78 Derngate – a visit to the famously re-modelled house by Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Event report

In May we visited 78 Derngate in Northampton which is the only house in England to have been designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

We had arranged a personal tour of this fascinating house which was led by a very knowledgeable and informative guide. The house is truly unique. The owner of the house, Mr Basset Lowke, was way ahead of his time in commissioning Rennie Mackintosh as his interior designer and some rooms still look surprisingly modern despite the fact it was designed in 1916.

We then had lunch in a Turkish restaurant where we were joined by another local linguist. Our group was an interesting mix of translators, interpreters and teachers, some experienced, some just starting out, so it was a good chance to network and share experiences. The conversation was wide-ranging, covering whether Mrs Basset Lowke minded her husband taking charge of the interior design, what we should do for our next event, amusing interpreting experiences and much more. Another enjoyable day out with a fun group of linguists.

78 Derngate was a wedding gift for Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke from his father, where he then went on to commission Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a noted Scottish architect, in 1916 to extensively re-model the house. The house has since been restored and is now an award-winning visitor attraction. For more information, please click here.

Entry to the house costs £8.00 and attendees must purchase their ticket by phoning +44 (0)1604 603407. The tour begins at 12pm and the Committee will meet attendees at 11am at the venue.

After the tour, attendees are welcome to join the Midlands Network Committee at a local café for refreshments (at own expense).

Please confirm your attendance by emailing midlands@ciol.org.uk.