Fairytale paintings in Pre-Prep

Pre-Prep 1 and 2 girls had a special trip on Wednesday 16 January when they went to Waddesdon Manor accompanied by Mrs Rushforth, Mrs Clare and Mrs Geddes to see the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ paintings.The Manor House looked very atmospheric in the mist and frost, just right for thinking about fairytales.

The girls were led through the rooms of the House by a guide then up the winding staircase and into the Bakst Room where the paintings are kept. The seven paintings by Leon Bakst tell the story of ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

The girls were led through the story by Sarah Chapman looking at the paintings and acting out significant events. Everyone was made aware of some amazing details, for instance all the faces were of people known to James Rothschild who had commissioned the paintings and the face of the Prince was James Rothschild himself.

After lunch there was a trip into the grounds  to visit the aviary and spot the fairy bluebird which appears in one of the paintings. The girls then started work on a story board of ‘Sleeping Beauty – the Sequel’ which they will continue to develop over the next few days. A wonderful day was had by all and the Waddesdon staff commented that the girls were the ‘best behaved group that they had ever had’.

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Image shows: All the girls in the garden of the Manor