London's smaller galleries: Apsley House
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- Course Code: VB624
- Dates: 11/06/25 - 11/06/25
- Time: 14:00 - 16:00
- Taught: Wed, Daytime
- Duration: 1 session
- Location: Off Site
- Tutor: Julie Barlow
Course Code: VB624
Choose a start date
Duration: 1 session
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
Apsley House was the home of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington and hero of Waterloo. The collection of paintings acquired by the Iron Duke are not only of outstanding quality but are displayed in the rooms in which they were hung by him. In 1947, the paintings and house were gifted to the nation by Gerald Wellesley, 7th Duke of Wellington. The collection contains many works formerly in the Spanish Royal Collection. These were officially given to Wellington by King Ferdinand VII of Spain in 1816 and include the portrait of 'Pope Innocent X' by Diego Velázquez. The collection is also rich in Dutch and Flemish Old Master works including 'The Physician’s Visit' by Jan Steen, and David Teniers II’s 'A Village Festival on St George’s Day'.
What will we cover?
• A tour of Apsley House
• An introduction to art collection of the Duke of Wellington
• An overview of the art world at the time the collection was established.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Discuss the design and display of the collection
• Explain the origins of the collection
• Identify at least 3 significant artworks from this collection.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for all levels.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
This is an interactive course, with a mixture of tutor-led learning and group discussion, with individual exploration very much encouraged.
Museum/gallery-based courses take place during public access hours. Tutors are not able to control sound levels or behaviours of visitors outside of the course group. Unless you are a wheelchair user, and have confirmed access details with us (as levels of access can vary between galleries), you will need to be able to walk between exhibits and stand for some time while looking at them (you may bring your own portable stool if you have one, but we cannot guarantee access to any gallery stools.) If you feel you may be impacted by these environmental variations, please inform the department on humanities@citylit.ac.uk before the course begins, to discuss reasonable accommodations we can make to assist your learning in the museum space.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
The course fee does not include the museum fee. You will be prompted to purchase your museum ticket within a week of the course start date. Museum admittance will not exceed £15.
You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes. You might wish to buy some of the books on any reading list provided.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
London's smaller art collections
London's smaller galleries: Leighton House.
Julie Barlow has a degree in Art History/History from the University of Hull and an MPhil (Fine Arts) from the University of Birmingham. She has worked in a variety of roles at Leighton House, V&A and Tate Gallery before studying for a PGCE and moving into Museum Education. Julie has over twenty years of experience as a freelance lecturer at the National Portrait Gallery working on all areas of the Education Programme and also for the first ten years at the National Gallery and in the last decade at the Wallace Collection.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.