George Berkeley's Whitehall

George Berkeley is one of the forefathers of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. The Anglo-Irish scholar and priest lived near Newport 1729-1731 while awaiting funds for an Anglican seminary in the New World. At the time, he was already a renowned philosopher, who was well connected to many of the leading British thinkers and writers of the day, including Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. He was arguably the preeminent intellectual in the colonies and made significant contributions to the cultural life of Newport, including as co-founder of the Philosophical Society, precursor to the Redwood Library. Professor Wells will discuss Berkeley’s legacy here in Newport as well as his larger contributions to intellectual and church history.

Jere Wells is the director of the Educational Leadership and Ministry program at Yale Divinity School and the communications coordinator for Berkeley Divinity School, the Episcopal seminary at Yale. He joined the staff at Berkeley after a career as an educational leader in independent schools in Atlanta and Virginia. He is the author of the forthcoming book In Illa Quae Ultra Sunt: A History of Berkeley Divinity School. He and his wife Della, who is the rector of Emmanuel Church, have lived in Newport since 2019.

Virtual Lecture via Crowdcast

Free

To Register Click Here

Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2022- 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Sunday, December 1st, 2 – 4 PM

Our Christmas gathering is an opportunity to invite our neighbors and the public to experience Whitehall, and to learn a bit about what we do to honor George Berkeley’s important contribution to the intellectual life of the Colonies.

Beyond the lovely decorations of greens and fruit and candles (now electric) which are reminiscent of an earlier time, the house is filled with  traditional Christmas music,  provided by a live musician and our guests, who love to sing along.  The Colonial Dames prepare a wassail bowl and delicious Christmas treats.   We welcome guests of all ages to experience an old fashioned way of celebrating Christmas, without modern commercial overtones.   Members of the Newport artillery welcome our guests and join in the festivities.  

Whitehall will be open to visitors from June 15 – Sept 15, on Tuesdays from 1 – 4. Because of the small scale of the interior, tours will be limited to a few visitors at a time. For more information write to info@whitehallmuseumhouse.org

The Right Reverend Dr Michael Ipgrave, Bishop of Lichfield (UK)  returns to Whitehall August 14 – 25 as a resident scholar.

Bishop Michael has written extensively on questions of religion and human rights, and was awarded the OBE in 2011 for his work on inter-faith relations.