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Dear wonderful readers,
The past couple of weeks have been a joyful blur of trains, cameras, tulips, textiles, and a very long run around Mapperton. I’ve been filming, writing, planning tours, and plotting big garden changes…and I’m thrilled to share what’s been happening behind the scenes.
In this newsletter, I’ll cover:
Kicking off season 5 of American Countess!
Filming at Knowsley Hall (plus a patron-exclusive Q&A)
A very big house announcement coming to patrons first
Mapperton coffee-table book: final photos and final edits
Gilded Heiresses Substack + The 400
A personal update: running again & revising for the Life in the UK test
Season 5 is here!
In a previous newsletter, I let you know that we had a bit of a hiccup with funding for American Countess.
In the UK, companies make their new budgets starting in April, and everyone was feeling the pinch this year…because we lost some important help when it comes to being able to produce this incredible series.
As we figured out our next move (did it mean cutting down to 6 houses a year? Did we need to scrap the show all together?!), I had a great time creating more vlogs and personal content, and I’m so glad that you’ve enjoyed them.
And now, with the help of our patrons, who have truly become production partners, we’ve come out the other side!
We’ve been able to budget for 12 houses in season 5!
And it all kicked off this past weekend with the premier: The Crooked House!
Let me know what you thought of it!
And if you’d like to help ensure that we can meet our production goals, please consider joining Patreon. All proceeds truly go toward producing amazing content for you and creating a digital archive for these historic houses!
Lights, camera…Knowsley Hall
We’ve just wrapped a wonderfully full shoot at Knowsley Hall with Lord and Lady Derby.
Two packed days, countless rooms, and unexpected treasures, including the most extraordinary iron-clad muniment room and a downstairs world that felt straight out of Downton Abbey.
Patron perk: we recorded a separate 15-minute sit-down where Lord and Lady Derby answered questions submitted by our American Countess patrons. Keep an eye on Patreon for the exclusive Q&A.
AND, going forward with Season 5, we’ve got some special things up our sleeve JUST for patrons!
A delicious teaser for patrons…
We’ve been given the green light to film at one of our biggest houses to date. It’s a dream location you may recognise from a top period drama.
I’ll share the name and details with patrons first (soon!).
If you’d like early access to these announcements and extras, now’s the perfect time to join us on Patreon.
Garden news: tulips and a feature
I’ve given my first interview about the future of the gardens (especially the kitchen garden) for a national magazine, out March/April.
And…I’ve ordered 800 tulip bulbs for spring splendour!
Expect Black Parrot, Orange Princess, crisp whites, and the beautifully striped Gavota threading their way through pots and borders.
I can’t wait to see Fountain Court and the Italianate Garden in full bloom.
Mapperton coffee-table book: nearly there
My final text was submitted last week! Hurrah! And we have one last photography day on the 21st October to capture the last images before we put it all to bed.
I’ll share pre-order details as soon as they’re ready!
Gilded Heiresses on Substack (+ The 400)
All my Gilded Age research, voice notes, and essays are now live at gildedheiresses.com.
This includes amazing NEW Alberta discovers, weekly essays on articles on Gilded Age history, AND I’m recording Alberta’s letters as little podcasts (the most recent audio letter: Mayfair, May 1906 - Alberta’s nesting at 12 Bruton Street, just days away from giving birth to her firstborn… when in sweeps another American heiress - Mrs. Freddie Guest (Amy Phipps) - whose husband is a cousin of Winston Churchill. She’s just as pregnant, wildly wealthy, and utterly miserable. You won’t want to miss this!
And recently, I posted there about the TWO Alberta dresses I’ve just found…and one was a Worth dress that had me crying I was so excited!
The founding tier—The 400—includes a personal video from me when you join, plus behind-the-scenes goodies.
Your support funds research trips (including a Paris day-dash in December), archives, and deeper storytelling. There will always be some free posts, but paid readers see everything.
I’d LOVE for you to join me over there!
From my notebook
Running shoes: back on! I managed a 10K around Mapperton this week (ankle behaving).
Studying: I’ve started revising for the Life in the UK Test to get my British passport (finally!)—wish me luck!
Hinchingbrooke House: I travelled up north last week (I’m President of the Huntingdonshire Local History Society) to present awards celebrating brilliant heritage projects each year.
Thank you, as ever, for reading, cheering, and supporting this work. Whether on Patreon, Substack, tours, or right here in your inbox.
There’s so much more to come (including that very big house reveal for patrons!).
With love and gratitude,
Julie
Unless I misunderstood being part of The 400, I have never reveived a personal video. I am so looking forward to the coffee table book. I love the two dresses recently found, especially the purple one
I am embarrassed to say I’m not sure what I’ve signed up for. I’m rather confused because it seems there’s so many venues. Is there one that covers everything?