The Writings of Ferdinand de Rothschild

Ferdinand de Rothschild was a politician, philanthropist and art collector, best known as the builder of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire. He was also a writer. He wrote essays about history (particularly French and British), art and literature, and experimented with different types of fiction (including a country-house romance, an ‘Oriental tale’ and a German Novella).   His memoir Reminiscences is the most personal and original of his works. While some of his works were published or privately printed during his lifetime, others exist only in manuscript and this website will also make available miscellaneous pieces from the Archive at Windmill Hill, ranging from thoughts about women’s suffrage, servants and books, to the guest lists for his yacht.

This website – a work in progress – will make all Ferdinand de Rothschild’s writings available to the public and is due for completion in June 2024. This initiative is part of ‘Jewish Country Houses – Objects, Networks, People,’ a 4-year collaborative research project led by the University of Oxford and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council [grant number AH/S006656/1]: https://jch.history.ox.ac.uk/