Talks
Michael DaleyHolkham Hall
Itinerary:
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The history of Holkham Hall and its inhabitants from Thomas Coke, the builder of the house, to the present generation.
Holkham Hall
The main subject of the talk is the history of Holkham Hall and its inhabitants from the builder of the house Thomas Coke (pronounced Cook) to the present generation. Holkham is one of England`s finest Palladian houses with an outstanding art collection. Designed by William Kent and built between 1734 and 1764. It is the perfect English house from the Golden Age of the Grand Tour, surviving intact in its original setting and with the founding family still in custodianship. The talk also covers the founder of the family fortune Sir Edward Coke who was Elizabeth I Attorney General and prosecutor of Walter Raleigh and the Gunpowder plotters.
Part of the talk covers how the house is managed in the 21St century and it`s place in the Holkham Estate.
About the speaker:
Michael Daley is the Administrator at Holkham Hall. He functions in effect as the manager of the house. Responsible not only for safety and security of the house, its chattels and inhabitants, he also controls public access and undertakes specialist Private Guided Tours throughout the year. Michael had served in the Royal Air Force since 1962 leaving in July 1993 having been awarded the MBE in the Summer Honours list. He began work at Holkham in the same month acting as the fire and security officer. He was looking for a job with less responsibility but failed completely that respect. Michael was responsible for designing and writing a disaster and salvage plan for the house and for a full review of security and electrical services. He took over as Administrator in July 1997. Michael has lectured to a large number of groups over the years ranging from Womens Institute to local Historical Societies, through Art clubs and on one occasion the local conservative party.