Lady Dufferin ‘had a fantastically full life’ ...based around painting and Clandeboye Estate

Tributes have been paid to the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, also known as Lady Dufferin, of Clandeboye Estate in Bangor.
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In a statement, Clandeboye Courtyard paid tribute to the well known artist and entrepreneur.

“We regret to announce the death of Lindy, Marchioness of Dufferin & Ava, after a short illness,” it said. “She was a friend to so many and was beloved by all. Painting and Clandeboye were her twin passions and we can take some solace that her last months with us allowed her to indulge both and brought her peace and happiness doing the things she enjoyed most. She had a fantastically full life.”

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Dozens of tributes were paid to her on Facebook from friends and associates.

Lady Dufferin with some of her paintings on display at the Ava Gallery on her estate in 2016.
 Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker PressLady Dufferin with some of her paintings on display at the Ava Gallery on her estate in 2016.
 Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
Lady Dufferin with some of her paintings on display at the Ava Gallery on her estate in 2016. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

She was particularly known for her luxury ‘Clandeboye Yogurt’ which was produced from her pedigree herds of Holstein and Jersey cows.

When interviewed by the News Letter in 2016, when she was 75, there was no sign of her slowing down, flitting between her home in London and Clandeboye Estate, throwing parties, gardening and indulging her biggest passion of all - painting.

There are several art galleries at the estate, which she also used to host regular music festivals and as a focal point for conservation purposes.

She lost her hearing in her 40s, possibly due to a virus.

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Born Serena Belinda Rosemary Guinness, Lady Dufferin she was the widow of the fifth and last Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, Sheridan Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood (1938-88)- her fourth cousin.

He owned an art gallery in London and played an active part in the artistic life of the metropolis.

In her childhood her father and stepmother Gloria Rubio took her to Palm Beach for the winters, where she spent time with Rubio’s close friend Truman Capote. As a girl, she was a passionate artist and studied painting under Oskar Kokoschka.

She would not be drawn to elaborate much on her early years, saying only: “I had a very exotic upbringing. I was all over the world.”

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In latter years she divided her time between Clandeboye and London, where she had a house.

“I entertain a lot there, I have a gallery, I have a wonderful garden which is just the right size for me to manage and I love it.’’

Asked if there was anything she’d like to do with the rest of her life, she replied: “Not really, because as long as each day is wonderful, which it sort of is, it’s just endlessly amazing.”

DUP Leader and First Minister Rt Hon Arlene Foster MLA said: “I was very saddened to hear of the death of Lady Dufferin last evening. Lindy, was such a wonderful person who I was privileged to know and who was always such an interesting conversationalist.

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“She was so proud of Clandeboye estate and all that had been achieved there, from music festivals to outside classrooms in the woods; from painting cows to producing award winning yoghurt. She was also a great advocate for Northern Ireland and its people. My husband and I will very much miss her friendship.”

* A private funeral will be at Clandeboye and followed by celebrations of her life at both Clandeboye and London.

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