Right:The 400-year-old HatfieldHouse wasoriginally built forentertainingroyalty Four hundred years ago, RobertCecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, built hisfine Jacobean House adjoining thesite of the Old Palace of Hatfield, thechildhood home of Elizabeth I. While theCecils, who have lived in Hatfield Houseever since, are best known for theirpolitical traditions (Robert was ChiefMinister to James I, and the political CVof the house's current occupant, RobertGascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess ofSalisbury,includes former MP for SouthDorset and former Leader of the Houseof Lords), the family also has a longassociation with patronage of the arts.It is fitting, then, that this handsomebuilding will this year play host to thelargest collection of the works of HenryMoore ever to have been exhibited in thegrounds of an historic house.Moore at Hatfield, which runs for fivemonths from April, is part of HatfieldHouse's 400th-anniversary celebrationsand comes as its owners seek to ensurethat the building remains an integral partof the local - and national - social andcultural fabric."The fact that this enormous whiteelephant has survived for 400 years reallyis something to celebrate!" says RobertGascoyne-Cecil. "There have beenenormous social changes in the last fourcenturies and any institution, if it is tosurvive, cannot be an anachronism. It hasto be seen as a place that people wouldmiss if it were no longer there. We needto be seen as contributors to local life,not a monument or a museum but aliving organism." A core part of this new vision involvesHatfield being used as a place where theThe greatoutdoorsTo celebrate its 400th anniversary, Hatfield House ispreparing to host a major display of the works of HenryMoore in its fine landscaped gardens. The sculptor, saysDanielle Green, would have approvedMOORE AT HATFIELD44NADFAS REVIEW / SPRING 2011www.nadfas.org.uk

www.nadfas.org.ukNADFAS REVIEW / SPRING 201145MOORE AT HATFIELD