Elena

Profile

After completing my BA in Art History with Museum and Gallery Studies, I continued with my MA in Arts Management and Heritage Studies. Throughout those years of study, I became passionate with the English Country House, and in particular with the Yorkshire one. I strongly believe that country houses provide the ideal platform for the examination of social, economic as well as architectural/artistic changes that have been occurring throughout the past centuries in the country.

Yorkshire’s rich country house history has inspired me to proceed with this research, in which I will be focusing on Wentworth Woodhouse, a country house of exceptional beauty and unique history, that has been struggling to find its identity amongst contemporary country house tourism. Situated in South Yorkshire, Wentworth Woodhouse was once the epicentre of the local community. Today, the aim of Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust is to transform it into an inclusive, innovative and economically viable heritage space. For the next three years, I am planning on working closely with Wentworth Woodhouse and the local community, in order to create a strategic, ambitious and inclusive interpretation and audience engagment plan.

Research interests

• country house history
• country house tourism
• audience engagmement and interpretation within heritage
• cultural inclusivity
• Eighteenth Century architecture
• dark tourism
• ruinology 

Qualifications

• MA Arts Management and Heritage Studies, University of Leeds
• BA History of Art with Museum and Art Gallery Studies, University of Leeds