The Bloomsbury Group

The Bloomsbury Group and all that (Part 3)

Gate leading from Berwick Church which to me shouts an invitation!

Apologies for the delay in posting the final part of this trip. I have had a really busy week.

I left you as we departed Berwick Church, and headed to Bateman’s, the home of Rudyard Kipling.

This was an added bonus for me because though it has nothing to do with The Bloomsbury Group, it did play into my other passion – The Pre-Raphaelites, who I have written about a few times before on my blog. Rudyard Kipling’s aunt Georgiana Burne-Jones, nee McDonald, was married to Edward Burne-Jones, great friend of William Morris. The Burne-Jones and Kiplings had houses in Rottingdean in Sussex for a time.

However, Rudyard Kipling liked his privacy and wanted to escape his fame, and found Bateman’s which sits in grounds of its own away from the village and even further from a station. Even so, people did sometimes venture out to the house. There is a window where his wife could peep through to see who had knocked on the door. If it was some hopeful fan, the door wasn’t opened!

The downstairs rooms of the house are quite dark and there was no electricity when the Kiplings moved in. He was one of the earliest people to have electricity installed. It also made it easier for his servants. It seems he was quite a thoughtful employer. The dining room has original leather wallpaper which has been cleaned once, but they have to be careful now as it is so delicate. Like lino, it cracks.

Around the house are photos and plaques of Rudyard’s beloved India where he was born and later worked. However, he didn’t have a very happy childhood. He and his sister were sent back to England and looked after by a married couple. The lady did not take to Rudyard and preferred his sister. He had a miserable existence, due to neglect and cruelty, until his parents returned and removed them from the house.

Rudyard Kipling and his wife had three children. Josephine died aged 6, something that affected them deeply. Their son John died in the war. Their third daughter, Elsie, eventually married, but there were never any children.

I fell in love with Rudyard Kipling’s study where he wrote It is a large room with many book shelves, and a day bed where Rudyard would often mull over things when he got stuck with his writing. There is John’s old bedroom with his football boots and hockey sticks and photos of him in his army uniform

Outside there are lovely gardens, but due to lack of time we didn’t have quite enough time to visit them all. This would be worth a second visit – I shall have to persuade a friend with a car as local transport is still infrequent and there is a long walk. He really knew what he was doing, did Kipling.

Edward Burne-Jones’ painting of the three Kipling children

Windowsill with items about May Morris, daughter of William Morris

The Orange Tree embroidered by May Morris

The final day of our trip, we started off in Eastbourne and the Towner Art Gallery. Here we spent time in the gallery’s storage facilities. Metal frames on wheels were pulled out for us to view paintings that started their original collection. At that time, they were in a different building, which was part of a museum. I remember going there years ago. Now they have their own purpose built gallery almost on the seafront. We were shown paintings by Eric Ravilious, a particularly productive Sussex artist whose paintings I much enjoy, along with other artists of the same era, including Edward Bawden. The two of them worked together on murals for Morley Collage in London, but sadly they were destroyed by bombing in the war. Edward Bawden later painted some different murals for the college which can be seen in their refectory.

The main reason we were there was to see the preparation paintings for Berwick Church by Duncan Grant and Venessa and Quentin Bell. These were stored in a box with paper between the pictures. These were spread out for us on a table so we could look at them more closely.

Last time I said I had a story to tell about one of Duncan Grant’s paintings proposed for Berwick Church. The original painting was not acceptable to the Bishop due to (a) the rather serene looking face of Jesus and (b) Jesus was totally naked – no loin cloth. Now the model for this painting had to stand in the crucifixion pose for a very long time. He was plied with alcohol and tied to an easel. Even so, it was impossible for him to keep his arms straight for any length of time, which is why the arms sag. The serene face was due to all the alcohol consumed. It was possible he was totally out of it! However, the second painting (see below) was accepted.

I have to thank various people for these snippets which came via our gallery guide, other guides, and our leader on the tour. They know their stuff. Like the fact that the name Rudyard comes from the place he was conceived.

After time in the storage room, we went into one of the galleries and through to the library and Eric Ravilious’ room. This contains various paintings and ceramics. Well worth a second visit.

We had lunch close to the sea, under a tree to shelter from the spits and spots of rain. After lunch, we headed inland to visit our last house – Farleys House, which is between Eastbourne and Bexhill. I’d only heard about this house a few months earlier and wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it was the home of Roland Penrose (Surrealist painter) and Lee Miller (photo journalist), but that was all. Well, I fell in love with house.

Sadly, no photography is allowed in the house, as it still belongs to the family, but the walls are brightly painted in yellow and light blue. In the dining room the fireplace has a beautiful wall painting by Roland of the sun and moon. The house had interesting visitors, one of whom was Picasso, and there is a tile painting of his by the Aga. Every space has something interesting to look at. Even in the hallway, paintings and sculptures fill corners and walls.

There is much I could say about the couple who lived in this house, but I would direct you to the website. When the couple moved here, Lee became interested in cooking. She sort of reinvented herself. Her past was shut away in attics which her son only found after she died. Her photography is still being collated and it is hoped that an exhibition of the photos she took after troops liberated the camps after the war will then go on show.

The garden is littered with sculptures of all kinds. Also on site is a warehouse/barn with some photographic exhibitions, Roland Penrose’ Jeep, as well as a second exhibition space, cafe and toilets.

Roland’s Jeep. He travelled around the world for several years in this

What do the Surrealists have to do with The Bloomsbury Group? Well, they came after them. It was perhaps a natural progression. Art always takes elements from a previous period and adds something new. Influences go a long way and you can often see aspects of another painter in the work of other artists. And then there are the rebellious ones!

I came home with all these images and thoughts running through my head. This holiday had been cancelled twice due to Covid. Third time lucky. It was worth the wait.

The Bloomsbury Group and all that (Part 2)

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.

Dining room – walls decorated with paint and stencils

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!

Vanessa’s bedroom surrounded by paintings of her children

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.

The Pulpit – Duncan Grant. The original paintings by Vanessa Bell of the saints were vandalised back in the 1960’s and Duncan repainted them.

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.

The Victory at Calvary – Duncan Grant (I have a story to tell you about this one next time!)

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.

Plain glass windows and some stained glass

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.

The Bloomsbury Group and all that (Part 1)

A special interest holiday on The Bloomsbury Group was a dream come true. I have long been fascinated by them, and had visited Charleston House and Monk’s House some years ago. This time there was a whole three full days touring their homes, with a few surprises thrown in.

A quick run through of main Bloomsbury Group people – Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell (her sister), Thoby Stephen (brother), Roger Fry, Duncan Grant, Clive Bell, Leonard Woolf, Lytton Strachey, E M Forster and John Maynard Keynes.

The holiday was taken with HF Holidays, a company I have used quite a few times now. They run walking holidays to suit everyone (three grades to choose from each day), trail walking, special interest/activity (railways to yoga and photography to the Bronte’s) and discovery (touring). They own their own houses in the UK, but not abroad (where they also run tours).

For this holiday I was based in West Sussex, a house called Abingworth. The first holiday I ever took with them was here, and strangely, I was given the same bedroom! On waking I’d hear the geese by the pond, which I could see from the bedroom window. This is the kind of holiday that a single person would be very welcome. Here I mean a single traveller, not single as in not married! They run special ‘solo’ weeks, but I have gone alone twice in the past on special interest holidays and soon made friends. This time I was with a friend.

What I love about HF, apart from the great houses and rooms, is that everything is included – breakfast, a packed lunch and three course dinner. There is also the famous HF quiz on a Wednesday night. Every house does the same one on the same night. Normally, there would be other evening entertainment, but due to Covid this has been suspended. Of course, if that is not your thing, you can always opt out and sit and chat, or go to your room to read.

After arriving and unpacking there was afternoon tea. Refreshments with cake and scones and a chance to meet the leaders and other holiday makers. There was a little time to kill before the evening meeting to discuss our schedule, and then dinner. So a walk around the grounds was in order. There were rabbits and mushrooms behind the hotel, and the path led up to a vantage point with the South Downs all around. The sun was going down, casting golden shadows across fields. Then it was back to the hotel.

Sissinghurst was the first stop on the first day. This was the home of Vita Sackville-West and husband, Harold. Vita and Harold had an open marriage and each had lovers. Vita boasted that she’d had fifty! One of those lovers was Virginia Woolf, the writer, who lived at Monk’s House with her husband Leonard. The lives of the Bloomsbury Group (the name comes from the London Squares where they lived) is complicated, so unless you know the group, be prepared for some confusion!

Sissinghurst was a ninety minute drive, and the beautiful house and gardens sit in Kent, near Sevenoaks. The couple bought the place when it was very run down. There had been a manor house here once, but it was badly used. Prisoners of war were held here and to stay alive they ripped up anything they could burn to keep warm. Gradually, what was left was restored. There are several buildings dotted around in the grounds, though not all were open. The tower where Vita wrote was closed due to a ceiling collapse, but I bet the view would have been spectacular.

Part of the house was accessible (no photography allowed), and the library (where I could take photos). There was also a house where the cook lived and also the teenage sons. The gardens are set out in ‘rooms’, the most famous being the white garden. I was surprised by much colour there still was at this time of year.

Like any tour, there wasn’t enough time. But there is the potential to return at a later date to spend more time in the gardens. Certainly, I’d like to come back and to visit the tower.

The second, and last visit of the day, was to Knole House, the home Vita was unable to inherit because she was a woman! This was a very different sort of house. Castle-like, it was dark inside; lots of wood, a gatehouse tower, and endless dark portraits of family going back generations.

The gatehouse tower was where one member of the family escaped to, known as the bachelor pad, and from the top there are views of the house. I should say there is also a deer park here, but again there was not enough time to walk much of the grounds.

Drop back here again for Part 2, when I shall talk about Charleston House, the main highlight of the holiday, and the main Bloomsbury home. I would urge you to use the links to the various houses where there are more photos and lots of information.