Mr Horniman’s Walrus Audiobook Libro.fm

Description

Mr Hornimans Walrus tells the story of the rise and fall of three generations of a remarkable and dysfunctional Victorian family the Hornimans exploring the lives and loves behind their extraordinary and varied legacies

Family patriarch John Horniman established the tea company that bore his name in 1826 which went on to become one of the bestknown brands of nineteenthcentury Britain His son Frederick created the eclectic and wonderful Horniman Museum in London and his granddaughter Annie was a theatrical impresario responsible for founding Irelands national theatre the Abbey Across more than a century the family embodied changing middleclass attitudes from patriarchy to the new spirit of modernity and their progress mirrored the high point of Victorian entrepreneurialism and the changes ushered in by the Edwardian age

Drawing on her years of research and unfettered access to the family archive Clare Paterson has written a riveting tale of trade collecting the stage sex and politics in Victorian Britain For the first time Mr Hornimans Walrus unpicks the lives of this fascinating family including their slips from grace as well as their astounding achievements Its a story of capital and culture philanthropy and empire but also bankruptcy betrayal intrigue lunacy and deep involvement in the esoterica of the occult