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A queer inheritance : alternative histories in the National Trust / Michael Hall.

By: Publication details: London : Bloomsbury Caravel, 2026.Description: 426 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmISBN:
  • 9781781301142
Subject(s):
Contents:
Origins City of night ; Octavia Hill ; The simple life
Places Kingston Lacy ; Clumber ; Piney Copse ; Knole ; Sissinghurst ; Smallhythe ; Lamb House ; Clouds Hill ; Plas Newydd
Coteries James Lees-Milne and the bachelor aesthetes ; The lilies and the hob-nailed boots
Summary: LGBTQ+ histories and identities come out of the National Trust's properties in these touching, poignant and revealing stories. National Trust houses and landscapes might seem to embody conventional family values, but for generations some very different stories were hidden away. These belong to owners now considered queer for defying the norms of sexual orientation or gender identity – sometimes blatantly, occasionally as open secrets, but most often very discreetly. Michael Hall explores not only the best-known examples of sexual difference, such as Lawrence of Arabia at Clouds Hill, Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst and the 'Dancing Marquess' at Plas Newydd; he also covers more recently unveiled stories, such as the lesbian community at Smallhythe and the homosexual scandals associated with Clumber. Then there were the quietly confirmed bachelors, keen to pass their properties and collections to the Trust for posterity... These stories are set against the queer history of the National Trust itself, such as its foundation in 1895 against the backdrop of Oscar Wilde's trials; hidden queer influences within the Trust in its early days; and the role of homophobia in its reorganisation in the 1960s; and the evolution to inclusivity and understanding in the twenty-first century.
List(s) this item appears in: LGBTQ+ History Month 2026
Holdings
Cover image Item type Current library Home library Collection Shelving location Call number Materials specified Vol info URL Copy number Status Notes Date due Barcode Item holds Item hold queue priority Course reserves
Book CGLAS Library Purple 720.941 HAL (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Checked out 18/03/2026 13492

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Origins City of night ; Octavia Hill ; The simple life

Places Kingston Lacy ; Clumber ; Piney Copse ; Knole ; Sissinghurst ; Smallhythe ; Lamb House ; Clouds Hill ; Plas Newydd

Coteries James Lees-Milne and the bachelor aesthetes ; The lilies and the hob-nailed boots

LGBTQ+ histories and identities come out of the National Trust's properties in these touching, poignant and revealing stories. National Trust houses and landscapes might seem to embody conventional family values, but for generations some very different stories were hidden away. These belong to owners now considered queer for defying the norms of sexual orientation or gender identity – sometimes blatantly, occasionally as open secrets, but most often very discreetly. Michael Hall explores not only the best-known examples of sexual difference, such as Lawrence of Arabia at Clouds Hill, Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst and the 'Dancing Marquess' at Plas Newydd; he also covers more recently unveiled stories, such as the lesbian community at Smallhythe and the homosexual scandals associated with Clumber. Then there were the quietly confirmed bachelors, keen to pass their properties and collections to the Trust for posterity... These stories are set against the queer history of the National Trust itself, such as its foundation in 1895 against the backdrop of Oscar Wilde's trials; hidden queer influences within the Trust in its early days; and the role of homophobia in its reorganisation in the 1960s; and the evolution to inclusivity and understanding in the twenty-first century.