Tour: ‘Taste, Design, & the Georgian Gentleman’

Wednesdays & Saturdays 3-4pm until 1 November: While a house-wide exhibition explores The Vyne’s Georgian design history, this hour-long biweekly tour takes a deeper dive into the life and legacy of style connoisseur John Chute.

𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 £𝟓 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬. Normal admission applies.

Uncover a public scandal and juicy gossip as you delve further into John’s relationships with his family and friends. As well as shedding light on John’s decadent character and love of grandeur, this volunteer-led tour will expand on his architectural changes to the house.

Navigating past highs and lows, you’ll discover how the often sad stories behind some of the subjects in The Vyne’s paintings sit in direct contrast with the fun John had experimenting with designs for his own and his friends’ houses.

Ground-floor tour highlights include the Neo-classical portico, the Pietra Dura (an 18th-century ebony Italian casket lavishly encrusted with semi-precious stones) and the Georgian-era embellishment of the pre-Reformation Chapel.

First-floor tour highlights include the Tudor Oak Gallery with its rare-surviving 16th-century panelling, 18th-century chinoiserie tapestries that depict a western take on an imagined Far East and a massive carved oak fireplace.

Accessibility: Parts of this tour explore the first floor of this Grade I listed building and there is no lift. Please let your tour guide know if you need to use stairs with a handrail.