Instead of sitting in flapping tents in muddy fields, English country houses have become the preferred stage set for many new history and literary festivals, ranging from the Cliveden Literary Festival in Buckinghamshire to Stokesay Court in Shropshire.
But no festival has the Catholic pedigree and history to rival that of the Nevill Holt Festival whose 2024 season opened on 1 June with an acclaimed production of the Magic Flute performed within owner David Ross’s custom built opera theatre which seats 400 within the hall’s old stable courtyard. David is a former co-owner of Carphone Warehouse, art collector, educational philanthropist and chairman of the National Portrait Gallery.
