a new play for the stage
by Nick Wilkes
Based on the life and works of William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp of Madresfield Court
Pitch
A new costume drama that chronicles and celebrates the achievements of William Lygon, the seventh Earl Beauchamp of Madresfield Court.
His championing of the Arts and Crafts movement, and his modern stance on the running of a country estate in changing times.
His lifetime of service to his household and community, and his progressive roles in society, the Government of the day, the country at large, and the Royal Household.
Also the events that demanded his exile from Britain in 1931, and his enduring historic and artistic legacy.
Unlike his father, the 6th Earl Beauchamp - a strict, high-minded religious man, William’s mother is artistic, accomplished and well educated, with a gift of conversation and love of Society. She dies quite suddenly when he is just four years old, leaving William and his sisters to be raised by the House staff.
He greatly enjoys the later freedoms of Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, but these too are cut short when his father passes away unexpectedly aged sixty, leaving William his sudden successor aged just eighteen.
A progressive in both ideas and ideals almost immediately William becomes the youngest ever Mayor of Worcester.
The Earl and Countess have a son, then another, followed swiftly by four girls and a surprise youngest son, despite the Earl’s natural disposition towards male relationships and it’s then illegal status.
The Duke of Westminster loses his only son to peritonitis, blaming his wife for neglect of the child. They divorce.
Earl Beachamp achieves a string of title and position; Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms, Lord Steward of the Household, First Commissioner of Works, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire and Lord President of the Council. He is a member of Asquith’s cabinet on the outbreak of the First World War.
The Duke of Westminster volunteers for front-line combat.
Post-war, as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, his favourite position, Earl Beachamp enjoys a very social life at his official residence Walter Castle in Kent. His eldest daughter Lady Mary begins a relationship with the King’s son Prince George, Duke of Kent.
With the collapse of the second Labour Government and the subsequent General Election, the right-wing Duke of Westminster seeks to destroy both Beachamp, now Liberal Leader in the House, and by association the entire Liberal party by exposing the illegal sexuality of Earl Beauchamp to the King…
Synopsis
A surprise appointment soon afterwards as Governor of New South Wales takes him far away from Society, but he does not stay long, returning to England during the Federalisation of Australia in 1901.
A Society wedding follows his return, as he marries Lady Lettice Grosvenor, sister of the jealous Duke of Westminster - a staunch supporter of Nazi views and one of the wealthiest men in the world.
A lifetime of service and appointment follows, as William shuns family tradition and crosses the house to become a Liberal MP, watched on by the Conservative Duke of Westminster.
Conceived as stage play along the lines of ‘The King’s Speech’ or ‘A Room with a View’ but with a view to being adapted into a screenplay or television drama serial.
Comparisons
Declaration
“I have a deep and profound interest and respect for the history and family of Madresfield Court. I find the location, the geography and situation of Madresfield village, the Court and its estate both evocative and inspirational.
I’m also a big fan of the 7th Earl, his progressive works, his championing of the arts, and his life achievements, and by modern standards I believe he would be considered a national treasure.
It’s a tragic sign of the times that his career ended as it did in the 1930’s, and this bittersweet story is one I would like to share with a modern audience with all the courage, ambition, tenacity, humour, risk and respect that it deserves”.
Nick Wilkes - Summer 2024
Nick Wilkes
Nick trained at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, and at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
As an actor he has worked extensively in the theatre over the past two decades, both in the UK and overseas, working in classical and contemporary drama, musical, pantomime and weekly rep alongside names as diverse as Charlton Heston and Simon Callow through to Keith Harris and Orville the Duck.
Nick was the first Writer in Residence at Malvern Theatres since George Bernard Shaw and has written and produced over thirty new works to date. These have played in many venues around the country, from small studio spaces and larger theatres to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon.
He lives in Malvern with his wife and three children, and in-between theatre engagements happily works as part of the tour guide team at Madresfield Court.