Could the second day of our holiday be better than the first? Oh, yes it could! Our first stop was Charleston House where Vanessa Bell lived with her two children, Julian and Quentin, as well as Duncan Grant and his lover David Garnett. Vanessa was also in love with Duncan and later had a child by him, Angelica. The girl was brought up to think she was Clive Bell’s daughter and was only told she was Duncan’s when she was about eighteen. I told you relationships were rather complicated! It gets more so because when she was born (at the house), David Garnett said that he would marry her one day. He did! I’ve bought the book Angelica wrote about growing up at Charleston. I’m sure it will be mind blowing!
The house, when they first lived here, had no running water or electricity. It was rented, and as I said in my last post, the men were conscientious objectors and moved here so they were able to work on the land. Later, the house was used mainly as a holiday home. Gradually, the group put there own touch to it by painting walls, fireplaces, doors and furniture. A studio was built on and Vanessa moved her bedroom downstairs next door to the studio.
The house is beautiful. There is so much to take in. Everywhere you turn, every room, there is something to look at. To say I love this house is an understatement. Although I have been here before, it still astounds me. The last time I came people were not allowed to take photos. This time people could, so I went a little crazy, despite a rather rushed tour because everything has to be booked in advance (due to Covid restrictions) which mean a backlog and delayed tours if we lingered too long. But linger I so wanted to do!
We were at leisure afterwards to view the garden and the galleries. I think the galleries and cafe are new additions, as I don’t remember them (there is a cafe too). There were two art exhibitions, but the one everyone wanted to see was Duncan Grant from the 1920’s. If you are interested, there is another exhibition of Duncan’s in London at the Philip Mould Gallery, and I’m going along to that next month.
I have heard that Charleston House is fully booked for the next six months. I may be wrong, but it shows how popular this house is. Enjoy the photos.
From Charleston we got back in the coach for the ten minute drive to Berwick Church. I’ve longed to go here. It was shut for some months while work was carried out, and then there was Covid. It opened again in the spring this year. Here are the murals painted by Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and Quentin Bell. Bishop Bell (no relation to Duncan) wanted to revive the art of murals in churches, most being lost during the Reformation. Duncan was approached and he put forward preparation studies for the project.
He used local people as models, as well as themselves. Angelica Bell was the model for Mary. The church was still in the harvest season with a few fruits and veg on windowsills . A lot of the stained glass windows were lost during war bombing and never replaced in case the same thing happened. The result is a lovely light church.
Earlier in the year I watched a Zoom performance from here. Words by Virginia Woolf (I think from her book Orlando) and music. While the music played the camera moved around the walls and I saw for the first time the beautiful murals. It was a very moving performance. Seeing the murals in the flesh was stunning. I’d love to return sometime.
We had one more place to visit that day – Bateman’s, the home of Rudyard Kipling. Now what had he to do with the Bloomsbury Group? Nothing, other than he was accused by Virginia Woolf (I think it was) of being imperialistic and approved of war. The Bloomsbury Group were opposites to the Victorians, who they considered hypocrites. The Victorian carried on the same things as they did, but the Victorians hid it all!
The other reason for going to Bateman’s was that Monk’s House, the home of Virginia and Leonard Woolf is only open at the weekends, so we could not visit. I have been there before, and it is worth a visit (Virginia’s writing studio is in the garden). It is only a short drive from Charleston House.
Part 3 will be up shortly when I will talk about Bateman’s and the last day of our holiday when we visit another extraordinary house.
My London+ 