Museums

Elizabeth and Georgiana Stanhope were the daughters of the Earl of Chesterfield. James Ward was one of the outstanding artists of his day.

The artist charged an additional £125 to add the faun to the portrait having been commissioned by the Earl in 1814 for a fee of £525, the second highest fee James Wards receved in his career. Elizabeth and Georgiana were the daughters of the Earl of Chesterfield and was thus originally part of the Earl of Chesterfield’s collection. It was purchased with the aid of a grant from the Department of Education and Science.

A museum for Abington

Lady Wantage donated Abington Manor to the Borough of Northampton along with the parkland. With the donation the building was changed to a museum, the north wing pulled down and the west wing rebuilt. In 1899, Abington Park Museum was opened in the centre of the park.