The Earl of Shaftesbury At Home

• Photographer
  Justin Barton, United Kingdom
• Studio
  Justin Barton Photography
• Website
  http://www.justinbarton.com

This photograph is of Lord Shaftesbury at his sadly dilapidated stately
home 'St Giles' in Dorset the UK. He is currently undertaking a hugely
expensive and lengthy restoration to reclaim its lost grandeur and
elegance for the next generation to inherit.

After the Second World War it became increasing obvious to the British
aristocracy that the huge houses that they had built were increasingly
financially untenable. The loss of funds to the war effort, the loss of staff
either killed in two world wars (or to their having forsaken a life of
servitude for better wages elsewhere) lead to a huge number of stately
homes destruction. As many as 1200 such homes were lost in 20th
century England a situation now often described as a cultural
catastrophe.

After a double tragedy in 2005 which he lost both his father and brother
in quick succession the current 12th Earl of Shaftesbury was left totally
unexpectedly with the vast and dilapidated stately home ‘St Giles House’
that had barely been touched since the 1960s and had been on the ‘At
Risk Register’ for many years. With dry rot and endless structural
problems the house the circumstances looked hopeless. It appeared that
the rapid changes in the fortune of the aristocracy might swallow yet
another stately home.

In a bid to bring the life back into his familial seat the 12th Earl decided
to undertake a restoration program at incalculable personal expense.
With the support of his wife the Countess of Shaftesbury they have, after
several years of work, moved in to the property and are funding its
further refurbishment with festivals, events and weddings. While it may
well remain a lifetime of work to see it through to the end, it has
required ambitious eye to see the beauty behind the years of
disintegration.

Justin is a freelance photographer based in Shoreditch. His interests in photography are wide and varied, but his current specializations are in architecture, interiors, still life and landscapes. He won awards in both 2010 and 2011 at the International Photography Awards for his archtectural work and was shortlisted for the WPGA in 2010.

He remains faithful to large format film both 5x4 and 8x10. He is represented by One Photographic