Fonthill is traditionally associated with the eccentric bisexual writer and collector William Beckford who built his Abbey at the end of the 18^th Century. The collapse of the tower in 1825 transformed the name Fonthill Abbey into a symbol for over-arching ambition and folly, a sublime ruin. Fonthill is, however, much more than the story of one man’s excesses. This talk will give you a tour of all the Fonthills and also look at some of the men who equal and even surpass Beckford in terms of their wealth, their collections, their political power and, in one case, their sexual misdemeanours.

Dr Caroline Dakers, BA,MA, PhD, FSA, FRHistS is Professor Emerita in Cultural History at the University of the Arts London. She has how written and edited 3 books about Fonthill and its owners. She has curated exhibitions at Leighton House Museum in London and written articles for Apollo, the Journal of the Decorative Arts Society, and Architectural History. Her latest book, to be published is called “Artists not Art. The Idea of the artist in popular culture 1850-1950”.