About Peckover House

Peckover House is a secret gem, an oasis hidden away in an urban environment. A classic Georgian merchant's town house, it was lived in by the Peckover banking family for 150 years.

The Peckovers were staunch Quakers, which meant they had a very simple lifestyle - yet at the same time they ran a successful private bank. Both facets of their life can be seen as you wander through the house and gardens.

The gardens themselves are outstanding - two acres of sensory delight, complete with orangery, summer-houses, croquet lawn and rose garden with more than 60 species of rose.

Trust New Art project at Peckover

We’re delighted that we have received a grant from the Arts Council England for our project - Transitions in Time.

Transitions in Time

In 1948, the contents of the house were sold at auction. It signified the end of one era and the beginning of another. This project looks at the common ground between two families the Peckover’s and Penrose’s and their artistic and non-conformist lives and legacies.

The Peckover family

It was Alexandrina Peckover, with the help of her nephews who secured Bank House (as it was known) and its 50 acre estate for the nation in March 1944.

It came to the National Trust in 1948. After Alexandrina’s death, the National Trust changed the name of the property to Peckover House, in honour of the family that had lived there for just over 150 years.

The crowds at her funeral at the Quaker Meeting House were testament to her and her family's reputation and their contribution to Wisbech. A contemporary newspaper article described the ceremony as having all 'the simplicity associated with Quaker custom. There were no hymns and no music. Apart from brief tributes…it was a service of silent tribute to one who had passed on'.

The end of an era

Six months later, under the instruction of her nephews, most of the contents of Bank House were sold during a two day sale in a marquee on the lawn.

The sale of over 1,000 items marked the end of this family’s era and drew enormous interest from all over the country. Locals came to get a souvenir, whilst antique dealers and collectors purchased the finest lots.

A fascinating art collection

The Peckover archives hold a fascinating collection of art – from amateur Victorian to professional modern. There are sketch books and watercolours produced during the mid 19th to early 20th century by the family – Alexandrina, Elizabeth Josephine, Anna Jane and Algernon Peckover.

For their social status this was not unusual, but for so many sketches and watercolours to have survived is. Each artist had a style of their own, which evolved, particularly in the case of Alexandrina.

Most of the watercolours show scenes from their travels throughout Europe as well as Scotland and the Lake District, offering a wonderful glimpse into an often changed landscape.

The Penrose family

Through the marriage of Elizabeth Josephine Peckover to James Doyle Penrose, another artistic connection came into the family - he was a skilful painter of portraits, historical and religious subjects and exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy from the 1890s until 1927.

Their son was Sir Roland Penrose, the modern artist and advocate of Surrealist art, whose writing and exhibitions were hugely influential, introducing British artists and public to the new ideas of abstraction and surrealism from Europe.

The world of surrealism

His father’s strict Quaker beliefs and commitment to traditional subject matter gave Roland Penrose cause to rebel against these conventions and he befriended modern artists such as Miro, Braque, Picasso, Man Ray, and Max Ernst.

He became a prominent art historian, biographer and established the influential Elephant Trust to financially support and encourage experimental artists and writers in their artistic endeavours.

The project

This is a fantastic opportunity to rethink and readdress how we display the rooms in the house and the stories we tell of the family and the history of the house - we hope you will come and see the project in 2018.

Taking inspiration from two families

From the travel holiday watercolours through to the advocacy of the Surrealist movement, from Quakerism to revolutionary, the legacy of the Peckover and Penrose families is remarkable and still visible today.

Both branches of the family, although different in their approach to artist work and the way their lives were led, were non-conformists, and passionate in their cause – left us these stories.

Today’s artists

We have chosen to work with Cambridge based artists Sarah Evans and David Kefford, who are known as Aid and Abet - read their blog on the project here: http://www.aidandabet.co.uk/project/trust-new-art-commission

Sarah and David have worked in Wisbech before on an Arts Council funded community project called The Frontier Zone. We were taken with their work and liked their community approach - something close to the Peckover’s Quaker faith.

They’ll be working with staff, volunteers and community groups in Wisbech throughout 2017, ready to unveil their art installations in February 2018.

The artists will also be on-site for Heritage Open Day on Saturday 9 September 2017, to talk to visitors and the local community about the project.

The project is supported by the Arts Council England and Trust New Art.