Join Curator Emma Yandle for the premier tour of our brand new exhibition, Mary Robinson: Actress. Mistress. Writer. Radical. This is the first exhibition dedicated to the scandalous life and literary genius of Mary Robinson.

A star of the London stage, she became notorious as a Royal mistress. From treading the boards of London’s theatres, to gracing the gossip columns of newspapers, Robinson pioneered celebrity status. She lit up the fashion world, sparking trends with her choice of outfit or carriage, and she went on to light up the literary world with novels, poems and essays. A talented poet, she developed her distinctive poetic style alongside some of the best-known writers of the day, and she honed her political ideas in the radical circle around William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft.

Journey through Robinson's fascinating biography, and enjoy a guided viewing from our Curator of rare and early editions of her writing – from the debut novel that sold out by lunchtime on the day it was published to her impassioned argument for women’s rights – to surviving manuscript material on loan from collections and archives across the UK. See the portraits, engravings and caricatures through which her image was circulated and her reputation both shaped and ruined.

Afterwards, enjoy a traditional cream tea of freshly-baked sweet scones, clotted cream and jam, with Breakfast tea or filter coffee.

Tickets: £18 (this includes entry to the House and Gardens) | £8 for Annual Ticket & Neighbour Pass Holders | Cream Tea add-on for £6.