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James Lees-Milne Complete Diaries
Through Wood and Dale: Diaries, 1975-1978
This volume of James Lees-Milne's diaries sees him cope with publication of the earliest two, Ancestral Voices and Prophesying Peace. Characters include Winston Churchill re-enacting the battle of Jutland on a dinner table, and Bob Boothby's pleasure in describing the drawbacks of fame.
331 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
About the author
James Lees-Milne
80 books20 followersJames Lees-Milne (1908-1997) was an English writer and expert on country houses.
Biography
He was a noted biographer and historian, and is also considered one of the twentieth century's great diarists. He came from a family of landed gentry and grew up in Worcestershire. He attended Lockers Park Prep School, Eton and Oxford University. In 1936 he was appointed secretary of the Country House Committee of the National Trust, and he held that position until 1950 apart from a period of military service from 1939-1941. He was instrumental in the first large scale transfer of country houses from private ownership to the Trust. After resigning his full-time position in 1950 he continued his connection with the National Trust as a part time architectural consultant.
He resided on the Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire for most of his later years while working in William Thomas Beckford's library at Lansdown Crescent at Bath. He was a friend of many of the most prominent British intellectual and social figures of his day, including Nancy Mitford, Harold Nicolson (about whom he wrote a two-volume biography), and Cyril Connolly. He married Alvilde Chaplin, formerly Bridges, a prominent gardening and landscape expert, in 1951.
From 1947 Lees-Milne published a series of architectural works aimed primarily at the general reader. He was also a diarist, and his diaries were published in many volumes and were well received, in later years attracting a cult following. His other works included several biographies and an autobiographical novel.
Biography
He was a noted biographer and historian, and is also considered one of the twentieth century's great diarists. He came from a family of landed gentry and grew up in Worcestershire. He attended Lockers Park Prep School, Eton and Oxford University. In 1936 he was appointed secretary of the Country House Committee of the National Trust, and he held that position until 1950 apart from a period of military service from 1939-1941. He was instrumental in the first large scale transfer of country houses from private ownership to the Trust. After resigning his full-time position in 1950 he continued his connection with the National Trust as a part time architectural consultant.
He resided on the Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire for most of his later years while working in William Thomas Beckford's library at Lansdown Crescent at Bath. He was a friend of many of the most prominent British intellectual and social figures of his day, including Nancy Mitford, Harold Nicolson (about whom he wrote a two-volume biography), and Cyril Connolly. He married Alvilde Chaplin, formerly Bridges, a prominent gardening and landscape expert, in 1951.
From 1947 Lees-Milne published a series of architectural works aimed primarily at the general reader. He was also a diarist, and his diaries were published in many volumes and were well received, in later years attracting a cult following. His other works included several biographies and an autobiographical novel.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 23, 2019
Am reading all the diaries and I find that they are more interesting if I ignore the affectations, e.g. “How boring she is, I thought, as I watched through the open French window the insects flying,... their little bodies and diaphanous wings...I was so delighted by the multitude of them that my heart rejoiced...”
He was deeply concerned that the historic houses of England be preserved and, to his credit, had said of him at his memorial that “he was the most successful house-hunter that the National Trust has ever had.”
He was deeply concerned that the historic houses of England be preserved and, to his credit, had said of him at his memorial that “he was the most successful house-hunter that the National Trust has ever had.”
May 15, 2023
It took me about 6 weeks to get through this. That’s putting it the wrong way. I really enjoy reading this fellow’s diaries. This is the 7th one I have read. He is interesting. He met a lot of famous people (a Queen of England, a Pope) but a lot of the diary is about everyday life....his health, the weather, what he thinks about this that and the other thing. His friends are getting older and dying off and he thinks about his own demise. And as usual (as usual with his other preceding diary volumes) his descriptions of people can be hilarious. I am glad he is not around to describe me. I wouldn’t fare too well, methinks.
I took 7 pages (both sides of paper so really 14) of notes. Just scribbling down things that interested me for one reason or another. He was 67 when he started writing this volume...it’s across 3 years so he is ~ 70 years old at the end of this volume.
Just some stuff I wrote down...
• He worries about his wife getting old. “Their impermanency which hangs over couples is a glowering, lowering monster to spoil the sunlight of their love.”
• ‘If a single individual could report his experiences of death, the conduct of every human inhabitant of the globe would be influenced by it; would be different.’
• He describes a meal he had with the President of Magdalen College at Oxford University (he didn’t like it much)... ‘followed by biscuits and mousetrap cheese.’
• ‘There is no artistry in my diaries. They were just a day-to-day jumble of thoughts and recorded events.’
• An older lady, 82, has her wits about her but keeps on saying after you say something, “My dear, how lovely, how too wonderful.” She said this once after somebody said his wife died 2 weeks ago...so she said “My dear, how lovely, how too wonderful” but added “...and terrible.”
• .’..One day the Queen sat next to another bishop during luncheon. She gave the bishop a large piece of hard, coarse dog biscuit, telling him to give it to the labrador which was nuzzling the other side of him. The bishop, who was slightly deaf and very old, proceeded to gnaw it himself, with evident pain.’
I am thankful that James Lees-Milne was fastidious in keeping this diary for I am enjoying it immensely. I wish more Goodreads readers would partake of it!
These are the volumes I have read previous to this:
• Ancestral Voices, 1975
• Prophesying Peace, 1977
• Caves of Ice, 1983
• Midway on the Waves, 1985
• A Mingled Measure, 1994
• Ancient as the Hills, 1997
• Through Wood and Dale, 1998
All my ratings are 4s and 5s. I have five more volumes to go and will just start from the first one when done with the final one, because my memory sucks and because I love reading his diaries so much! I can’t stop! I run 4 days a week in the early morning and for 30 minutes before running for over a year now I partake of these diaries. So it’s part of my routine. Part of my life....
The guy has a vocabulary that is more than impressive...yeesh....some of the words I wrote down in which I was initially clueless as to what they meant (and I should say this is the guy’s diary...he is not trying to impress the reader):
• Opsimath: a person who begins to learn or study only late in life
• Matutinal: of or occurring in the morning.
• Breastsummer: a beam, girder, or lintel placed horizontally over an opening (such as a window) to support the superstructure
• Conurbation: an extended urban area, typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of one or more cities
• Orrerie: An orrery is a mechanical model of the Solar System that illustrates or predicts the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons
• Abstemious: not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking." “We only had a bottle.” “Very abstemious of you.”"
• Clerestory (windows): the upper part of the nave, choir, and transepts of a large church, containing a series of windows. It is clear of the roofs of the aisles and admits light to the central parts of the building.
• Scurf: flakes on the surface of the skin that form as fresh skin develops below, occurring especially as dandruff.
I should add that he was an expert on country houses in England (so some of the swords above are architectural)....he used to work for the National Trust and would save houses for the trust before they were demolished or sold... Truly a wonderful organization! See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...
Descriptions of people:
• He is immensely tall, bending over at the top like a question mark or a bishop’s crozier.
• ‘...handsome, but for a duckbilled platypus nose...’
I took 7 pages (both sides of paper so really 14) of notes. Just scribbling down things that interested me for one reason or another. He was 67 when he started writing this volume...it’s across 3 years so he is ~ 70 years old at the end of this volume.
Just some stuff I wrote down...
• He worries about his wife getting old. “Their impermanency which hangs over couples is a glowering, lowering monster to spoil the sunlight of their love.”
• ‘If a single individual could report his experiences of death, the conduct of every human inhabitant of the globe would be influenced by it; would be different.’
• He describes a meal he had with the President of Magdalen College at Oxford University (he didn’t like it much)... ‘followed by biscuits and mousetrap cheese.’
• ‘There is no artistry in my diaries. They were just a day-to-day jumble of thoughts and recorded events.’
• An older lady, 82, has her wits about her but keeps on saying after you say something, “My dear, how lovely, how too wonderful.” She said this once after somebody said his wife died 2 weeks ago...so she said “My dear, how lovely, how too wonderful” but added “...and terrible.”
• .’..One day the Queen sat next to another bishop during luncheon. She gave the bishop a large piece of hard, coarse dog biscuit, telling him to give it to the labrador which was nuzzling the other side of him. The bishop, who was slightly deaf and very old, proceeded to gnaw it himself, with evident pain.’
I am thankful that James Lees-Milne was fastidious in keeping this diary for I am enjoying it immensely. I wish more Goodreads readers would partake of it!
These are the volumes I have read previous to this:
• Ancestral Voices, 1975
• Prophesying Peace, 1977
• Caves of Ice, 1983
• Midway on the Waves, 1985
• A Mingled Measure, 1994
• Ancient as the Hills, 1997
• Through Wood and Dale, 1998
All my ratings are 4s and 5s. I have five more volumes to go and will just start from the first one when done with the final one, because my memory sucks and because I love reading his diaries so much! I can’t stop! I run 4 days a week in the early morning and for 30 minutes before running for over a year now I partake of these diaries. So it’s part of my routine. Part of my life....
The guy has a vocabulary that is more than impressive...yeesh....some of the words I wrote down in which I was initially clueless as to what they meant (and I should say this is the guy’s diary...he is not trying to impress the reader):
• Opsimath: a person who begins to learn or study only late in life
• Matutinal: of or occurring in the morning.
• Breastsummer: a beam, girder, or lintel placed horizontally over an opening (such as a window) to support the superstructure
• Conurbation: an extended urban area, typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of one or more cities
• Orrerie: An orrery is a mechanical model of the Solar System that illustrates or predicts the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons
• Abstemious: not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking." “We only had a bottle.” “Very abstemious of you.”"
• Clerestory (windows): the upper part of the nave, choir, and transepts of a large church, containing a series of windows. It is clear of the roofs of the aisles and admits light to the central parts of the building.
• Scurf: flakes on the surface of the skin that form as fresh skin develops below, occurring especially as dandruff.
I should add that he was an expert on country houses in England (so some of the swords above are architectural)....he used to work for the National Trust and would save houses for the trust before they were demolished or sold... Truly a wonderful organization! See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...
Descriptions of people:
• He is immensely tall, bending over at the top like a question mark or a bishop’s crozier.
• ‘...handsome, but for a duckbilled platypus nose...’
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews