Kate Felus (born 1971) is a designed-landscape historian. She studied at the University of Warwick and the University of Bristol. Her specialist subject area is the social history of 18th-century gardens and their buildings.
From 1996 to 2001 Felus was Garden Historian at Stowe, the 18th-century landscape garden, where the National Trust is undertaking a massive restoration programme begun in 1990. Her role included being part of the Stowe Restoration Team, providing specialist research to aid with the production of a series of Conservation Plans that addressed the individual character areas within the formal gardens and wider parkland. The historic research directly influenced and guided a programme of archaeological investigations that were critical to ensuring that the restoration of each character area was accurate and appropriate.
She was a trustee of Hestercombe Gardens surrounding Hestercombe House and has also been involved with buildings conservation both at Stowe and as Project Co-ordinator for the National Trust’s first restoration of a Modernist building, the Erno Goldfinger House at 2 Willow Road, Hampstead.
Recent publications on garden conservation have discussed the landscapes of Blenheim Palace, Dunster Castle, Croome Court and Westbury Court."Looking beyond the Boundaries: Seeing Parks and Gardens in their Wider Landscape – Understanding and Protection", in Giardini Contesto Paesaggio Sistemi Giardini e Architetture Vegetali nel Paesaggio… ed. by L. Pelessetti & L. Scazzosi, (Florence, 2005) Her doctoral thesis (University of Bristol, 2009) is entitled "Beautiful objects and agreeable retreats: Uses of Garden Buildings in the designed landscape in 18th-century England".
She is the partner of British sculptor Jon Edgar. She has two sons.
References
Publications 'The Furniture of Erno Goldfinger at 2 Willow Road', Apollo, Vol CXLIII No. 410 (new series) (April, 1996)
‘Boats and Boating in the Eighteenth Century Landscape’, Garden History, (2006) Vol 34, No. 1.
Kate Felus - Charles Hamilton's Buildings: Speculation on the Social Use of Painshill Park pp. 41–50 Kate Felus - Using the Pleasure Grounds; Their social History pp. 101–111
External links Hestercombe Gardens website Website giving more information on Kate Felus Portrait head of Kate Felus, 2003