Julia Abel Smith

It started with a fruity folly. In 1992, while researching the history of The Landmark Trust's Pineapple in Scotland, Julia Abel Smith discovered Lady Augusta Murray, daughter of its builder. Captivated by her story as the unacknowledged wife of Prince Augustus Frederick, the first Duke of Sussex, Julia wrote "The Forbidden Wife, the Life and Trials of Lady Augusta Murray" published by The History Press in February, 2020. After reading History of Art at Cambridge University, in 1984 Julia began work for SAVE Britain's Heritage and wrote two booklets on country houses and garden buildings at risk. In 2002 she began recording oil paintings and sculpture in public ownership for Art UK - see www.artuk.org Julia is the author of Lady Augusta Murray's entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and has written articles for Historic House, Country Life and House and Garden magazines. She lives in Essex with her husband, Charles.