Presentations about the 1st Duke of Wellington and Stratfield Saye

If you have been referred here from the Wellington Estate website welcome.

The Duke as the Pillar of State by Count D’Orsay. National Portrait Gallery

This is the place to enquire about presentations concerning the 1st Duke of Wellington’s life and service to his Sovereign and his country and also about his country home at Stratfield Saye.

We suggest starting with The Duke of Wellington. A Life of Service followed by the virtual Tour of the house.  Given by two experienced house guides they each take around 60 minutes, including questions.

Comprehensively illustrated the presentations are particularly helpful if you are planning to take your group around Stratfield Saye. They also work well independently.

The Duke of Wellington, A Life of Service

During this presentation you will hear about the service which he gave to his Sovereign and his country.  It captures the Duke of Wellington’s life from his birth in 1769 to his state funeral in 1852. We recount his many military campaigns in India, the Peninsula War and of course at Waterloo. After what the Duke hoped “would be my last battle” we will follow his political life, his varied appointments and his role as an elder statesman.

We will be in the crowds of some 1 ½ million people who followed his funeral procession from Horse Guards to St Paul’s Cathedral and then join the congregation of 12,500 who had to wait for hours in the cold for his coffin to be manoeuvred from his funeral carriage into the Cathedral. Finally, we will hear Queen Victoria’s reflections on the Great Duke in her Journal.

The Duke of Wellington’s Country House Stratfield Saye.

This virtual tour of the house covers the history of the house and its development. It includes many pictures, memorabilia and artefacts linked to the Duke.

Considerable work has been undertaken by the current and previous Dukes to bring back the house to what it was in the days of the Great Duke. You will  undoubtedly feel his presence throughout the house.

How to arrange a presentation for your group

They will be delivered by house guides Brig Michael Aris CBE DL and Richard Bennett DL. They may be given by ZOOM or as physical events (providing you are not too far away from Reading).

The guides seek a modest fee  which depends on the size of the group, subject to a minimum of £60.  They allocate the fees to different charities each year.

To find out more please contact:  Richard Bennett  email: Bennettbaker@msn.com