Talks and Tours
The ‘most honest hearted, real good men’: Sir John Vanbrugh and the Kit-Cat Club
11 June, 6:00pm-8:00pm | Ticket price: Free
Book eventOphelia Field, author of The Kit-Cat Club, and Vanbrugh biographer Rory Fraser discuss the Club’s under-appreciated centrality to Vanbrugh’s eclectic career and to British culture. This talk is one of a lecture series held monthly.
Vanbrugh joined publisher Jacob Tonson’s Kit-Cat Club soon after The Relapse debuted on the London stage in late 1696, remained a member until the Club dissolved in the 1720s, and retained a deep fondness for its fellowship and friendships until the end of his life. Several key steps in his surprising career depended upon the patronage of Kit-Cat aristocrats, and this was no accident.
Field, author of The Favourite: Sarah Duchess of Marlborough, published her group biography of the Kit-Cats in 2008 – the first in-depth modern study of the Club – and argued that its far-reaching role in British politics and culture had been previously overlooked. Fraser’s forthcoming biography of Vanbrugh will extend this argument, showing how important it was for Vanbrugh to count himself among the Kit-Cat wits, and to pursue the patriotic cultural mission he shared with its other creative members.
Tying the story of the Club’s evolution and Vanbrugh’s involvement over several decades to the Stowe landscape, as developed by Kit-Cat member Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham, this authors-in-conversation event will surface historical connections, conundrums and heated rivalries.
Key Information
- The event will proceed with a 45 minute talk followed by audience questions
- Booking essential
- Your free ticket includes a welcome drink on arrival
Lecture Series – Save The Dates
Join us throughout the year for an inspiring line‑up of guest speakers, with talks and discussion panels taking place on Thursday evenings. Tickets will be on sale soon, so do save the dates below.
- 23 April – Dr Ralph St Clair Wade (University of Cambridge and 2025 George Clarke Prize winner) shares his latest research on the Gothic Library
- 14 May – Richard Wheeler (Specialist in practical Gardens History) explores the connections between Vanbrugh and Gibbs’ work at Stowe
- 11 June – Ophelia Field and Rory Fraser “The most honest-hearted, real good men”: Sir John Vanbrugh and the Kit-Cat Club
- 17 September – Francis Terry (Architect) highlights Vanbrugh’s proposed alterations and extensions to Stowe House
- 15 October – Speaker to be confirmed
Meet Your Speakers
Ophelia Field
Ophelia Field is the author of two critically acclaimed historical biographies featuring John Vanbrugh: a life of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744) titled The Favourite (2002), re-published in a revised edition by Weidenfeld & Nicolson to coincide with the film’s release in 2018; and a group biography, The Kit-Cat Club (HarperCollins, 2008), which recounts the long-lasting friendships between Vanbrugh and his fellow club members. She is currently Director of a postgraduate programme in Biography, taught in London for the University of Buckingham. In addition, Ophelia has worked for over thirty years as a policy analyst and communications consultant for a wide range of refugee and human rights organisations around the world.
