Fairfax House is a beautifully preserved Georgian townhouse museum with a fascinating history. Built between 1759 and 1763 for the Hon. Ann Fairfax by renowned architect John Carr, the house is celebrated for its exquisite decorative features, including magnificent allegorical stuccowork ceilings. 

Over the centuries, Fairfax House has undergone many transformations. After its time as a private residence for the Fairfax family, it was successively used as a Gentleman’s club, a Pentecostal church, and, during the early 20th century, even a cinema and dancehall. After years of neglect, York Civic Trust took on the monumental task of restoration, returning the house to its former glory and opening it to the public in 1984.

Will Richards, Chairman of Dreweatts, said, “We are delighted to be giving this year’s award to Fairfax House. The preservation of this wonderful Georgian building housing the highly important Noel Terry collection has enabled access, enjoyment and education for generations thanks to the work that of the York Conservation Trust.”

We are delighted to present a grant of £4,500 to further improve interpretation and display of this marvellous collection.

Fairfax House

Today, Fairfax House is home to the nationally significant Noel Terry Collection. This remarkable collection includes 18th-century furniture, clocks, paintings, and porcelain, alongside pieces acquired by York Civic Trust to authentically recreate the mid-18th-century interiors once inhabited by the Fairfax family. Among its treasures are the intricately carved King David Panel by Grinling Gibbons and the stunning John Butler Collection of Glass.

In 2020 a new curatorial team took over the care and interpretation of Fairfax House and its collections. Whilst there was an established programme of small special interest exhibitions, understanding and interpretation of the house and its collections had changed little in 40 years. Between 2020-2024, they delivered several new exhibitions, which prioritised creative storytelling and utilised more of their collections than ever before: over 450 collection items never previously exhibited were showcased during this period.

Curator at Fairfax House, Dr Sarah Burnage said, “We are deeply honoured to receive this award and thrilled that the creativity and dedication of the Fairfax team has been recognised. This award will make a meaningful contribution to the development of our ongoing work, and we are immensely grateful to the judges, Historic Houses, and Dreweatts for this generous acknowledgement.”

Find out more about the work of Fairfax House.

Subsidiary Prizes

The judging panel were so impressed with this year’s shortlist that they also wished to give honourable mentions to three runners-up:

Custodian

Robert Parker, for his 50 year dedication to the careful preservation and enhancement of his family’s historic collection at Browsholme Hall.

Curatorial Team

Katie Childs, Chief Executive, and Emma Yandle, Curator at Chawton House, who have transformed the management of the collection and reimagined the ways it engages new audiences.

Visitor Experience & Interpretation

William, Lord Stormont, and the custodians of Scone Palace, who are breathing new life into their collection through meticulous restoration, storytelling, and technological innovation.

The Judging Panel

We asked five leading experts in the worlds of curation, collection and creation, to set out to find collections —of all shapes, sizes, and types. They were on the look-out, not for the ‘best’ collection, but rather for the most compelling story of custodianship. A special thanks goes to:

Rita Konig

Francis Terry, MA (Cantab), Dip Arch, RIBA

Geoffrey Heath-Taylor

Dr Tessa Murdoch FSA

Will Richards, Co-Chairman, Dreweatts

Recognising, responding, reimagining

All the collections in Historic Houses member places are unique, priceless, and inseparable from the individuals and families who have brought and kept them together. Each year our judges will choose a collection that best exemplifies the way that those who care for our independent heritage:

• Recognise and research the significance and stories of their artefacts;
• Respond to new imperatives and challenges, both social and technical;
• Reimagine the composition or presentation of the collection for a new generation.

We look forward to working with Historic Houses in 2026, exploring and recognising more collections!

www.historichouses.org

Film shown by permission of Historic Houses