Buying the New Yorker 1986 - page 74

A confluence of phenomena.

First in America. By 1986, the large metropolitan museums had gotten very efficient and the traveling blockbuster exhibit. Starting with the King Tut thing in the seventies and on to the present day, museums have made a good chunk of their livelihood on displays that are either an assload of bling, or marketed as something that you could sell for the cash to buy an assload of bling.

Meanwhile in Europe. In the course of the twentieth century, the forces of economics converged to make it almost impossible to maintain the enormous manor houses that had sprung up over the last couple of centuries. In England the creation of a "National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty" had become the most popular solution for those families that had suddenly become incredibly house-poor. But a few manor houses have remained totally in private hands, and as such need to constantly come up with methods of leveraging their grandeur as a money making opportunity.

One such method was this:


Send all the goodies on tour.

This show was a success. An enormous success. I know this because the catalog from the show is on the bookshelf in the hallway with all the art books and a poster from the show is on the wall in the guest room.

Here's Bob and Stan having a look at the catalog:



The Treasure Houses are still working together for more opportunities for you to pay money to enjoy their property. This is their website. When you go there the text begins with this sentence:

The Treasure Houses of England are ten of the most magnificent palaces, houses and castles in England today.

Now take a moment to count the Treasure Houses that they have listed.