Irina Mappin
Born of noble ancestry, and raised in Kazakhstan with strong Russian and Kazakh cultural influence, Irina Mappin grew up surrounded by an environment of beauty, arts and culture. Irina together with her husband John and their friend and partner artist Ted Stourton are the new owners of Camelot Castle in Cornwall, England. With interests in the arts, education, literacy and philanthropy, Irina currently resides at the Camelot Castle Hotel together with John and resident artist Ted Stourton. Irina got to know Ted while negotiating on a piece of his art and with an eye and talent for spotting new up and coming artists, was immediately struck by his raw talent. This led the Mappins to establishing a programme for budding artists called the "Artists in Residence Programme" which allows all inspiring artists to apply for a peaceful and tranquil space conducive to living and creating art within the protective walls of the Camelot Castle Hotel.
This stunning jewel of Cornwall is the birthplace of King Arthur and has the most breath-taking view over the coastline of Cornwall. Anyone who can appreciate history, art, relaxation and natural beauty will feel inspired and benefit from its tranquillity. The Camelot Castle is considered as one of the most inspiring and beautiful places worldwide. There are many theories and myths surrounding the castle and why so many artists have been compelled to explore and visit this site. What is undisputed is the unbelievable benefit and inspiration that present day budding artists have experienced and gained as a result of visiting the Mappins Camelot Castle. The Camelot Castle artists programme has helped many hundreds of artists from all over the world to reignite and activate their careers.
The beauty and scope of what Irina and John Mappin are trying to do is not solely restricted to Camelot Castle, they hope to expand their vision and make it global. Camelot Castle Hotel is only the first in a chain of hotels that they have planned in various mythological locations worldwide. Their vision is to open their doors to budding artists in the same manner at each hotel, and to continue with the programme that has been so successful at Camelot.