Charleston Farmhouse & Berwick Church – 14th September 2006
(By Megan Claridge – italics added by her Mum)
Charleston Farmhouse is near Lewes. A lady called Vanessa Bell and a man called Duncan Grant originally lived in London, and were known as one of the Bloomsbury Group, which was a group of creative people known for their art, poetry, writing etc. Virginia Woolf (a writer and Vanessa’s sister) found the nice, peaceful house and talked about it to Vanessa and so Duncan and Vanessa moved into the Farmhouse in 1916.
Vanessa was married to a man named Clive Bell. Clive and Vanessa had two children called Julian and Quentin. Vanessa liked Julian more, but he died in the Spanish Civil War. When he died, Vanessa said that she would smile, but would never be happy again. Duncan Grant loved Vanessa, but he was bi-sexual. He had a child with her called Angelica, who was born 8 years after Quentin. Duncan was with a man called David Garnett. He (David) was 29 when Angelica was born and he decided to marry her when she was old enough. He did! Angelica was 17 when she found out that Duncan was her father. Until then she believed Clive was her father. She later wrote a book called “Deceived with Kindness”.
In Vanessa’s original bedroom (later, the library) there was a painting on her wall of a dog to guard her at night and above the window one of a cockerel to wake her in the morning.
Both Duncan and Vanessa were post-impressionist artists. Vanessa used a lot of circles in her painting.
Over the many years in the house they stencilled the wall, painted on doors and made lampshades out of old clothes. Duncan Grant’s mother, Ethel, made tapestry cushions, seat covers and a carpet. Vanessa and Duncan designed material for curtains. Some of which was reproduced by Laura Ashley when the house was refurbished. (The Charleston Trust was a charity set up in 1980, to restore and maintain the home, for the benefit of the public.) Everything was recycled. Quentin made pottery lampshades and a lamp stand was made out of the top of a telegraph pole. The garden had a pond, sculptures and mosaics using broken crockery.
The Bloomsbury Group came from conventional Victorian backgrounds and became famous in part because of their unconventional home and lifestyle. Duncan and Vanessa were looked after for 50 years by the cook, Grace, who married the gardener. The boys went to school, but for some time they were taught at home by a governess.
During World War 2 a bomb made the stained glass windows shatter in Berwick Church and they were replaced with cheap, clear glass. Later it was decided to brighten the Church by allowing Vanessa, Duncan and Quentin to paint Biblical scenes in there. They used people they knew to act as life models.
Wow! What a lot to remember, but I hope I go again. 10/10 for the trip.
Charleston Farmhouse & Berwick Church – 14th September 2006
(By Henry Scott)
Both Duncan and Vanessa were artists. Virginia found the farmhouse for Vanessa. They were originally from London and were known as Bloomsbury. Over the many years in the house, they stencilled the walls, used art on the doors and made lampshades out of old clothes. Vanessa was married to Clive Bell. Duncan was bi-sexual and liked a man called David Garnett.
