England has been having their wettest spring in several years. Whatever weather pattern is in play here is causing unrelenting dampness and mud. I read in the news yesterday that farmers are behind in planting their crops because the fields are so muddy that the seeds would rot before sprouting. The asparagus crop which should be ready for market just now is delayed and probably won't be ready until the end of the month, or about three weeks later than usual. The only thing that we have seen growing right now is rapeseed which is used to make canola oil. Although canola is only one variety of rapeseed, my guess is that it is marketed as "canola" because "rapeseed" might not sell well. Fields planted with rapeseed are brilliant yellow when in flower. From a distance, the rolling hillsides are lovely.
Monday, April 9
Monday was a typically drizzly day here in southern England. We had a choice, as always, to stay in the cottage and wait out the weather or to simply just go out and make the best of it. We opted for the latter and went to Bodiam Castle, high on my list of "must-see" places.
Here's Larry and his sister, Linda.
Monday, April 9
Monday was a typically drizzly day here in southern England. We had a choice, as always, to stay in the cottage and wait out the weather or to simply just go out and make the best of it. We opted for the latter and went to Bodiam Castle, high on my list of "must-see" places.
Here's Larry and his sister, Linda.
Bodiam is a picture perfect castle, from the outside anyway.
The inside fell into ruin through disuse. It was not bombarded with cannon balls as some castles were. The remaining rooms bear witness to the activities that took place six or seven hundred years ago.
The castle, surprisingly, is a National Trust property. Usually English Heritage oversees most of the historically important outdoor spaces like ruined castles. Most of the more intact places of historical significance are maintained by the National Trust. Then, there is the Historic Houses Association which is a loose collection of privately owned manor houses, gardens and castles dotting the countryside that open up to the public on a few days a year. Highclere was one of those Historic Houses, for example; Blenheim is another.
On the grounds outside of the castle walls there were various activities available (for a separate fee). Archery was a favorite with a lot of the kids. I overheard one young lad tell his mother that he wanted to go shoot the archer. His mother said, "no, you shoot the arrow, not the archer". Another area was set up for falconry. A willing participant could don a falconers glove and have an owl perch on it for a few minutes, perhaps three or four minutes, for a cost of 5 pounds. That seemed steep to me (about $7.00).
Falcons were a very important part of medieval life. They were used for catching smaller birds midair. This was a lot more effective than trying to shoot them out of the air with arrows.
Falcons and other birds of prey were also used as fashion statements. Everyone except the poor kept birds and carried them around with them whenever they went out of the house. Middle class and upper class ladies carried them about on their arms like one might carry a toy poodle in a basket. Even nuns, not known for luxuries, carried them into chapel until the birds became such a problem that they were banned.
After leaving Bodiam, we drove to Rye which is nearby. Rye was a major port city during medieval times, sitting on the River Rother. Over the centuries, the river silted up and now it is about the size of a canal. The riverbank became very fertile farmland.
There are many 15th and 16th Century buildings still standing (or leaning) there today, and still being used for approximately the same purpose. This one, called the Thomas House, is currently a B&B. Considering its size, it was probably built as an inn.
We stopped in to the cathedral (officially St Mary's Parish Church) while on our walk through the old city. It has very nice stained glass windows, though not as spectacular as some that we have seen.
The city still has quite a bit of wall surrounding it. I remember that on our 1985 visit, I had never seen a walled city before (well, except for Quebec), so I was really impressed by the city gates. I remember just standing there and gazing at one that must have been the main gate to the city. It seemed rather spectacular to me. This one was more of a "back door" type of gate.
Tuesday, April 10
On Tuesday, we drove quite a long distance to a National Trust house called Standen House. The family that had it built was called Beale, the designer who furnished the house was William Morris (remember him from our London visits?), the architect who designed it was called Philip Webb (friend and colleague of Morris), the name of the town that the house is in is called East Grinstead. So, where did the name Standen come from? The normally very well informed volunteers were stumped. As we were going around the house, the volunteers were on a search for the origin of the name of the house and upon our return to the entrance/exit, they told me that no one knew! Their best guess was that the name derived from the name of the general area. I was astonished that apparently no one had ever asked that question before.
As I said, the house was decorated by Morris & Co, my favorite designer. His designs for wallpapers and fabrics are still commercially popular today and still available from his company. Having seen Morris' childhood home (now the Morris Gallery in London), his first house (The Red House in Bexley Heath), and his later summer house (Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire), I was eager to see what he did for other people's homes and this was a prime example.
Standen House was built in the early 20th Century to reflect the Arts and Crafts aesthetic promulgated by Morris, Rossetti (the artist), and Webb (the architect) among others. With its clean lines and simplified look, it was a direct response to the stuffy, ornate, overly decorated Victorian fashion.
The house was originally built as a summer retreat for the James and Margaret Beale family, while maintaining their primary residence in London. Over the years, as Mr. Beale got older, he preferred to live at Standen and spent less and less time in London. As a very successful businessman he could run his business from his summer home with no apparent detriment.
As you can see from the gray sky, it was not a great day.
The gardens were nicely landscaped. The daffodils were still in full bloom and the early tulips were just opening, neither of which are evident in this photo. I imagine that in summer, there are lovely flowers everywhere.
The house had a very comfortable, cozy feel to it with smallish rooms that did not feel overwhelming.
The solarium was a nice touch. It brought the outside in and provided a lovely view of the gardens.
Wednesday, April 11
On Wednesday morning, we went to a nearby village, just about three or four miles away, to Small Hythe, another National Trust property.
Small Hythe (also the name of the village) was the summer home of the Victorian/Edwardian actress, Ellen Terry. She and Sara Siddons were the two most famous (and wealthiest) actresses of their time. The Terry family were like the Barrymores of their era. And, being that Terry was an actress at that time, she led a rather unconventional life. She was married three times, but had her two children by someone else. For whatever reason, history seems unaware of the father. Her family reacted to her first pregnancy by never speaking to her again. I was surprised to hear this because at that time, actors were thought to be of looser morals than the general public, let's say. They were popular, but not held up as a model of how one should live one's life.
Small Hythe is a late 15th or early 16th Century building, probably built as a pub/inn. At the time, the river went through Small Hythe and there was considerable maritime activity there, including boat building. Although a small village, it would have been a thriving community. At some point, the river silted up and also there was a major fire in the village. Those two events seemed to signal the end of the "thriving" part of the village. Only a few buildings remain, including this one.
Inside of the house, there is evidence of its having been added to periodically: the floors are not all at the same height and the style varies a little.
During her time using this house, Terry never put in plumbing or electricity (the British refer to them as "modcons" which I take to mean "modern conveniences"). In back of the house, a medieval barn was converted to make a smallish theater where friends would come to put on plays in the summer. It is still used for that purpose. It has this thatched roof on part of the barn and a traditional tile roof on another part. I am not sure which was the original part and which was the part that they added.
The former bedrooms have been transformed into a museum of her theater days. She had possession of many of her costumes, especially from her more famous roles. This one was her Lady Macbeth costume, famous for its iridescent beetle wings sewn into the crocheted webbing.
John Singer Sargent painted this portrait of her wearing the costume.
In the afternoon, we went to the town of Battle. This is the place that changed the history of England in 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy invaded England and overtook the army of Harold, King of the Saxons in a bloody all-day battle (most battles were settled in just a couple of hours) that left everyone on the Saxon side dead on the field and the Duke victorious. This took place on October 14. By Christmas Day, William had gone to London and been crowned King William I, known to all as William the Conqueror.
As the new King of England, William was keen to know how many people he ruled and what did they own that was taxable. Thus, the Domesday Book which recorded every person and their property in the year 1086. This is the first known census survey in England.
There wasn't much to photograph at the battle site itself, because it is just a grassy meadow. But one can imagine from the descriptions of the battle what the day must have been like. The Saxons coming down the hill to meet the advancing Normans on the low ground. One would think that the Saxons would have had the upper hand in this, but they were exhausted from a recent battle 250 miles away and their long march to get to Battle. They were in no condition to fight for their country's future.
As penance for slaughtering several thousand Saxons, William I was instructed by the Pope to build an abbey on the battle site. Starting out as a rather humble place, it gradually grew and grew to a center of religious/political (they were same after all) importance until Henry VIII decided to break from the Pope. Havoc ensued for most monasteries. Facing unpleasantness from the king, the friars gave up their abbey and left the premises.
All that is left of the friars' buildings is this ruin which would have been their all-purpose building for sleeping, eating, praying and working.
The abbot's house, which was like a mini-palace was all that was still standing. It is currently used as a school and is not open to the public.
Thursday, April 12
Although Thursday was another dreary, drizzly day, it was a day that I was looking forward to because it was the day that we were going to Knole. On our last trip to Kent, in 2014, we ran out of time to see Knole and I regretted it. Knole was the home of the Sackville-West family. Their daughter was Vita Sackville-West, the famous author (about whom I know almost next to nothing and am not interested enough to find out).
This is one of the larger homes in England, on par with the magnificent Petworth. Unfortunately, there are no photos allowed anywhere inside of the building.
So, all I have to offer are photos of the exterior on a gray, soggy day.
Because the house is undergoing a massive conservation plan, not much of the house was open -- only five public rooms. Also, the current Sackville-West family still maintains an "apartment" there. I imagine that the apartment is about the size of a small castle. They are not particularly keen on having the public photograph "their" furnishings. However, since they gave the house (and presumably all of its furnishings and art) to the National Trust, it seems unlikely that any of the furnishings in the public part of the house really belong to them any longer. Well, no bother; it was too dark in the house to take photos anyway.
To me, the most interesting part of the house was one of the barns where the conservation is being done. Conservation rooms are almost never open to the public, but this one was -- from a respectable distance. Again, the family did not allow any photographs, so those pictures will remain in my mind.
I can say that we watched as a woman was painstakingly re-gilding the legs of an 18th Century stool from the ballroom. It was gleaming, although just a tad ostentatious.
Friday, April 13
We had been to Battle the day before, and since Battle and Hastings are forever tied together because the Battle of Hastings was actually fought on the ridge in Battle, we thought that we should have a look at the town.
It turned out that Hastings is a favorite summer play place for the British, but it did not appeal to any of us. It reminded us of Brighton or any of those other beach communities on the southern coast of England. They are almost all Victorian in architecture, but rather crammed together as beach towns often are.
We drove along the quay for about three miles or so and then turned back to go to the older part of town where the fishing industry still maintains a presence. We needed lunch, so a chips place was just the ticket. We had a few from which to choose.
These are the rather distinctive fish houses where the fishermen store their gear. I would guess that they leave some of the upper doors open to air them out. However, the seagulls find their way in easily and have their pick of the scraps left in the nets.
Near the water, we saw these strange looking nets. I've never seen any quite like them. I wondered what might be caught in them. I would think some kind of fish, as opposed to shellfish. They look like they might be dragged through the water and not tied to buoys.
There is a sharp cliff, similar to the cliffs at Dover, but not of chalk. To get to the top, one can take a tram from this station. You can see the cars there, one almost at the bottom and the other almost at the top.
One thing of note before we leave Hastings:
Now, who would have thought there would be a competition for the best loo!
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After lunch and a walk about, we drove to a house in Great Dixter which is both the name of the town and lacking a better name, the name of the property as well. This is a privately held property, not part of either the National Trust or English Heritage, but part of Historic Houses Association (that group of private houses that are open to the public).
This house is actually a reconstruction of two late 15th Century/early 16th Century houses, joined together in the middle by an early 20th century middle portion made from salvaged buildings.
This house was reconstructed by the famous architect, Edwin Lutyens, who you might remember was the man who reconstructed the cottage that we rented in the Cotswolds, and also the man who designed the new capital of India, New Delhi. Every famous architect has a definable style. For Lutyens, it was the construction and/or reconstruction of medieval buildings. He was part of the Arts and Crafts movement that, after the excess of Victoriana, wanted to bring back the simpler lines of previous eras. He and the Pre-Raphaelites were smitten with the medieval castles, tapestries, arched doorways and gothic multi-paned windows. Therefore, this type of project of putting two medieval buildings together, joined by a new building designed to blend with the other two was right up his alley.
The result is wonderful. He removed all of the Elizabethan "improvements"; i.e., a second floor in the great hall and the windows. He found pieces of buildings (fireplaces, windows, door frames) that were about to be torn down and fitted them into houses that he was working on at the time. He had such a good eye that everything fits in perfectly and looks like it is original.
This part of the house was originally there on the property and the other part of the house which is not so readily seen was taken apart, board by board and reconstructed.
We were only able to see this end of the house because the addition is currently in use for gardening interns and visiting students.
I gather that the family that had this project done was a bit eccentric. The last member of the family to live there (a confirmed bachelor) left it to a foundation with the proviso that it be actually used and not just kept as a museum. That is why there are students, visiting scholars and interns rotating through.
I really loved this building because although true to its pre-Tudor roots, it was furnished to make it comfortable for modern life. There was a range of furniture from medieval originals to very modern. All of it was apparently used by the family and is still currently used by the people lodging there when tourists are not around.
A major focus of the house is the gardens which are lovely even at this time of the year. To augment the bulbs planted, there are hundreds of potted plants, just brought into bloom, all around the house. Everyone who walked through the garden gate gasped at the sight of all of the gorgeous flowers amassed on terraces.
The attached farm produced hops at one time for the beer industry. Larry was thrilled to have the opportunity to go into a hops barn and oast house where the hops were dried. Here are some of his photos. For whatever reason, I forgot to take photos.
I was mid-sentence in that photo!
Friday was the 13th. And, in true fashion, it was not a great day. We very much enjoyed our excursions, but alas, I had yet another flat tire. The roads here in England are full of deep potholes which are now filled with water. It is impossible to figure out which ones will be deep and which ones are just little blips. I was not aware of hitting a pothole, but sure enough after a few miles we detected an unwanted noise. When I got out to investigate, there was a hole in the rear tire. I was not pleased because based on my prior experience, I knew that we were in for an unpleasant experience. The tow truck came rather quickly, but the tire shop was now closed for the weekend. This was not good.
Our entire Saturday was filled with this car problem. After a stressful 24 hours, we had the car towed to Gatwick, no charge to us, and got a replacement car on Saturday. The problem was that we had to get to Gatwick to pick it up. In the end everything was made good. I had to pay for two tires because not only was the rear punctured, but there was damage to the front and I guess that they couldn't rent it again with a damaged tire. But, the upside was that customer service at Gatwick was helpful and basically realized that I was in a pickle. As a peace offering, I got an automatic transmission. Normally, I would pooh-pooh the need for an automatic, though my own car is an automatic. But I can drive a manual as well as anyone. Except that the manuals here are 6-speed. With the winding roads here (none of them are the least bit straight except the large motorways), and they go up and down hills while winding, there is constant shifting going on. NOT FUN! I willingly accepted the automatic and drove off. Every now and then, I still put my foot down for the clutch, forgetting that I don't have to. Just like when I return to the US later this week, I will still be trying to drive on the left side of the road.
Sunday, April 15
While last-minute folks in the US were anxiously filling out their tax forms, we were off on a beautiful sunny day to a place called Hever Castle, about an hour and a half away.
Hever Castle is currently owned by a corporation that maintains and operates it. And, they do a bang up job of it. The new out buildings are well placed, the grounds are beautiful, the staff (not volunteers) is courteous and knowledgeable, and most of all (since no one lives there) most of the rooms are open.
This place is gorgeous and so worth the drive at a time when after seven weeks here I am getting tired of driving.
First off, there is a moat:
Then there were the gardens:
Then there was the stonework imported from Italy:
Then there the portraits of Tudor royalty (copies because the originals are probably in the National Portrait Gallery):
In one room, there was a portrait of Henry VIII (above) with corresponding portraits of all of his six wives.
And, here is a portrait of John Jacob Astor who began the Astor family fortune, grandfather of William Waldorf Astor who bought the castle in 1903 and restored it.
And, here are some photos of the interior:
Astor also had additional housing built to resemble a village attached to the castle. Presumably these were for his many guests, as he liked to entertain. Now I believe that they are rental cottages. Larry told me that he read that there were a hundred rooms between them. Probably they are divided up differently now.
Every castle that we saw that had a mote also had carp. Some of them were much more than a foot long and looked like they would easily top 5 pounds.
This moat also had a resident swan. Just one it seems.
This house was owned by Anne Boleyn's (originally spelled Bullen) family and she grew up there. Later, when she was a Lady-in-Waiting to Catherine of Aragon, Henry's first wife, she moved back to Hever House for a time. Henry was busy declaring his love for her while still married to Catherine and Anne thought that they needed a little space between them. Being an ambitious sort of a girl, she didn't let it go, though. She continued to correspond with him declaring that she would be honored to accept his love. That just made Henry's heart grow fonder, and well, now we have the Church of England.
When Henry VIII was married to Anne, he and Anne spent time here away from court. Court must have been a rather cutthroat, dangerous, unpleasant or just generally stressful place to be because it seems that everyone of royalty tried to retreat from it.
The oldest part of the castle is from 1280 and ever since it has been added to and remodeled, as is usually the case.
This particular castle was in a great state is disrepair in the late 19th Century when William Waldorf Astor bought it and spent $10M to repair it and make it liveable. Of course, a lot of the money went to digging a lake and building acres upon acres of gardens.
I would say that he did a magnificent job of making this house a comfortable home. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves grand houses. It's grand, but it's also cozy. I loved it.
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The inside fell into ruin through disuse. It was not bombarded with cannon balls as some castles were. The remaining rooms bear witness to the activities that took place six or seven hundred years ago.
The castle, surprisingly, is a National Trust property. Usually English Heritage oversees most of the historically important outdoor spaces like ruined castles. Most of the more intact places of historical significance are maintained by the National Trust. Then, there is the Historic Houses Association which is a loose collection of privately owned manor houses, gardens and castles dotting the countryside that open up to the public on a few days a year. Highclere was one of those Historic Houses, for example; Blenheim is another.
On the grounds outside of the castle walls there were various activities available (for a separate fee). Archery was a favorite with a lot of the kids. I overheard one young lad tell his mother that he wanted to go shoot the archer. His mother said, "no, you shoot the arrow, not the archer". Another area was set up for falconry. A willing participant could don a falconers glove and have an owl perch on it for a few minutes, perhaps three or four minutes, for a cost of 5 pounds. That seemed steep to me (about $7.00).
Falcons were a very important part of medieval life. They were used for catching smaller birds midair. This was a lot more effective than trying to shoot them out of the air with arrows.
Falcons and other birds of prey were also used as fashion statements. Everyone except the poor kept birds and carried them around with them whenever they went out of the house. Middle class and upper class ladies carried them about on their arms like one might carry a toy poodle in a basket. Even nuns, not known for luxuries, carried them into chapel until the birds became such a problem that they were banned.
After leaving Bodiam, we drove to Rye which is nearby. Rye was a major port city during medieval times, sitting on the River Rother. Over the centuries, the river silted up and now it is about the size of a canal. The riverbank became very fertile farmland.
There are many 15th and 16th Century buildings still standing (or leaning) there today, and still being used for approximately the same purpose. This one, called the Thomas House, is currently a B&B. Considering its size, it was probably built as an inn.
We stopped in to the cathedral (officially St Mary's Parish Church) while on our walk through the old city. It has very nice stained glass windows, though not as spectacular as some that we have seen.
The city still has quite a bit of wall surrounding it. I remember that on our 1985 visit, I had never seen a walled city before (well, except for Quebec), so I was really impressed by the city gates. I remember just standing there and gazing at one that must have been the main gate to the city. It seemed rather spectacular to me. This one was more of a "back door" type of gate.
Tuesday, April 10
On Tuesday, we drove quite a long distance to a National Trust house called Standen House. The family that had it built was called Beale, the designer who furnished the house was William Morris (remember him from our London visits?), the architect who designed it was called Philip Webb (friend and colleague of Morris), the name of the town that the house is in is called East Grinstead. So, where did the name Standen come from? The normally very well informed volunteers were stumped. As we were going around the house, the volunteers were on a search for the origin of the name of the house and upon our return to the entrance/exit, they told me that no one knew! Their best guess was that the name derived from the name of the general area. I was astonished that apparently no one had ever asked that question before.
As I said, the house was decorated by Morris & Co, my favorite designer. His designs for wallpapers and fabrics are still commercially popular today and still available from his company. Having seen Morris' childhood home (now the Morris Gallery in London), his first house (The Red House in Bexley Heath), and his later summer house (Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire), I was eager to see what he did for other people's homes and this was a prime example.
Standen House was built in the early 20th Century to reflect the Arts and Crafts aesthetic promulgated by Morris, Rossetti (the artist), and Webb (the architect) among others. With its clean lines and simplified look, it was a direct response to the stuffy, ornate, overly decorated Victorian fashion.
The house was originally built as a summer retreat for the James and Margaret Beale family, while maintaining their primary residence in London. Over the years, as Mr. Beale got older, he preferred to live at Standen and spent less and less time in London. As a very successful businessman he could run his business from his summer home with no apparent detriment.
As you can see from the gray sky, it was not a great day.
The gardens were nicely landscaped. The daffodils were still in full bloom and the early tulips were just opening, neither of which are evident in this photo. I imagine that in summer, there are lovely flowers everywhere.
The house had a very comfortable, cozy feel to it with smallish rooms that did not feel overwhelming.
The solarium was a nice touch. It brought the outside in and provided a lovely view of the gardens.
Wednesday, April 11
On Wednesday morning, we went to a nearby village, just about three or four miles away, to Small Hythe, another National Trust property.
Small Hythe (also the name of the village) was the summer home of the Victorian/Edwardian actress, Ellen Terry. She and Sara Siddons were the two most famous (and wealthiest) actresses of their time. The Terry family were like the Barrymores of their era. And, being that Terry was an actress at that time, she led a rather unconventional life. She was married three times, but had her two children by someone else. For whatever reason, history seems unaware of the father. Her family reacted to her first pregnancy by never speaking to her again. I was surprised to hear this because at that time, actors were thought to be of looser morals than the general public, let's say. They were popular, but not held up as a model of how one should live one's life.
Small Hythe is a late 15th or early 16th Century building, probably built as a pub/inn. At the time, the river went through Small Hythe and there was considerable maritime activity there, including boat building. Although a small village, it would have been a thriving community. At some point, the river silted up and also there was a major fire in the village. Those two events seemed to signal the end of the "thriving" part of the village. Only a few buildings remain, including this one.
Inside of the house, there is evidence of its having been added to periodically: the floors are not all at the same height and the style varies a little.
During her time using this house, Terry never put in plumbing or electricity (the British refer to them as "modcons" which I take to mean "modern conveniences"). In back of the house, a medieval barn was converted to make a smallish theater where friends would come to put on plays in the summer. It is still used for that purpose. It has this thatched roof on part of the barn and a traditional tile roof on another part. I am not sure which was the original part and which was the part that they added.
The former bedrooms have been transformed into a museum of her theater days. She had possession of many of her costumes, especially from her more famous roles. This one was her Lady Macbeth costume, famous for its iridescent beetle wings sewn into the crocheted webbing.
John Singer Sargent painted this portrait of her wearing the costume.
In the afternoon, we went to the town of Battle. This is the place that changed the history of England in 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy invaded England and overtook the army of Harold, King of the Saxons in a bloody all-day battle (most battles were settled in just a couple of hours) that left everyone on the Saxon side dead on the field and the Duke victorious. This took place on October 14. By Christmas Day, William had gone to London and been crowned King William I, known to all as William the Conqueror.
As the new King of England, William was keen to know how many people he ruled and what did they own that was taxable. Thus, the Domesday Book which recorded every person and their property in the year 1086. This is the first known census survey in England.
There wasn't much to photograph at the battle site itself, because it is just a grassy meadow. But one can imagine from the descriptions of the battle what the day must have been like. The Saxons coming down the hill to meet the advancing Normans on the low ground. One would think that the Saxons would have had the upper hand in this, but they were exhausted from a recent battle 250 miles away and their long march to get to Battle. They were in no condition to fight for their country's future.
As penance for slaughtering several thousand Saxons, William I was instructed by the Pope to build an abbey on the battle site. Starting out as a rather humble place, it gradually grew and grew to a center of religious/political (they were same after all) importance until Henry VIII decided to break from the Pope. Havoc ensued for most monasteries. Facing unpleasantness from the king, the friars gave up their abbey and left the premises.
All that is left of the friars' buildings is this ruin which would have been their all-purpose building for sleeping, eating, praying and working.
The abbot's house, which was like a mini-palace was all that was still standing. It is currently used as a school and is not open to the public.
Thursday, April 12
Although Thursday was another dreary, drizzly day, it was a day that I was looking forward to because it was the day that we were going to Knole. On our last trip to Kent, in 2014, we ran out of time to see Knole and I regretted it. Knole was the home of the Sackville-West family. Their daughter was Vita Sackville-West, the famous author (about whom I know almost next to nothing and am not interested enough to find out).
This is one of the larger homes in England, on par with the magnificent Petworth. Unfortunately, there are no photos allowed anywhere inside of the building.
So, all I have to offer are photos of the exterior on a gray, soggy day.
Because the house is undergoing a massive conservation plan, not much of the house was open -- only five public rooms. Also, the current Sackville-West family still maintains an "apartment" there. I imagine that the apartment is about the size of a small castle. They are not particularly keen on having the public photograph "their" furnishings. However, since they gave the house (and presumably all of its furnishings and art) to the National Trust, it seems unlikely that any of the furnishings in the public part of the house really belong to them any longer. Well, no bother; it was too dark in the house to take photos anyway.
To me, the most interesting part of the house was one of the barns where the conservation is being done. Conservation rooms are almost never open to the public, but this one was -- from a respectable distance. Again, the family did not allow any photographs, so those pictures will remain in my mind.
I can say that we watched as a woman was painstakingly re-gilding the legs of an 18th Century stool from the ballroom. It was gleaming, although just a tad ostentatious.
Friday, April 13
We had been to Battle the day before, and since Battle and Hastings are forever tied together because the Battle of Hastings was actually fought on the ridge in Battle, we thought that we should have a look at the town.
It turned out that Hastings is a favorite summer play place for the British, but it did not appeal to any of us. It reminded us of Brighton or any of those other beach communities on the southern coast of England. They are almost all Victorian in architecture, but rather crammed together as beach towns often are.
We drove along the quay for about three miles or so and then turned back to go to the older part of town where the fishing industry still maintains a presence. We needed lunch, so a chips place was just the ticket. We had a few from which to choose.
These are the rather distinctive fish houses where the fishermen store their gear. I would guess that they leave some of the upper doors open to air them out. However, the seagulls find their way in easily and have their pick of the scraps left in the nets.
Near the water, we saw these strange looking nets. I've never seen any quite like them. I wondered what might be caught in them. I would think some kind of fish, as opposed to shellfish. They look like they might be dragged through the water and not tied to buoys.
There is a sharp cliff, similar to the cliffs at Dover, but not of chalk. To get to the top, one can take a tram from this station. You can see the cars there, one almost at the bottom and the other almost at the top.
Now, who would have thought there would be a competition for the best loo!
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After lunch and a walk about, we drove to a house in Great Dixter which is both the name of the town and lacking a better name, the name of the property as well. This is a privately held property, not part of either the National Trust or English Heritage, but part of Historic Houses Association (that group of private houses that are open to the public).
This house is actually a reconstruction of two late 15th Century/early 16th Century houses, joined together in the middle by an early 20th century middle portion made from salvaged buildings.
This house was reconstructed by the famous architect, Edwin Lutyens, who you might remember was the man who reconstructed the cottage that we rented in the Cotswolds, and also the man who designed the new capital of India, New Delhi. Every famous architect has a definable style. For Lutyens, it was the construction and/or reconstruction of medieval buildings. He was part of the Arts and Crafts movement that, after the excess of Victoriana, wanted to bring back the simpler lines of previous eras. He and the Pre-Raphaelites were smitten with the medieval castles, tapestries, arched doorways and gothic multi-paned windows. Therefore, this type of project of putting two medieval buildings together, joined by a new building designed to blend with the other two was right up his alley.
The result is wonderful. He removed all of the Elizabethan "improvements"; i.e., a second floor in the great hall and the windows. He found pieces of buildings (fireplaces, windows, door frames) that were about to be torn down and fitted them into houses that he was working on at the time. He had such a good eye that everything fits in perfectly and looks like it is original.
This part of the house was originally there on the property and the other part of the house which is not so readily seen was taken apart, board by board and reconstructed.
We were only able to see this end of the house because the addition is currently in use for gardening interns and visiting students.
I gather that the family that had this project done was a bit eccentric. The last member of the family to live there (a confirmed bachelor) left it to a foundation with the proviso that it be actually used and not just kept as a museum. That is why there are students, visiting scholars and interns rotating through.
I really loved this building because although true to its pre-Tudor roots, it was furnished to make it comfortable for modern life. There was a range of furniture from medieval originals to very modern. All of it was apparently used by the family and is still currently used by the people lodging there when tourists are not around.
A major focus of the house is the gardens which are lovely even at this time of the year. To augment the bulbs planted, there are hundreds of potted plants, just brought into bloom, all around the house. Everyone who walked through the garden gate gasped at the sight of all of the gorgeous flowers amassed on terraces.
The attached farm produced hops at one time for the beer industry. Larry was thrilled to have the opportunity to go into a hops barn and oast house where the hops were dried. Here are some of his photos. For whatever reason, I forgot to take photos.
Friday was the 13th. And, in true fashion, it was not a great day. We very much enjoyed our excursions, but alas, I had yet another flat tire. The roads here in England are full of deep potholes which are now filled with water. It is impossible to figure out which ones will be deep and which ones are just little blips. I was not aware of hitting a pothole, but sure enough after a few miles we detected an unwanted noise. When I got out to investigate, there was a hole in the rear tire. I was not pleased because based on my prior experience, I knew that we were in for an unpleasant experience. The tow truck came rather quickly, but the tire shop was now closed for the weekend. This was not good.
Our entire Saturday was filled with this car problem. After a stressful 24 hours, we had the car towed to Gatwick, no charge to us, and got a replacement car on Saturday. The problem was that we had to get to Gatwick to pick it up. In the end everything was made good. I had to pay for two tires because not only was the rear punctured, but there was damage to the front and I guess that they couldn't rent it again with a damaged tire. But, the upside was that customer service at Gatwick was helpful and basically realized that I was in a pickle. As a peace offering, I got an automatic transmission. Normally, I would pooh-pooh the need for an automatic, though my own car is an automatic. But I can drive a manual as well as anyone. Except that the manuals here are 6-speed. With the winding roads here (none of them are the least bit straight except the large motorways), and they go up and down hills while winding, there is constant shifting going on. NOT FUN! I willingly accepted the automatic and drove off. Every now and then, I still put my foot down for the clutch, forgetting that I don't have to. Just like when I return to the US later this week, I will still be trying to drive on the left side of the road.
Sunday, April 15
While last-minute folks in the US were anxiously filling out their tax forms, we were off on a beautiful sunny day to a place called Hever Castle, about an hour and a half away.
Hever Castle is currently owned by a corporation that maintains and operates it. And, they do a bang up job of it. The new out buildings are well placed, the grounds are beautiful, the staff (not volunteers) is courteous and knowledgeable, and most of all (since no one lives there) most of the rooms are open.
This place is gorgeous and so worth the drive at a time when after seven weeks here I am getting tired of driving.
First off, there is a moat:
Then there were the gardens:
Then there was the stonework imported from Italy:
Then there the portraits of Tudor royalty (copies because the originals are probably in the National Portrait Gallery):
In one room, there was a portrait of Henry VIII (above) with corresponding portraits of all of his six wives.
And, here is a portrait of John Jacob Astor who began the Astor family fortune, grandfather of William Waldorf Astor who bought the castle in 1903 and restored it.
And, here are some photos of the interior:
Astor also had additional housing built to resemble a village attached to the castle. Presumably these were for his many guests, as he liked to entertain. Now I believe that they are rental cottages. Larry told me that he read that there were a hundred rooms between them. Probably they are divided up differently now.
Every castle that we saw that had a mote also had carp. Some of them were much more than a foot long and looked like they would easily top 5 pounds.
This moat also had a resident swan. Just one it seems.
This house was owned by Anne Boleyn's (originally spelled Bullen) family and she grew up there. Later, when she was a Lady-in-Waiting to Catherine of Aragon, Henry's first wife, she moved back to Hever House for a time. Henry was busy declaring his love for her while still married to Catherine and Anne thought that they needed a little space between them. Being an ambitious sort of a girl, she didn't let it go, though. She continued to correspond with him declaring that she would be honored to accept his love. That just made Henry's heart grow fonder, and well, now we have the Church of England.
When Henry VIII was married to Anne, he and Anne spent time here away from court. Court must have been a rather cutthroat, dangerous, unpleasant or just generally stressful place to be because it seems that everyone of royalty tried to retreat from it.
The oldest part of the castle is from 1280 and ever since it has been added to and remodeled, as is usually the case.
This particular castle was in a great state is disrepair in the late 19th Century when William Waldorf Astor bought it and spent $10M to repair it and make it liveable. Of course, a lot of the money went to digging a lake and building acres upon acres of gardens.
I would say that he did a magnificent job of making this house a comfortable home. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves grand houses. It's grand, but it's also cozy. I loved it.
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