MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS STRAWBERRY HILL HOUSE & GARDEN...

The Lost Treasures of Strawberry Hill is a temporary (running until February 2019) exhibition staged by the trustees of the house.  Normally shown as an empty shell, the aim of the exhibition is to display some of Horace Walpole's most famous and important masterpieces in the atmospheric interiors he designed for them.

The 'Great Sale' was held in the grounds in 1842 (after the then owners, John and George Waldegrave, who were related to Walpole through the illegitimate daughter of his brother, Edward, had spent most of the family fortune) and left the house virtually stripped of its contents.  The building was bought by neighbouring St Mary's University, Twickenham, in 1923.

The curators undertook a major treasure hunt to find the collection, some of which was in public museums around the world and some hidden away in private collections.

Horatio- known as Horace- Walpole (1717-1797) was the 4th Earl of Orford and son of Sir Robert Walpole, the first British Prime Minister.  He was a politician himself, as well as an antiquarian, passionate collector and social commentator.  He was also a man of letters and wrote The Castle of Otranto (1764), which is considered to be the first Gothic novel, and which was inspired by Strawberry Hill.

Largely designed by Walpole and his group of friends, the house was Walpole's summer villa and, to use a modern-day colloquialism, his 'baby'.  Created between 1749 and 1790, it predated the Gothic Revival of the early 19th century.  He filled it with a massive collection of paintings, decorative arts, curiosities and antiquities; collecting objects not only for their beauty, but also their historical interest and the stories they told.

Horace Walpole described  Strawberry Hill as "The castle (I am building) of my ancestors."  But it was certainly not for his ancestors as he never married and died childless.  Some reports mention that he could have been homosexual, but the general consensus is that he was asexual.

Walpole, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, circa 1756-57.

It was a lovely late October day when me and my SuperDean took ourselves off to Twickenham and visited, having pre-booked.  Here is the house front, with a touch of added glare...

Walpole rebuilt the existing house in stages, in 1749, 1760, 1772 and 1776.  Gothic features such as crenellations and towers outside, and elaborate design inside were used with the intention of creating a 'gloomth'.

I loved these mini-arches.  It's possible to clamber underneath them (although I didn't give it a go!)

The side of the house...

The back, and I thought it was a pity that this tent, which acted as a visitors' reception centre, had been put up, spoiling the view.

Piece of useless information:- Whilst updating my portfolio when working as a freelance designer, I once designed a collection called 'Gloth', which is a marriage of both goth and glamour.  I am quite macabre and my college final major project was also quite Gothic, in that it was influenced by the romantic aspect of Dracula- that point where he goes to kiss his victim's neck (or so she believes) and instead goes in for the kill.

I called it 'The Seduction Metaphor' and it was inspired by this Bela Lugosi 1931 film still...

Back to main subject, and I loved this stained glass window.  They feature all over the house.

Gothic tower...

As we were a bit early, we looked around the gardens first.  It is not known what happened to the original Shell Seat.  It was recreated by Architectural Heritage using layered laminated oak strips to form the shell.  The gardens were designed to be 'riant' (cheerful), to add a touch of contrast to the gloominess of the house.

Me having an Amphitrite moment...  Or am I just being shellfish?! 😃😃😃😃

I spied these stone and iron steps, peeking through the trees.  The adjoining building is the aforementioned St Mary's University, Twickenham.

The Cedar of Lebanon.

The Lime Grove.

This was the small garden directly in front of the house, inside the wall.

We then ventured into the house, which was breathtaking BUT.... and it's a big BUT... photography, even without a flash, wasn't allowed.  I've come across this before, at other tourist attractions (notably the Brighton Pavilion) and it's something to do with conditions imposed by those lending the artefacts.  

It's something I find REALLY annoying.  I mean, what do they think I'm going to do- photograph a Hogarth, blow it up to full size, frame it and try to sell it on eBay as an original?  I don't think so!!!!

I don't really like using PDFs but, as I have no choice, here are a handful I like...

The staircase...

The Blue Bedcamber.  When I was there, this had a recreation bed in it but, outside of the exhibition, appears to be kept empty (hence the reason photographs were allowed then)...

The Blue Breakfast Room.  This had a stunning ceiling, consisting of dyed silk velvet draped upwards and held tight in the centre of the room.  It had a Turkish tent kind of feel and was added after Walpole's time.  This was probably my most favourite room...

Coming in at a close second was the Holbien Chamber.  Cardinal Wolsey's sixteenth century red cardinal's hat sat in a case in the corner...

The Gallery had paintings on display.  The house abounded with gorgeous pictures and portraits by the likes of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir Peter Lily, Anthony van Dyck and Hans Holbien, to name but a few...

The Tribune.  Many treasures were on display here as it was originally designed, in 1761, to show off various personal memorabilia.  A gold locket containing a lock of hair belonging to the youngest surviving daughter of Henry VII, Mary Tudor (1496-1533, not to be confused with Mary I, also known as Bloody Mary) is on display here.  Unfortunately, I missed seeing it!

The promotional pamphlet also mentions a 'magic mirror' used by Dr. Dee, Elizabeth I's necromancer, to conjure up the spirits.  But I didn't see it and it's not listed in the exhibition guidebook, even though a bit of Googly research tells me that this obsidian disc should sit in the Great North Bedchamber.  Oh well...

As it's quite a small house and garden (it will only take up an hour of your time) I do think that the £18 admission fee (£16 if you pre-book) was a bit steep.  Having said that, I enjoyed the exhibition immensely, although I was seriously annoyed by the no photography rule.  I would definitely return, but AFTER the exhibition is over- I saw all I had to see of these artefacts and want to take some pictures of the rooms!  

We finished our Strawberry Hill excursion with a walk back to central Twickenham through the picturesque Radnor Gardens.

Radnor House was totally destroyed by a bomb in September 1940, during World War II.  Only a few walls, indicated by commemorative stones remain, as does this summerhouse.

The gardens and the war memorial...

Views over the Thames...

I'll complete this blog with a close-up of the war memorial- quite fitting, as in eleven days' time it will be the centenary of the end of World War I.

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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FOOTPRINTS ON THE SAND by JUDITH LENNOX

FOOTPRINTS ON THE SAND

BY JUDITH LENNOX

THE BLURB:-

The Mulgraves are a rootless, bohemian family who travel the continent, staying in crumbling Italian palazzos, Spanish villas, French vineyards- belonging nowhere, picking up friends and hangers-on as they go, and moving on when Ralph Mulgrave's latest enthusiasm dwindles. Faith, the eldest child of the family, longs for a proper home. But in 1940 Germany invades France and the Mulgraves are forced to flee to England. Faith and her brother Jake go to London, while Ralph reluctantly settles in a Norfolk cottage with the remnants of his family.

In the intense and dangerous landscape of wartime London Faith finds work as an ambulance driver, and meets once again one of Ralph's retinue from those distant and, in retrospect, golden days of childhood. Through the war and its aftermath it is Faith on whom the family relies, Faith who offers support and succour, and Faith who is constant and true in her love.

THE REALITY:-

This was the second time around for me- I first read this book in late 1998, which was a bit of a difficult year as my first job in the fashion industry wasn't all it was cracked up to be- after my then-boyfriend found a proof copy in a charity shop. It was my first sojourn into the books of Judith Lennox and, since then, I've read every novel of hers that I could get my hands on. She's up there (along with Rachel Hore, Kate Morton and Katherine Webb, to name but a few) with my favourites. Incidentally (piece of useless information coming...) the proof copy had a few mistakes but, in this 'polished' copy I came across 'missed' spelt 'misssed' on page 366. Little things please little minds and all that... It was quite fitting that I picked up this book, for 50p, in a charity shop in Great Yarmouth, as part of the novel is set nearby, in north Norfolk, so I could easily relate to it, knowing this area and maybe wanting to move there.

'Judith Lennox's writing is so keenly honest it could sever heartstrings' is one reviewer quote on the back. You ain't kidding! Right near the end, the first time I read about (spoiler alert: quit now if you don't wanna know!) Ralph's last expedition, when he gazes over the marshes and reminisces about his wife, Poppy, who died right there, and later pops into nearby Cromer, then dies of a heart attack on the way home, made me cry a river. It is odd- I was in Brighton during the first day of 1999 and I'd just finished the book. I remember thinking about how that scene moved me so. Exactly six months later, my father died of a heart attack. Did I have some kind of premonition? Maybe. All I know is, I'm feeling a bit of a premonition again, but one of change rather than death...

This is one great tome and the author certainly has a fantastic vocabulary- I learnt not only some new words but also some new expressions. With (mostly) likeable characters and a timespan stretching from just after The Great War right up until 1960, and locations both in Europe and England, there is a lot for you to get your teeth into and, even knowing the story, I re-read this novel with fervour. The places of interest came alive for me, and this author has certainly done her research and knows her stuff, as every section seemed very realistic.

The first time I read this I didn't see Jake's (spoiler alert!) continuing existence coming, so that was a nice treat in a novel whose final pages were generally, quite sad and moving. But there was a lovely turn of events for Faith, who you can't help but love, and who deserves so much more than just contentment.  I hope she got her happy ending with her Guy and would like to think that if there was ever a sequel to this novel then she'd finally realise her dream of becoming a mother. It's still possible at 40- I am living proof of that!

This one will be staying in my bookcase for a while.

MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS STRANGERS' HALL...

Strangers' Hall is a museum of domestic history and dates back to the 1320s, when Ralph de Middleton owned a house on this site.  It is thought that the undercroft was built then, to store and possibly display merchandise.

It was a home to wealthy merchants, mayors and various others- including a solicitor and a dance master- when Norwich was in its heyday.  Many parts have been added to its structure since and the property now consists of an extremely interesting and eclectic maze of rooms.

It takes its name from the time of Norwich grocer and mayor, Thomas Sotherton, who resided in the house in the 16th century.  The first 'strangers' were Dutch, Walloon (French-speaking people of southern Belgium) and Flemish refugee workers, forced to flee the low countries as a result of the persecution of Dutch Calvinists by their Spanish, Catholic rulers.  The asylum seekers were weavers, and Sotherton was keen to encourage them to reside in Norwich, believing that their invaluable skills could be well-utilized.  Time would prove him correct, and they brought much prosperity to the area.  Documents survive which show that some may have lodged at Strangers' Hall.

In 1899, local solicitor Leonard Bolingbroke bought the empty and neglected building and  furnished it with his own antiques.  In 1922 he presented the museum to the City of Norwich. 

Strangers' Hall is not open all of the time (Wednesdays and Sundays) but it only costs £1.50 to visit if you pop in during the last hour.

It is a bit of a haphazard mish-mash inside, and the layout seems to have no rhyme or reason (talk about 'upstairs, downstairs and in m'lady's chamber') but it's far from boring!

You enter via the Great Hall, which was believed to have been built when mercer (cloth merchant) William Bailey lived here, in the 15th century.  Leading citizens were expected to entertain lavishly.

This is a view from the balcony, which you can see in the previous photo.

Francis Cock installed the Walnut Room in 1627.  Walnut gave furniture a richness that was much in demand at the time.  Rooms like these allow families to display their fine possessions.

I appear to have a ghostly SuperDean in this photo!

The view from the other corner...

Vain Old Tart, bedraggled from travelling that day!

Lady Paine's 17th century bedroom.  Her husband, Sir Joseph Paine, was a wealthy city hosier who lived at the hall between 1659 and 1667.  He was mayor when Norwich declared its support for Charles II, in 1660.

There is a tapestry on display at the end of the bed...

And a Vain Old Tart on display in the mirror...

The Little Bedchamber.  Perhaps this was a maid's room?  They are not quite sure.

The Great Chamber, displayed as Sir Joseph Paine's private chamber.  The floorboards are incredibly creaky- there would be no sneaking in unnoticed in this house!

Great Chamber fireplace...

Pretty knot garden view from the window...

This cabinet of jugs is on the staircase down...

The Georgian Room was installed in 1748, when Strangers' Hall became the official lodging place of Assize Judges, who regularly came to the city to attend court cases.  It is much lighter and airier than the rooms upstairs.

The view down into the knot garden from here is perhaps more picturesque.  The garden contains plants used for medicinal, culinary and textile-related uses...

The chandelier is stunning...

The Vain Old Tart is not so bad either...

The Music Room.  

The harp.  This photo is not the best, I'm afraid.  

V.O.T.

The Parlour.  Another less than brilliant photo, methinks.

The next room is decorated with display cabinets featuring children's toys...

The Victorian Nursery...

The Victorian Parlour was presided over by the mistress, and was considered to be the heart of the home.

This was labelled The Morning Room- it's perhaps my favourite room in this house (along with the Georgian Room) as it's so cute!

The Victorian Dining Room.  To our modern eyes, this probably looks cluttered, but in those times the accumulation of objects was used to show off the owner's wealth.

Full length V.O.T...

The kitchen is also called The Sotherton Room, named not after Thomas Sotherton, who I mentioned before, but Nicholas Sotherton, who was mayor of Norwich in 1539, and who lived at Strangers' Hall during this time.

The Undercroft is used today for display and educational purposes.

The Stables...

I love the 'sun' wall ornament...

Old, atmospheric stairs...

You pass these twin doors as you walk out into the garden...

...And these two windows...

To the side of the knot garden, and these plants were still flowering in October.

The church of St John Maddermarket can be seen at the top of this garden slope.

The garden and the SuperDean...

This was a mild day, but I'm going to end this blog with a photo I took the first time I visited Strangers' Hall, in May 2015.  The Mad Hatter was having a tea party in the garden and, of, course, I had to join in!

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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