Victoria's Vibes -- a blog

Winston Churchill's sesquicentennial birthday

11/30/2024

Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was born the 30th of November 1874 in Blenheim Palace, home of his uncle, the 8th Duke of Marlborough. Sir Winston died January 24, 1965, at age 90, after a long career in British government. Photo above from 1941 by Yousuf Karsh. The room where he was born is on view to Blenheim visitors.
Below, left, Blenheim Palace, Oxon; right, Jennie Jerome Spencer-Churchill, mother of Jack (1880-1947) on the left and Winston, at right, photographed in 1959. Jennie was American-born and married Lord Randolph Spencer-Churchill, a younger son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough.

Above, left, Clementine Hozier Churchill in 1915; right, Clementine and Winston in 1959. Married in 1908, the Churchills had five children. After her husband's death, Clementine was awarded a life peerage. As a baroness, she was a member of the House of Lords. She died at age 92 in 1977.
Below, left, the front of the Churchill's Kent country house, in which they lived from 1922; right, the view from the gardens of the many floors of the house, now open to the public and maintained by the National Trust.

Above, left, Sir Winston's painting studio with works on view; right, Churchill at his easel.
During his long life and distinguished career, Sir Winston filled what little leisure time he had by painting.
I will not attempt to list all of his accomplishments, such as wining the Nobel Prize for Literature as well as multiple posts in the British government including several times achieving the rank of Prime Minister. Perhaps he is best regarded as the man who won World War II, the result of his determination and ability to rally much of the world to defeat fascism.
Below, the statue of Sir Winston in Parliament Square, London, sculpted by Ivor Roberts-Jones, 1973.

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Small Artifacts from The Cleveland Art Museum

11/9/2024

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At our recent visit to Cleveland for the JASNA AGM, we spent most of a day at the Cleveland Art Museum. Exhibited among 18th C. paintings and sculpture were examples of furniture and small luxury items from the period in England. Please click on the photos to enlarge.

Above, left. portrait Miniature of Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765); enamel on copper; right, Chatelaine and Case (Etui) c. 1770.
The label Luxury's Troubled Ties states, "Luxurious objects were an essential part of a privileged wardrobe during the 1700's, emphasizing their owner's refinement and wealth. Jewelry, miniatures, and necessaires -- small expensive sets designed to hold grooming, writing, and sewing tools -- were often given as intimate gifts, intended to be seen and admired. Their glittering surfaces, however, disguised a system based on the labor and suffering of enslaved and indentured people, whether in gold or stone mines, tobacco farms, or shops where these goods were made.
Small elaborate boxes held snuff, a form of powdered tobacco that was inhaled in tiny amounts. Like cotton, sugar, and tea, snuff came from British colonies in America, India, and the Caribbean, where enslaved people were exploited to grow these crops under extremely harsh conditions."
Below, left, Snuff Box, c.1770 (George III); enamel on copper; right, snuff box, c. 1759 (George II), gold and blue agate.

Above, left. Snuff Box, about 1790-1810 (George III), gold, moss agate, pearls, enamel; right, Snuff Box , 1750-60 (George II), gold, moss agate, hematites (reddish iron oxide).
Below, left, Figure of Britannia, c. 1756, maker: Longton Hall Porcelain Factory, Staffordshire, and decorator: Vauxall Porcelain Factory, 1751-64; right, Hen & Chicks Covered Tureen on stand, c. 1755, Chelsea Porcelain Factory, London, 1745-84
About Britannia, the museum writes, "The creation of this triumphant personification of the nation was likely spurred on by Great Britain’s conflict with France in the Seven Years’ War (1756–63)...In this depiction of Britannia, the figure is surrounded by symbols of England’s power and military might. On one side, she and a lion, another symbol of Britain, support a shield adorned with the Union flag. Below it lay motifs associated with war such as armor, a trumpet, and a flag. On her left, Britannia presents a medallion to the viewer as she rests her feet on a globe, a symbol of the nation’s territorial aspirations. The portrait may depict the reigning king, George II (1683–1760), or Prince Frederick Louis (1707–1751), his recently deceased heir.

Above, one of a pair of Candlesticks (torchieres). c. 1773, by Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779); right, Flower Pyramid, c. 1699, by Adrianus Kocx, Dutch, manufacturer, active 1686-1791, tin-glazed earthenware.
The museum states, "This pair of gilded candle stands was made by Thomas Chippendale, the most renowned cabinetmaker in eighteenth-century London, for the grand drawing room of Brocket Hall, a large country house in Hertfordshire, England. With finely carved acanthus leaves, swags, fluting, and oval masks depicting the Roman goddess Diana, these candle stands exhibit Chippendale’s masterful understanding of neoclassical proportion, scale, and ornament. His landmark book of furniture designs, The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director (first published in 1754), was highly admired as a source of inspiration by cabinetmakers and architects around England as well as in Europe and America.
In reference to the Flower Pyramid, the museum says, "The iconic blue-and-white ceramics from Delft originated as an attempt to copy Chinese porcelain...
Allegorical figures representing Faith, Hope, and Love decorate the base of this pyramid, on which rest six tiers with spouts where flowers can be placed. Flower pyramids are among the most complex and luxurious types of ceramics produced in Delft in the late 1600s. This example was made in the Greek A Factory, owned by Adrianus Kocx. During his tenure, the factory became the most prestigious of Delft potteries and received commissions from Queen Mary II, who ruled over England, Scotland, and Ireland together with her husband, William III. She contributed to the international spread of the fashion for Delft ceramics."

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The Cleveland Museum of Art

10/28/2024

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The recent AGM of the Jane Austen Society of North America gave me a welcome opportunity to browse the excellent Cleveland Museum of Art and view, in person, Lady Manners by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830). Last February10, I wrote on this blog describing my interest in seeing the portrait.

I quoted the museum's description: "The Irish poet Lady Manners rejected as 'unflattering' this portrait representing her as the goddess Juno, symbolized here by the peacock. Thomas Lawrence exhibited the painting at the Royal Academy in 1794 with the label 'to be disposed of [sold],' but it was still in the artist’s collection when he died. Though it offended Lady Manners, the painting displays all the hallmarks of Lawrence’s flamboyant style: dazzling, fluid brushwork and an innovative use of unconventional colors that helped secure his role as the most fashionable portrait painter in turn-of-the-century Britain."

I have no idea what Lady Manners looked like, though Lawrence was usually said to flatter his sitters. But looking at the portrait, perhaps I would have made the same judgement and rejected the canvas. Would you have wanted this view for posterity? I wonder if she ever imagined it would hang in a place of honor in a 'colonial' museum and even be featured on advertising banners? Nearby portraits seem far less controversial. Below, left, a portrait of Lady Leneve, c. 1617, by Peter Lely (1618-1680); right George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers, by Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788). Please click on the pictures for larger versions.

Above left, Portrait of Charlotte and Sarah Carteret-Hardy, 1801-1806, also by Sir Thomas Lawrence. The label notes, "There was a seemingly insatiable demand for Lawrence's portraits representing stylish English society, but he was notoriously slow working." Charlotte's face is almost as moon-like as Lady Manners, but sweeter.
Right, a nearby sculpture of Terpsichore Lyran (Muse of Lyric Poetry) by Antonio Canova (1757-1822).
Below, left, Portrait of Hugh Hope, c. 1810, by Scottish artist Henry Raeburn (1756-1823); Hugh Hope was the second son of Sir Archibald Hope, 9th Baronet Hope of Craighall, and served the East India Company; right, a Settee, c.1802-07, by Thomas Hope (1768-1831), the influential Regency furniture maker and author of the 1807 work, Household Furniture and Decoration. The museum states, "The acorn finals, ram's heads and clusters of stylized honeysuckle are typical of Hope's neo-classical designs." Although the last names are the same, Hugh and Thomas were not related, Thomas having been born in the Netherlands.

Above, left, The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 6 October, 1834, by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851). The view is from downriver on the southwest bank of the Thames. Another version of the event by Turner is in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, viewed from Westminster Bridge. The Cleveland Museum writes, "Although Turner based the painting on an actual event, he magnified the height of the flames, using the disaster as the starting point to express man’s helplessness when confronted with the destructive powers of nature. Brilliant swathes of color and variable atmospheric effects border on abstraction."
Above, right, Portrait of Mary Anne Jolliffe, after 1788, by Gainsborough Dupont (1754-1797). Mr. Dupont was his uncle's only assistant, and "apprenticed with Thomas Gainsborough before setting up his on studio. It is often difficult to distinguish the late works of both artists."
Below, left, Portrait of Mary Wise, c. 1774, by Thomas Gainsborough; The museum writes, "Mary’s modest and contemplative demeanor is a counterpoint to a rather elaborate ensemble consisting of a gown embroidered with gold flower sprigs, trimmed with lace and pearls, and tied with a gold sash, as well as a gold-striped veil and a bracelet with eight gold bands. Gainsborough’s compact oval format and the sitter’s informal pose lend this portrait an air of intimacy."
Below, right, Portrait of George III, 1783, by Benjamin West (1738-1820); the Gallery label states "George III commissioned more than 80 paintings from West... (this one) likely was intended to bolster George III's reputation which had been tarnished the previous year when he was forced to formally recognize American independence." West, born in Philadelphia where he began his artistic career, took a grand tour to Italy and arrived in London in 1763, never returning to the US. His many successes lead to his choice as second president of the UK's Royal Academy of Art.

Above, left, Portrait of Elizabeth Shewell West and her son Raphael, c.1770. "West was the first American artist to study in Italy, where he spent three years before permanently settling in London. He so admired the artistic ideals of the Italian Renaissance master Raphael that he named his eldest son after him, and he imitated Raphael’s celebrated Madonna of the Chair when composing this tender double portrait of his wife and child."
Right, Portrait of Jean Terford David, 1813, by Thomas Sully (1783-1872); From the label: "According to his own inventory, the astonishingly productive Sully painted more than 2,600 works during his career. Most of these paintings were commissioned portraits, including this one of John Terford David, who had just recently married. French-born David was an American officer who served as a paymaster during the War of 1812. His rank is indicated by the fringed epaulet on his left shoulder and the lack of one on his right. In composing the portrait, Sully ingeniously positioned David's body on an angle to emphasize the single epaulet and downplay the uniform's lack of symmetry."

More from Cleveland Museum of Art and the JASNA AGM SOON.

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Queen Mary's Dolls' House Turns 100

10/5/2024

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In 1924, at Windsor Castle a miniature Palace was unveiled. For a century, it has delighted visitors as they prepare to tour the famous fortress begun in the time of William the Conqueror.

The famous dollhouse is found near the Visitor Entrance to the Castle in an area specially designed for its display. The viewer will want to linger for a long time to see all the astonishing furnishings and bibelots in every room, not that one could ever absorb it all at once. Please click on the small photos for larger versions.

Above left, the first section showing the entrance hall at the bottom and the lobby above it; right, the entrance hall closer up. To quote from a guide-book"...(it) is not a dolls' house in the usual sense of the words--that is as a children's toy. It is instead a glorified and fully furnished architectural model, created by the great British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944), and intended to be a historical record of the ideal early twentieth-century English house...also a source of fun."
Below left, the Dining Room; right, the Saloon.

Above, left, the King's Bedroom; right, the Queen's Bedroom, both shown with the hand of a curator to illustrate the 1/12th size of the objects. More than 1,500 artists and craftsmen worked on the contents. Princess Marie Louise (1872-1956),
a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and cousin of King George V, was responsible for the creation of the dollhouse as a tribute to the royal family "for their steadfast leadership during the war."
Below, left, Princess Marie Louise, portrait by Josefine Swoboda; right, Architect Sir Edwin Lutyens by William Rothenstein, NPG.

Above, left, a view of the kitchen; right; the garage.
Below, left and right, my favorite room, the library.

Above, the miniature King's Dispatch Box. Right, a book specially written by Vita Sackville-West for the library in 1922.
To celebrate the centenary of Queen Mary's Dollhouse, Queen Camilla wrote one of twenty new books for the library.
Below, left, the Queen holds her tiny book, accompanied by Glenn Bartley, of the Royal Bindery; Right, More of the new additions to the library. The books are 1.8 inches in length.

Above, left, the book by Queen Camilla; right, the dollhouse garden, designed by famed landscaper Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932).
Several videos of Queen Mary's Dollhouse can be found at the Royal Collection Trust website and on youtube.

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My Novella Cover: Mother of the Bride

7/26/2024

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My latest novella "Mother of the Bride" is found in Regency Summer Weddings, an anthology published by Dreamstone Publishing. Additional stories from other award-wining, best-selling authors Arietta Richmond, Regina Jeffers, Olivia Marwood, and Janis Susan May. Available in Amazon Kindle and free for members of Kindle Unlimited.

Mother of the Bride by Victoria Hinshaw
Widowed Amy, Countess of Blakemore, is utterly focused on the arrangements for her daughter’s wedding. She needs no distractions, or surely it won’t all get done on time! Then, for the first time, she meets her son-in-law-to-be’s much older half-brother, who proves to be more distracting then she could ever have imagined. William Easton, Baron Hartley, had shown no interest in marrying again, since the mother of his two daughters died. Now, as his half-brother is about to marry, the idea suddenly seems much more appealing. Of course, that might just be because he can’t take his eyes off the beautiful mother of the bride-to-be. But will she accept his suit?

My interior cover picture is a detail from the English Carriage Costume in LaBelle Assemblee Magazine, February 1818: Round dress of fine cambric muslin, superbly embroidered round the border in three distinct rows. Pelisse of rich Tobine silk striped, of Christmas holly-berry color, and bright grass green, trimmed round collar, cuffs and down the front with very broad swansdown.

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The Sad Story of Wanstead House

7/7/2024

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Not unexpectedly, I fell into another research rabbit hole while working on a novella, "Mother of the Bride," included in the regency summer collection from Dreamstone Publishing this year, Regency Summer Weddings.

Now Available: At Amazon

Recently I wrote in this blog about Palladian Bridges and included a bit about Palladian architecture in general. In this regard, I read about the now-demolished Wanstead House, pictured above. And the terrible scandals tied to the marriage of heiress Catherine Tynley Long, known as the Wiltshire Angel, and William Wellesley Pole, a nephew of the 1st Duke of Wellington. Below left, Catherine (1789-1825) and William (1788-1857 ).

Above, The Angel and the Cad: Love, Loss and Scandal in Regency England is an excellent account of both the 1812 marriage and the mansion's fate by author Geraldine Roberts, published in 2015. Another excellent source is the website Wicked William, from Greg Roberts.
From Wikipedia: "Wanstead House was a mansion built to replace the earlier Wanstead Hall. It was commissioned in 1715, completed in 1722 and demolished in 1825. Its gardens now form the municipal Wanstead Park in the London borough of Redbridge." Below, many bits and pieces from the estate can still be found. Left is a pillar from the gate; right, the grotto. Photo from British Listed Buildings.

Above left, another source for learning about Wanstead is Wanstead House: East London's Lost Palace by Hannah Armstrong, published in 2022, covering the history, architecture, sale of contents and demolition in 1824-25.
Right, a drawing of the original plan by Scottish Architect Colen Campbell (1676-1729). The Wanstead design shortly preceded the design of Burlington House, London, for Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington, an early proponent of the neo-Palladian style. William Kent (1685-1748) was in charge of the interiors of both residences. below, a Hogarth painting of the interior, The Assembly at Wanstead House, 1728-32, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Above, a brighter painting by Flemish painter Joseph Francis Nollekens of the Family of Sir John Tylney in the saloon of Wanstead House, 1740, Fairfax House, York Civic Trust.
It was the décor above that William decided to update after he gained control of Catherine's fortune, just one of his myriad extravagances, including gambling and adultery, which left the couple penniless and needing to flee Britain with their children by 1823.
Heartbroken and suffering from illness, perhaps a venereal disease her husband gave her, Catherine was successful in getting her children and herself back to England, where she made certain her children were protected from William before she died in 1825. No surprise to Regency aficionados, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, William's uncle, guaranteed the control of the children remained with Catherine's sisters, Dora and Emma, though none ever fully recovered from their abusive father's influence.
Below left, drawing of the Gardens "in their heyday" from the London Gardens Trust; right, Pastoral scene before Wanstead House and Basin, by William Havell, 1815, Yale Center for British Art.

All this research refreshed my knowledge of the situation, which will contribute to no more than a line or two of conversation in my novella. Of course, I enjoyed every moment of the effort. That's half the fun of writing regencies. Nevertheless, the excessively abusive behavior of Catherine's husband, who eventually was named 4th Earl of Mornington and did not die until 1857, more than thirty years after his unfortunate wife Catherine, stings even today. Certainly the epitome of a cad!
For a happier story, look for the Anthology titled Regency Summer Weddings, in the summer of 2024. My story is "Mother of the Bride."

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Visiting Montacute House

6/16/2024

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Montacute House is an Elizabethan-era house in Somerset which I visited in July 2018 while on my way from Lyme Regis to Bath with the JASNA tour.

The West Front, above, was added to the house in 1787. The East Front, below, opens into the courtyard, now a garden and lawn. The house was built in the late Elizabethan period, about 1598, a typical Prodigy House of the era. The owner was Sir Edward Phelips (c.1555-1614), a wealthy lawyer and politician, Speaker of the House of Commons, one of the prosecutors of the 1605 Gunpowder Plotters, and later named Master of the Rolls.

The East Front exhibits an English Renaissance style, in the words of the website, the house "...must have seemed beyond the dreams of most of those who lived nearby, a work of astonishing splendour and pride...The architecture is a mix of two styles, the traditional Gothic and the new fashionable Renaissance...built on a grand scale with turrets, obelisks, shell niches, pavilions and walls of glass. On the east front stand the Nine Worthies, statues of biblical, classical and medieval figures, including Julius Caesar and King Arthur."

The Phelips family descendants lived at Montacute for more than 300 years before leasing it out in the early 20th century. Among the residents was Lord Curzon after his term as Viceroy of India. Once his wife died, he came to live at Montecute around 1915, sometimes with his mistress, the novelist Elinor Glyn. Lord Curzon installed modern plumbing, but only in his own bedroom.

The original plan of the house followed the medieval pattern of a Great Hall connected to subsequent more private chambers, without corridors. The remodeling of the house in the 18th century added a central corridor and the arrangement of rooms was altered.

Above, entrance into the Great Hall.

Above and below, views of the Great Hall.

Below, the Drawing Room. The portrait of three men hunting over the fireplace is by Daniel Gardner (1750-18050.

This drawing room was once a bedchamber; it is now furnished in the 18th century style. The red upholstered mahogany chairs are by William Linnell (1703-1763) of London, and were commissioned by Sir Richard Hoare for the drawing room at Barn Elms in 1753.

Above, the cabinet on a stand, left, is English, in the Japanese style, in lacquer and gilt, dating from the mid-18th century. The console table, at right, with the gilded eagle and marble top, dates from the mid-19th century.

The Library at Montacute House, Somerset ©National Trust Images/James Dobson. Most of the pictures were taken by me, but I failed to get a good overall shot of the former Great Chamber, now the library. Below, a corner detail, and the great fireplace.

Below, the Great Chamber/Library window with the arms of the family.

Montacute played the role of Cleveland House, the country home of Mr. and Mrs. Palmer in the 1995 film of Sense & Sensibility.

Garden views. The gardens with their quaint corner pavilions are lovely. Once probably used as small banqueting halls, the pavilions are empty now.

The Orangery.

The Montacute Phelips Lions. Next, the Long Gallery and an exhibition of portraits related to Queen Elizabeth II's ancestors, focusing on Elizabeth of Bohemia, 'The Winter Queen.'

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The Finest, Oldest Country Houses: Many Belonged to Women

6/5/2024

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Another recycled post from November, 2018, with a few revisions, which I hope you will enjoy.

Haddon Hall near Bakewell in Derbyshire is a fine example of a medieval house which grew into a Tudor estate and has been "virtually unchanged" since the 17th century. Unlike so many country houses, which are remodeled with almost each generation, Haddon has retained it essential early features.

Haddon Hall became the property of the Manners family, Dukes of Rutland, by the marriage of Dorothy Vernon (daughter of Sir George Vernon ) to John Manners in 1563. The Manner family home is Belvoir Castle, and like many families with several estates, they tended to stay there, leaving Haddon uninhabited for the most part

This was a common pattern, leaving a wife's estate in limbo while entering family activities at the husband's properties. The unintended consequence is the fine condition of some early homes which were inherited by women.

Above, my pictures from a recent visit, showing the fine restoration of the rooms carried on by Lord Edward Manners (born 1965), brother of the current 11th Duke of Rutland (born 1959).

Cothele sits on the Tamar River, the boundary between Devon and Cornwall. Like Haddon, it is a medieval-cum-Tudor house which retains its early features. The property came into the Edgecumbe family -- who owned it until after World War II -- when Richard Edgecumbe married the heiress Hilaria de Cothele in 1353. The National Trust took over in 1947.

Beautiful gardens are terraced down the hillside, essentially a Victorian creation.

Wisteria seems to enhance every building it accompanies. Perhaps it is at its loveliest upon gray stone walls and lead-paned windows. No one has noted the age of this example, but one can assume it is very, very old.

The Great Hall at Cothele is similar to the Great Halls in all ancient country houses, the area where the community dined together, played, worked, even slept in the earliest houses. Traditionally the three doors in the screen wall led to the kitchen, the buttery, and the pantry.

Among the most admired and unique features of Cothele is the collection of tapestries from the 16th and 17th centuries. Observers have attributed the fine condition o the hangings to "benign neglect" since the family maintained the house while living elsewhere most of the time.

Like so many ancient estates, Cothele was an agricultural community and home to dozens of families who occupied the tenant farms and businesses such as the mill (above right) and the shipping center on the river (left).

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The Earliest of English Country Houses

5/11/2024

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My take, repeated from from 2018, on the Romans' contributions to the tradition of English Country Estates.

Though we often forget such ancient history in regard to Country Houses in Britain, the first ones we know of were actually from the period of Roman control beginning with the conquest in 43AD. The first Roman villa I visited was Chedworth, above, a National Trust property since the 1920's.

The Romans built in stone so like the wisest of The Three Pigs, their structures lasted for centuries, however knocked down, covered over or otherwise demolished they were. And they embellished their buildings with mosaics like these.

Above is an artist's rendition of the Chedworth villa in the fourth century from the Wikipedia site. In addition to a luxurious dwelling, it contained farm buildings, and their associated activities. Located in the Cotswold Hills in Gloucestershire, they probably raised sheep, a cash industry in Britain since time immemorial.
Below, mosaics from the Bignor Roman Villa in West Sussex, another well developed site for studying the Romano-British culture which stretched over four centuries, a very long time.

Medusa, above, and a Dolphin, below.

The Bignor Roman villa has impressive mosaics and some reconstructions of what Roman houses may have looked like nearly two thousand years ago.

The Fishbourne Roman Palace, also in West Sussex, is the largest Roman residence yet discovered in Britain, as well as being among the earliest; it dates from about 75 AD.

It has been extensively examined, and shows all the attributes the Romans developed to create central heating, running water and other conveniences forgotten for centuries thereafter.

Many other Roman sites can be visited throughout Britain. In addition to the villas, many Roman artifacts--statues, tools, jewelry and others--are in museums across the country.

There are Roman remains from the Channel coast north to Hadrian's Wall and its associated forts, erected across Britain east-west to protect from invasion by the fierce Scots.

I just can't leave this topic without a mention of a few of my other favorite Roman remnants in Britain. For example, below, fragments of the Roman Wall in London.

Photo above: By John Winfield, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3186845

Below, the Roman-style columns of the British Museum, a treasure trove of Roman artifacts -- among a few other cultures!!

Below, a Mithraic altar, coins, and a wonderful book, all from the British Museum. Click on the photos for larger versions.

Last year, I visited the remains of the Roman Amphitheater discovered during the rebuilding of the Guildhall Art Museum in the City of London.

And perhaps the most famous of the Roman remains, the bathing facilities in Bath.

Bath's Aqua Sulis was a tourist center many centuries ago, as it is today.

Above, Sulis Minerva, the goddess who united the Celtic goddess Sulis with the Roman deity Minerva, representing the healing powers of the hot springs.

I am here to endorse those healing powers -- I definitely felt better after trying out the Thermae Bath pools in modern-day Bath, A true delight! Those Romans were very clever to take the local springs and use them so wisely!

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THE FUTURE OF COUNTRY HOUSES

4/28/2024

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This post originally ran in November, 2018. I am re-posting it and several more as newly relevant to some upcoming subjects. Enjoy!!!

I recently attended a lecture by Jeremy Musson, whose many books are a constant source of delight, if a bit too heavy to carry around. However, I toted one home anyway.

I photographed Mr. Musson in 2012 at the Milwaukee Art Museum where I listened to him talk about one of his previous books (which I also bought of course) English Country House Interiors.

Mr. Musson wrote for many years for Country Life magazine and visited a large percentage of the country houses in Britain. In his new volume he partners with David Cannadine in their volume for Rizzoli and the Royal Oak Society, American affiliate of Britain's National Trust.

Mr. Cannadine's essay opening the volume explains the significance of the 1985-86 exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C. As a serendipitous coincidence, we toured this exhibition, and its catalogue has long been one of my prize possessions. I have gone on in the subsequent decades to study and visit as many Stately Homes as I can, not only in Britain but also in the U.S. and on my travels elsewhere.

The photo above, from the National Gallery's website, shows part of the installation of the exhibition featuring the marble statue Three Graces by Canova, which was purchased in 1994 from its then-owner the Duke of Bedford of Woburn Abbey. It has since been shared by its newer owners, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh.

As I page through the Treasure Houses catalogue, I am surprised and gratified at how many of the objects--paintings, sculpture, furniture, china, etc.--I have visited in situ since my first forays into the splendors of the country houses and their collections. Above is the magnificent sofa, c 1762-65, from Kedleston Hall's Drawing Room designed by Robert Adam and executed by the firm of John Linnell. Also by Linnell for an Adam-designed house are these chairs from Osterley Park.

Getting back to the The Country House, Past Present and Future, the cover picture shows us Uppark in West Sussex, a house which the National Trust painstakingly restored after a terrible fire in 1989. Below, the fire on August 30, 1989.

Fortunately, most of the furnishings, paintings and decorative arts on the ground floor were saved by brave volunteers, but the roof was destroyed and collapsed. The 17th century house not only had a heritage of fine collections and architectural significance, but it also had a fascinating history of inhabitants before it was turned over to the NT in 1954. The Trust decided to restore the house after the fire and it was re-opened in 1995 after years of careful restoration.

Fire struck again in 2015 when Clandon House, an 18th century architectural gem burned. Again, many of the furnishings were saved and the NT has begun restorations. The picture on the right shows the house as it was when we visited a few years before the fire.

Before I wander off topic a bit again, as I do so often, come with me briefly to Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire. The first time I visited, shortly after the 1995 TV version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was shown in the U.S., the version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, the House was exhibiting a selection of the costumes from the film.

After looking at the costumes, we enjoyed all the attraction of the lovely old house, assisted by the usually voluble and patient volunteers for the NT. However, when we reached the Red Room, a handsome bedchamber, we ran into a curmudgeon. "Ooh," we exclaimed. "This is the room where Mr Darcy changed his coat!" The volunteer guide was downright offended. "Madam!" he huffed. "This was the bedroom of Queen Adelaide!"

We apologized and heard this story. After the death of King William IV in 1837, his widowed queen spent several years traveling among country houses away from the Court. Though Queen Victoria was sincerely fond of her aunt Adelaide, apparently the Duchess of Kent resented her influence. So she politely stayed away.

This little story illustrates two points. First, even when run by the National Trust, they can use the income from films and TV, no matter if it annoys their volunteers.

Secondly, the families and individuals associated with these houses are often more interesting then the estates themselves.

In the volume ostensibly the subject of this blog, Jeremy Musson and his essayists discuss many topics associated with the study and enjoyment of country houses. not the least of them the 'Downton Effect.' As he notes, the country house 'business' has never been better. Building on books and films such as Brideshead Revisited, the Jane Austen phenomenon, and so forth, we are all captivated by the stories, whether real or fictional, of life in stately homes, whether above or below stairs. For further captivation, I highly recommend a comfy chair, a cup of tea, and an afternoon (or several) devoted to reading and gazing at The Country House, Past, Present and Future.

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Winston Churchill's sesquicentennial birthday

Small Artifacts from The Cleveland Art Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Queen Mary's Dolls' House Turns 100

My Novella Cover: Mother of the Bride

The Sad Story of Wanstead House

Visiting Montacute House

The Finest, Oldest Country Houses: Many Belonged to Women

The Earliest of English Country Houses

THE FUTURE OF COUNTRY HOUSES

Victoria Hinshaw, Author

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