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A Celebration of Thomas Wright (1711 – 1786), Eighteenth Century Polymath
Saturday 25 June 2011
Thomas Wright was born into a yeoman’s family on 9 September 1711 at Peg’s Pool, Byers Green near Bishop Auckland. Details recorded in the Journal of his early years trace the education and apprenticeships that nurtured his lifelong interest in theology, astronomy, natural history, philosophy and literature. These gave him the opportunity to develop considerable skills in surveying, draughtsmanship and mathematical calculations.
This polymathic perspective permeates Wright’s body of work, and the qualities of his landscapes led George Mason to accord him the title ‘Professor of Gardening’. The conference will seek to unravel some of the threads in the web woven by this complex and gifted man. As part of the celebration of Wright’s tercentenary, the Institute will be organising a series of field visits which will make sense of how Wright was driven by an obsession to create his earthly vision of Paradise: ‘Elysian Fields, Pindaric Shades and a Myriad Inchanting Mansions’.
Anticipated contributors include Sir Arnold Wolfendale, Professor Mark Laird, Professor Tim Mowl, Dr John Olley, Dr Sue Wilson, Jezzar Giray, Joe Hawkins and Judy Preston.
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