This blog post is adapted from www.onelondonone.blogspot.com on 7/20/11, shortly
after my visit.  As long as I have been interested in English Country Houses, I have yearned to visit Penshurst Place in Kent, near Tonbridge. It was definitely worth waiting for.  Their  website is here.

On  a warm sunny day in early June, we were greeted by a local organic food  fair outside the entrance. I wanted to browse, but I was far too eager to get to  the house and gardens. From the looks of the crowd, however, they were doing a good business in eggs, meat, poultry, veggies and
ciders.

When  I took a course on English Country Houses at Oxford, one of the prime examples presented of the ancient fortified manor house was Penshurst Place.  Though
many others still exist, the Baron's Hall  (built 1341) is, according to the guidebook and my don (professor), "the best preserved example of 14th century domestic architecture in England."

This is where the members of the household lived, ate, slept -- and died. The fire pit in the center of the hall was vented through the roof, so it would have been smoky, as well as crowded, smelly, and noisy.  If danger threatened, many
more people -- farmers, shepherds, villagers -- would crowd in for
protection.  The Lord of the Manor and his family ate at the High Table on a raised dais, but probably withdrew to the Solar for most of their activities.

The  high pointed roof in the middle is the exterior of the Baron's Hall. Though the hall was originally built by Sir John de Pulteney, who incidentally was
Lord Warden of the Cinque
Ports, the enlarged house became the home of the Sidney family, various branches of which have owned it ever since.

Left, Sir Philip Sidney, National Portrat Gallery 
   Penshurst was the birthplace of Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586), one of those amazing examples of the Renaissance man: courtier, statesman, soldier, and poet, known for his honor and virtue.  There are hundreds of fascinating stories about the people who lived here, or wanted to: feuders, plotters of intrigue, scandalous characters, builders, and wastrels, as well as many government officials, country gentlemen and ladies who were sober and industrious -- and everything in between the miscreants and the gallants. The interiors of the house are fascinating, showing features from many centuries and reflecting the history of the family -- but again, there are no photos permitted. Why?  Talk about cutting off your own nose, etc.  Below, looks like somebody scanned the Long Gallery photo from the guidebook.

  
  Here's another interior, the Panelled Room, with its magnificent bed. 
    

Left, the Nether Gallery, with its collection of arms and armor, from Country Life  magazine.

Below, the  gardens at Penshurst Place are spectacular.

In the family tree of the current residents, the family of Viscount D'Isle and Dudley,  are many of the most famous names in English history: Sidney, of course;
Dudleys, Perrys,  Shelleys, Spencers, and Churchills; Dukes of
Northumberland; Lady Jane Grey; Earls of Leicester, Salisbury, Sunderland, and Bridgewater, and the Duke of Clarence, later King William IV. His daughter by the actress Dora Jordan, Lady Sophia FitzClarence, married Philip Sidney, 1st Lord L'Isle and Dudley (1800-1856). 

There are many wings of the house which are not open to tourists, but I felt quite satisfied with seeing the oldest areas, which are mpressively preserved.
       Bravo,  Viscount D'Lisle!!

On Tuesday, March 5, I met writer pals Diane Gaston and Julie Halperson at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.  We had a lot of catching up to do, but we also managed to view some outstanding art.  We saw the exhibition "Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Art and Design," which was organized by the NGA and the Tate Britain.  It is showing until May, 2013, so if you have a chance to get to Washington, don't miss it.

We also enjoyed browsing the collection of American furniture from the early nineteenth century. Shown in my picture is a Grecian couch, attributed to  John Finlay (1777-1851) and Hugh Finlay (1781-1831), created in Baltimore 1810-1830, of walnut and cherry paint and gold leaf. Above it hangs a set of botanical prints and a Girandole mirror, New York 1810-1825, white pine, wire, gesso and gold leaf, glass.

The Gaming table is possibly by Thomas Seymour (1771-1848), Boston, 1815-1820, mahogany and mahogany veneers, various marbles, ormolu (gilded brass), leather and baize (woven cloth).  Early America had some superb craftsman who turned out furniture that rivaled the best from England and the continent.

The Center Table has a frame made by Anthony Querville (1789-1856) a former Frenchman, in Philadelphia 1827-1830.  The frame is made of mahogany and mahogany veneers, brass and gold leaf with a top imported from Italy made of various marbles and semi-precious stones.

The sideboard was made and labeled by William Mills and Simeon Deming (active 1793-1798), New York; mahogany with mahogany, satinwood, and curly maple veneers and light wood inlays; brass. This sideboard was once owned by Oliver Woolcott jr. (1760-1835), Comptroller and Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington.  The looking glass was made in New York 1790-1815 of white pine, iron wire, gesso and gold leaf, glass and paint.  The platter is from China, 1800-1820, of hard paste porcelain.  A pair of decanters was made in Bristol, England, 1800-1810, of blue glass with gilt. The pair of wine coolers is Chinese, 1720-1740, of hard paste procelain. The two knife boxes are American, 1785-1895, of mahogany and mahogany veneers with wood inlay and silver. The side chairs are from New York, 1775-1899, of mahogany.

I close this little blog with two photos of the table and other furniture in the gallery, for which I neglected to record the details.  So you will have to go to the National Gallery and see for yourself!!