RA Collection: People and Organisations
Politician, patron of the arts, and gardener.
Son of Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, who died in 1777 until which time George was known as Viscount Nuneham.
An amateur pastelist, he took lessons from George Knapton in the 1750s. He undertook the Grand Tour (Germany and Italy), between 1754-6.
Harcourt was elected to parliament for St Albans in 1761, remaining a member until 1767. In 1772 Harcourt began to redesign the gardens at Nuneham Courtenay, assisted by William Mason, moving on to the park in 1777. From 1779 Capability Brown was brought in to advise, on the park and gardens and Paul Sandby on the interior of the house.
Born: 1 August 1736
Died: 20 April 1809
George Harcourt 2nd Earl Harcourt
A View of the Ruins of the Kitchen, and part of the Offices at Stanton-Harcourt, in the County of Oxford with a distant view of the Chappel & the Parish Church, 1764
George Harcourt 2nd Earl Harcourt
View of the ruins of the kitchen at Stanton-Harcourt , 1763
George Harcourt 2nd Earl Harcourt
A View of the Ruins of the Chappel at Stanton-Harcourt in the County of Oxford, 1764
George Harcourt 2nd Earl Harcourt
A View of the Ruins of the Chappel at Stanton-Harcourt in the County of Oxford, 1749