The re-presentation of Byron’s ancestral home: Newstead Abbey

The re-presentation of Byron’s ancestral home: Newstead Abbey, a talk by Simon Brown, Curator at Newstead Abbey, on Thursday 9 May at 5 pm.

Lord Byron’s life story is a hugely complex and compelling one. 

Newstead Abbey was his ancestral home, a place he wrote about beautifully in his published works and letters. The house and the man are forever linked in the world’s imagination. 

Today the house is open to the public in Lord Byron’s memory. His life is explored through the house itself, and through a collection of over 5,000 objects and manuscripts relating to his life and work. 

In recent years they have been reinterpreting the house and its history to explore new perspectives. 

For the bicentenary of Lord Byron’s death in 2024, Newstead Abbey has focused its work on bringing new views on his life and continuing significance. The house was redisplayed, using previously undisplayed objects from their collection. Newstead Abbey has also worked with partners from the University of Nottingham, private collectors and other literary houses, to explore Byron’s life in new ways. 

Dr Brown will discuss the work they have done so far, and the new stories that are being told.

Simon Brown is curator at Newstead Abbey, Lord Byron’s ancestral home in Nottinghamshire, England. 

Simon has been at Newstead for 7 years. His background is in museums, working across all departments. He has been a curator for Social History and World Cultures at Nottingham City Museums and Galleries, a Project Curator at the National Justice Museum, a Relationship Manager for Arts Council England and Cultural Services Manager at Erewash Museum, as well as working in education, front of house, community engagement and exhibition development in a number of organisations. 

Simon has been elected to the board of the Museums Association, a membership organisation that supports and advocates for museums across the UK. He served for 7 years, with 3 as vice president. 

Simon was born and grew up in Leeds. Nottingham has been his home for 20 years, where he lives with his wife and their two sons.