George Henry Benton Fletcher (1866–1944), The Improbable Collector

George Henry Benton Fletcher (1866–1944) collected the keyboard instruments owned by the National Trust at Fenton House, London. A significant figure in the early music revival of the early twentieth century, Benton Fletcher&s;s enduring interests – from early music and drawing, to archaeology and the preservation of old buildings – stemmed from seminal acquaintanceships with the founders of the National Trust. These enthusiasms also helped him to raise his social standing, a consuming preoccupation. This chapter examines aspects of Fletcher&s;s public and enigmatic private life, his social circle, inspirations, and how his collection has fared within the National Trust since 1937.