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Englishwoman's House
Showcasing the interior homes Mrs Laura Ashley, Isabel Colegate, Ana Ines Astor, Lady Harrod, Mrs. Brudenell, Barbara Cartland Lady Gladwyn, Lady Diana Cooper, Duchess of Devonshire, Mrs. Fielding, Christina Foyle,Viscountess Gage, and many more fine homes in England.
- GenresNonfiction
151 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
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March 1, 2016
This is a surprisingly timeless book considering it was published in 1984 with not too much trace of 80s or even 70s influence in the decoration of the houses. The contributors are a mixture of the fascinating (Laura Ashley, Barbara Cartland) to the titled but tedious. Each contributer writes her own chapter, adding to the interesting inconsistency.
Barbara Cartland's home had, of course, the most romantic of histories and even shopping for furniture seemed to be a heroic endeavour. I couldn't help but do the calculations in my mind of Barbara Cartland's assertion that "For every novel I write I read twenty to thirty history books" and later "I write between twenty and twenty-five books a year".
Surprisingly, I felt more pity than envy for these women. More often than not the houses they inherit are a terrible burden - uncomfortable money pits that they serve for their entire lives. Marian Brudenell describes her first visit to her future in-laws at Deene Park thus:
"When I first visited Deene in January 1955 it was pathetically dilapidated and horribly uncomfortable..... We were divided up into dormitories full of small iron beds with rocklike damp mattresses brought in from the stables. The sheets were grubby and I later discovered they were unwashed between visits but the top part ironed; the blankets had probably been at Balaclava and were crawling with maggots - it was like a ward at Scutari."
Deene Park is more derelict hospital than home when Brudenell and her husband inherit. The contents had been sold off in 1917 and throughout WW2 the house had been occupied by soldiers. Despite the grimness of the situation Brudenell feels no way out of the responsibility to her husband's ancestors and posterity and devotes her entire life to the task of restoring the building. Brudenell's throwaway remark, "Edmund used to get very irritated by this 'earthquaking' and always wanted everything put back by dinner", when the builders attempted to fix the structural issues of the building, further reveals her isolation in meeting these impossible expectations.
Barbara Cartland's home had, of course, the most romantic of histories and even shopping for furniture seemed to be a heroic endeavour. I couldn't help but do the calculations in my mind of Barbara Cartland's assertion that "For every novel I write I read twenty to thirty history books" and later "I write between twenty and twenty-five books a year".
Surprisingly, I felt more pity than envy for these women. More often than not the houses they inherit are a terrible burden - uncomfortable money pits that they serve for their entire lives. Marian Brudenell describes her first visit to her future in-laws at Deene Park thus:
"When I first visited Deene in January 1955 it was pathetically dilapidated and horribly uncomfortable..... We were divided up into dormitories full of small iron beds with rocklike damp mattresses brought in from the stables. The sheets were grubby and I later discovered they were unwashed between visits but the top part ironed; the blankets had probably been at Balaclava and were crawling with maggots - it was like a ward at Scutari."
Deene Park is more derelict hospital than home when Brudenell and her husband inherit. The contents had been sold off in 1917 and throughout WW2 the house had been occupied by soldiers. Despite the grimness of the situation Brudenell feels no way out of the responsibility to her husband's ancestors and posterity and devotes her entire life to the task of restoring the building. Brudenell's throwaway remark, "Edmund used to get very irritated by this 'earthquaking' and always wanted everything put back by dinner", when the builders attempted to fix the structural issues of the building, further reveals her isolation in meeting these impossible expectations.
Displaying 1 of 1 review