with more traditional crafts like basketry, lace and leatherwork, the Craft Fair at Bantry House showcases the abundance of local natural materials and talent that’s present in west Cork today.

What’s more is that we are so excited and delighted to officially announce that the Channel 4 show, Country House Rescue, have been filming their first ever Irish property.

So if you haven’t guessed already, Bantry House is the very first Irish star of the new series, produced by betty.co.uk, and they’ll be filming the Spring Craft Fair on the day!

The fair will be held from 11am-4pm on Wednesday the 8th of February and parking is available at the main entrance to the house. Presenter, Simon Davis and his Country House Rescue crew will be there to talk to attendees and film the event.

So for anyone looking for unique and special gifts, be they for Valentines Day or any other occasion, along with the added option of appearing on the show- the Craft Fair at Bantry House is the place to be!

Position Available at Bantry House

Happy New Year to all! Thought we’d get 2012 off to a kick start by advertising a position that’s vacant at the house this year!

Bantry House is a stately home in Co.Cork, Ireland owned and managed by the Shelswell-White family.  The house and garden is open from April to October for visits.  There is also B&B accommodation in the house and a tearoom.  Bantry House also hosts weddings and events such as the West Cork Chamber Music Festival.

We are looking for a cook who is enthusiastic, talented and hard working to manage our tearoom kitchen at Bantry House.  This is a fulltime contract position from April to October 2012.  The role will involve producing high quality café style food in the tearoom using local produce as much as possible.  It will also involve some catering for events held on the estate and being responsible for all catering purchases.

For a copy of the position description including selection criteria, please email Sophie Shelswell-White, the general manager, sophie@bantryhouse.com.  All applicants must apply in writing addressing the selection criteria, and giving examples of experience.

Season Wrap Up and Events for 2012

Hi Everyone,

As some of you may know, Bantry House is now closed for the winter months and we reopen again in April 2012. We’d like to thank you all for your support during times that we know have been hard for everyone. However, let’s welcome 2012 with a breath of fresh air, full of positivity and hope for a successful year ahead!

Now, I know we haven’t even reached Christmas yet, but we’re still looking forward to some super events taking place over the summer of 2012. There will be more to be announced, so don’t forget to find Bantry House on Facebook and Twitter too!

But for the time being here are just a few.

Chapter House Theatre is back on June 28th with a performance of ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’ on the front lawn of the House.  Tickets cost €15 for adults, €10 concessions and €45 for a family of four (two adults, two children) The show starts at 7pm. Following the success of previous years, let’s just hope the weather is warm and we get a great summer evening for it.

The 29th June- 7th July sees the return of the fantastic West Cork Chamber Music Festival. Check out West Cork Music for information and to buy tickets for shows held at Bantry House! Also West Cork Music make their return in August with the annual Masters of Tradition Festival which sees all the top names in traditional music performing. Held from 15th-19th August, the Festival is never one to be missed. Again see West Cork Music for more details.

The Dolan’s Art Auction will take place in the stables of Bantry House from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th August with viewings on the Friday and Saturday followed by an auction for Sunday afternoon. More details will be announced in the new year. But for other information why not go to the Dolan’s Art website

We’ll be back in the social world in January with a great B&B offer for anyone who’s interested in a short break during April.

Again, from all of us at Bantry House, we’d like to say thank you and wish you a Merry Christmas and the happiest New Year.

The Bantry House Team

And the winners are…

First and foremost, a huge thank you to everyone who entered our competition and showed their support.

The winners of our gift bags are Deirdre Foley and Karen Brophy Lewis. Congratulations to you both. Please e-mail annashels1@gmail.com with your addresses and we’ll post your prizes to you as soon as possible!

As we’re coming to the end of the season, this month we have a special offer for everyone who uses social media to connect with Bantry House. An overnight stay in the house, including breakfast and a tour is now €75 per person sharing. All you have to do is quote ‘social promo’ when booking. Offer valid until 31st October. Go to our website for more details!

And for anyone who can’t plan a quick get away over the next week or so, we hope to see you in the new year when we reopen. Keep an eye on our Facebook page to see what’s coming up!

Thanks again,

From all of us at Bantry House