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The Bearsted Collection at Upton House and Gardens
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The vast fortune that Walter Samuel amassed allowed him to indulge in perhaps his greatest passion: collecting art.
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By the mid 1930s, Lord Bearsted had assembled one of the most important private art collections in the country, with further celebrated collections of tapestries and porcelain.
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Amongst the outstanding collection of English and Old Master paintings presented over three floors are works by Hogarth, Raeburn, Stubbs, El Greco, Bosch, Metsu, Canaletto and Breugel, whilst the porcelain collection includes fine examples of Sèvres, Worcester tableware and figures by Bow, Chelsea and Derby. Visitors can also enjoy a remarkable exhibition of 1920s and 30s advertising posters, from a time when Shell commissioned some of the leading contemporary artists of the day to create stunning promotional artwork
The charm and priviledge of this world class art collection is that one can enjoy it in an intimate environment, without sharing your view of a picture with a hundred others, or having to squint from behind a barrier
There are a variety of leaflets and guidebooks to help you find out more about the collection during your visit, whilst regular free tours and approachable room stewards can add that human touch to the story
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