ARCHITECTURAL historian Caroline Knight’s lecture explores the work and life of the famous woodcarver Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721) in the first lecture of The Arts Society Wensleydale’s new season.

This takes place at the society's new venue at Tennants Garden Rooms, Leyburn, on October 8, from 2-3pm.

Gibbons virtuoso style of limewood carving was well suited to the Baroque interiors of the time. His consummate skill in intricate decorative carving has never been surpassed and embellishes Windsor Castle, Hampton Court and Kensington Palace, as well as churches and other public buildings.

There are local connections. The King David Panel, his earliest-known surviving work, is now in Fairfax House York, returning to the city where it was made. Following the disastrous 1986 fire at Hampton Court, retired woodcarver Trevor Ellis, formerly of Coverdale, played a major role in the restoration of Gibbons carvings.

His late wife, Ellie, colour blended the new and restored carvings. Their work is discussed in Michael Fishlock’s book The Great Fire at Hampton Court.

Caroline is an expert on 16th to 18th century British architecture, and is a lecturer at the V&A. Her publications include London’s Country Houses (2009) and a history of Kensington Palace.

Tickets are £10 (refunded if you join TASW). Call 01845 567489 or email wensleydale@theartssociety.org for tickets, which are also available prior to the lecture. The website is at theartssociety.org/wensleydale, which has details of the 2019-2020 programme.