MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS FENTON HOUSE...

 I've wanted to visit Fenton House after seeing it used in the television adaption of Clarissa.  Based on Samuel Richardson's novel, I first saw this mini-series in 1991 (the first time I ever cast eyes on the tasty Sean Bean, who played rogue Lovelace).  I found it on YouTube circa 2019 and re-devoured it.  I also recognised the house (its balconies are quite distinctive) in Ruth Rendell's A Dark Adapted Eye.

It almost seemed as if fate was transpiring against me- I wanted to visit for my birthday the next year, but it fell on a Saturday and the house doesn't open on Saturdays.  Then we had lockdown and it was shut for quite some time.  Then I did book but it was cancelled as the house had to close due to unforeseen circumstances.  I finally made it very recently, travelling on my own as the SuperDean didn't feel up to it.

It's only a few minutes' picturesque walk from Hampstead Tube station, and I passed the pretty Grade II listed Holly Bush pub on the walk up the hill.

We were asked to do the gardens first.  It was an hour before midday, so therefore very bright and hot.  Sunglasses were required!

The shadows cast by the topiary trees on the north side of the house make for a very attractive photo.

The statue at the end of the sun-baked lawn is a painted lead shepherd...

Looking down from the walkway to sunken garden, with its topiary box hedges and herbaceous borders...

The sunken rose garden...

Thistles growing beside the high boundary wall...

The brick mansion dates back to 1693, with that date etched on its chimney breast...

...The date is consistent with the core of the house, and most of its walls.

The view down the walkway farthest from the house.  To the left trees divide the sunken gardens from the orchard...

Sheltered loveseat at the end of the upper walk.  I did make a point of having a little sit down here!

The house was designed by William Eades, the son of a  bricklayer.  His taste was considered more artisan than architect and he used a minimum of carved stone, choosing to make warm red brick the main feature of this house, which is considered to be one of the finest in the area.

At the time large houses were being built in Hampstead for the affluent classes, as it was within close reach of London but away from the city's pollution and congestion.

Walking down into the sunken garden, and I adore the conical topiary hedge creations.

This is a rose garden, although there appeared to be other varieties of plant as well.  Seats such as this wooden one feature a lot in the garden.

Walking up curved stairs into the next garden section...

A wrought iron seat and this, I believe, is a herb garden...

There was an abundance of pretty, fragrant lavender...

The shepherd is on a Portland stone plinth, and he stands sentinel over the north lawn.

  The house was known in the early 18th century as Ostend House.

Eye-to-eye with the north side of the house, and you can get some idea of how relentless the recent weather had been from the state of the sun-baked lawn...

Ostend is a coastal city in Belgium, so the name suggests that the first owner had Flemish trading connections, and was a city merchant.

The topiary trees form the other direction, looking towards the stairs to the walkway...

Leaving the manicured gardens, and here we have another little shaded seat...

Stepping into the neighbouring orchard- is it wrong that my first thought should be of a glass of cider?!🤔

The greenhouse was too warm to stay in for long!

Watering can and some other contraption, although I don't know what it's for.  Possibly for attaching to fly spray?  It has some kind of lever.  Horticulture is not something I'm an expert on, although I enjoy wandering amongst the fruits of other people's devoted labours.😉

(Note: A bit of Googly research and Facebook questioning has revealed that it's a window opening ratchet...)

I loved the wildness of the orchard; which stood in great juxtaposition to the carefully tended sections.

Over 30 varieties of apple grow here...

I took a crab apple back home as a gift for the SuperDean!😁

I love this bucolic shot, taken from the other end of the 300-year-old orchard.  It was a boiling hot day, and I sat down on a bench for a while.

I believe this part is considered to be a kitchen garden- but with no-one living at the house it looks like it's been allowed to flourish as a flowering wilderness.  You can walk into this section, and there's another little bench to have a sit down upon.

The kitchen garden by the wall of the neighbouring property, and it looks like there might be something edible growing here...

Tin bath of water, and I'm sure it's used for irrigation, whether mechanical (there was a sprinkler on in a different part of the garden) or manual.  It looks very rustic, but just the sight of the water was cooling.

The last owner and resident of Fenton House was Katherine, Lady Binning, who bequeathed it to the National Trust in 1952.

Lady Binning had an extension added to the west end of the house.  It dates back to about 1936 and added about 5% extra to the property's size.

Lady Binning bought the house in 1936, but didn't spend much time here, even letting the previous tenant continue with their residency.

The tinkling sound of this water feature was very relaxing...

Compost heap.  We had one of these when I was a child...

Walking back, with wall-climbers to the left and the orchard to the right...

Another pretty seat as you leave the orchard...

Roses being tended in the garden...

The house takes its name from Philip Fenton, who bought the mansion in 1793.

Looking over the high-level walkway across the orchard...

Philip Fenton was born in 1731, at Hoghton Tower in Lancashire (his uncle's manor house) and grew up in Yorkshire. 

View down the high-level walkway- the sunken gardens and house are to the right...

Philip Fenton's parents were well-off, and he got even richer by being a successful Riga (the capital of Latvia) merchant, exporting Russian produce to London.

Beautiful view through the sunken gardens toward the house...

The merchant spent his retirement here, before dying in 1806.  He was responsible for much of the remodelling. 

This glorious view was my favourite photograph of the day...

Walking round to the south side of the house, and here's a shed, wheelbarrow and what looks like another straggly compost heap...

The Fenton family owned the house until roughly 1830.

This is the view down the original front path towards the gates...

This south side- with its pedimented door carried by Doric pilasters- was the original entrance, until James Fenton inherited the house in 1807...

The house's layout was originally a uniform cross shape with four equal sections, but James Fenton created a spacious dining room that ran along this side of the building by uniting the southside rooms.

Along with Lady Binning's collection of fine arts, needlework, furniture and ceramics, Fenton House also houses the Benton Fletcher Collection of historical keyboards and other musical instruments.  These were acquired by the National Trust in 1937. 

This is a Burkat Shudi harpsichord dating from 1769.

A very warm Vain Old Tart reflected in a mirror...😊

Entrance hall, with an imposing grandfather clock.  You can see up one of the sets of stairs- the other is to the right of this photo.

Downstairs room with its original marble fireplace...

A majestic bookcase sits at the other end of the room...

Ceramics inside a decorative cabinet, and I quite like the cool greenness of the bowl and platter on the table...

Window seat...

Even the downstairs rooms have closets (where chamber pots would have been kept).  It's an unusual feature, as normally closets were reserved for bedrooms! 

My favourite inside photograph- a colourful selection of snuff bottles with a partially-obscured Vain Old Tart in the background.💜

Meissen porcelain figurines.

Vain Old Tart above a small cabinet of treasures...

They are a collection of pill boxes...

La ci Darem la Mano (Don Giovanni), 1860-1942, by Walter Sickert, RA (1860-1942).

Most rooms are graced with either a piano, harpsichord, spinet, clavichord or virginal, as well as interesting furniture such as this cane and walnut chair.

The long back rest did make me think of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, though!

View out onto the garden...

All the instruments are in working order and regular concerts are held here.

This is a Jacob Kirckman 1752 harpsichord.

Posture chair...

The textile box in the cabinet is called The Judgement of Paris (17th century).

Mahogany table with extension flap...

Toby jugs...

Embroidery...

Bedroom with a huge tapestry backdrop...

Johann Hancock spinet, dated somewhere between 1700-1799. 

Blue and white vases abound...

Elegant Georgian room, and the wooden gilt mirror dates from 1765.

Corner secretion of ceramics, with larger cabinets holding more of these treasures to the right.

The glass box on top of the chest of drawers contains a ship.

Lady Binning's was certainly an avid collector of ceramics!  Another view of more of these in cabinets...

I like the contrast of the Georgian décor with the modern tower fan!

The artefacts were were nicely arranged, and each room was well-thought-out.

Another eye catching piece, and this looks like a drinking vessel, as it appears to have double handles.  Again, I like the cooling green colour (maybe that was something to do with the hot day?)

This attractive Chinese vase dates from anywhere between 1662-1722...

1735 Meissen teapot...

King James II (1633-1701) as Duke of York, aged 27, attributed to Simon Luttichuijs (1610-1661).

The embroidery is Esther and King Ahasuerus (date unknown.)

'Psyche,' a White Persian Cat, 1787, by Francis Sartorius (1734-1804).

One of the nicest features of the house was these little "closet chambers" off the main rooms- nowadays (I mean now that we no longer have to use chamber pots!) the perfect place to curl up with a good book.😊

A trio of blue and white vases- - shades of The Amazing Mr Blunden, methinks?!

Upstairs grandfather clock...

One of the two staircases, and you can see the pretty, cough candy twisted balusters...

Virginal, by Baffo (date unknown- given as anything between 1500-1699!)

We'll finish with the Vain Old Tart again, staring into a 19th century round mirror.

Fenton House gained Grade I listed status in 1950.

The east entrance- which James Fenton had created- is a colonnade between two projecting wings.

In the past it has been possible for the public to go up onto the balconies, but the top level was cordoned off when I was there, so that wasn't possible.

Nearby Whitestone Pond, with Jack Straw's Castle the white building in the background.  I was going to wander over to Hampstead Heath, maybe take a look at the zoo there and see if the butterfly house was open- but it was a very hot day, I didn't have enough water with me and was not wearing the correct shoes, so I decided to abandon that idea.

Jack Straw's Castle is named after the Peasant's Revolt leader, who is said to have taken refuge on the site before being caught and executed in 1381.  It's another Grade II listed building, existed as a pub from the early 18th century and was renovated in 1964, before being converted into flats in the early 21st century.  Apparently the building's currently empty.

I will definitely return to this lovely area as there are other houses and tourist attractions I need to visit.

But, until then,

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous.

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I INVITED HER IN by ADELE PARKS

 I INVITED HER IN

BY ADELE PARKS

THE BLURB:-

Imagine the worst thing a friend could ever do. THIS IS WORSE.

When Mel receives an unexpected email from her oldest friend Abi, it brings back memories she thought she had buried forever. Their friendship belonged to the past. To those carefree days at university.

But Abi is in trouble and needs Mel's help, and she wants a place to stay. Just for a few days, while she sorts things out. It's the least Mel can do.

After all, friends look out for each other, don't they?

THE REALITY:-

This must have had something going for it as I scooted through it in about a week. It became my holiday read, when I had a couple of nights away for my birthday, in Southend. It was something to devour when relaxing in the hotel room, and whilst on the train. But I have to say, it failed to touch me, and I had that thing going on that's happened before with Adele Parks' books, where the person writing the blurb didn't seem to have read the story. Abi did not “take everything,” as stated on the front of the novel. She took Liam- Mel's son- for a while, and ultimately nothing else.

The plot line features a theme I've seen in another novel- that of a woman becoming pregnant with her best friend's man after a one-night-stand, and it reminded me of the other novel as it also featured mixed race relationships. Maybe the author had read that too and subconsciously stolen like an artist (something writers are encouraged to do at university, as “it's all been done before”) or maybe there are really only a handful of basic themes to any story (i.e. rags to riches, revenge, finding a life partner, etc).

A story in two parts, we firstly get to see the Abigail who Melanie is totally enthralled by, and then we get to see the real, “bitch” Abigail. I have to say, I liked all of the well-explored and carefully-studied varied characters, but Abi was my favourite, and she came across as really twisted. There were things that I worked out very early on as, to me, they were glaringly obvious; such as (spoiler alerts coming!) the fact that Rob was Liam's biological father, the fact that Abi knew this and the fact that it was Abi who sent her sex tape to her ex-husband. I'm actually glad that Abi found some semblance of her balls, as she seems to have been manipulated by the husband who denied her a family- she could have left him or fallen pregnant accidentally on purpose, but she stuck with him and accepted his terms and conditions, which made her discovery of his son grate like hell, and allowed her to focus all of her hatred (rather unfairly) towards Mel. Yes, she had a wonderfully warped mind!

The best thing about the book, for me, was the study in young people growing up, and reaching that cusp between childhood and adulthood. It's where Liam is at, and it's an area I tend to write about. It's obvious that Abi wanted him for more than one reason (revenge and his sperm) and I'm glad she got her (another spoiler alert!) happy ending and her baby girl Mila, and I liked that the author added the extra layer of her lying about still being pregnant after her fall, setting Mel, Liam and the rest of their family free.

MISS ELAINEOUS IS AVAILABLE FOR COMMISSIONS...

MISS ELAINEOUS IS AVAILABLE FOR COMMISSIONS!

Here is a photograph taken from a tourist attraction blog I will publish soon; just a little teaser of what's to come...

Would you to like me to work on a tourism piece for your website, magazine, brochure or book? 

To give you some idea of pricing: a researched and written feature containing 100 photographs will cost £500 + expenses (travel and entrance fees).

⅓ of the full amount needs to be paid before any work will commence.

A researched and written feature containing anything up to 40 photographs will cost £200 + expenses.

I also write short stories.  I tend to aim these at a New Adult audience, although they would certainly appeal to Young Adult and older readers.

My work tends to be a bit dark in nature, so nothing light, bright or trite flows from my pen!

To give you some idea of pricing: a 3000 word story will cost £300.

I base my work around the cost of 10p per word.

My hourly rate is £30 per hour.

Everything is negotiable- email me at elainerockett@hotmail.com and we can discuss your requirements.

The Miss Elaineous

Elaine Rockett 

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ONE-HIT WONDER by LISA JEWELL

 ONE-HIT WONDER

BY LISA JEWELL

THE BLURB:-

Bee Bearhorn had a number-one-hit single in 1985- and was never heard of again. Fifteen years later she is found dead- and nobody seems to care.

Ana Wills has always dreamed about the exotic half-sister she hasn't seen for years. When she comes to London to clear her flat, Ana begins to unravel Bee's life: her missing cat, her secret country cottage and her mysterious weekends away.

So, instead of going back to Devon, Ana tracks down Bee's closest friends, mad Lol and strong, silent Flint, and together they set out to discover exactly what happened to Bee Bearhorn, the one-hit-wonder...

THE REALITY:-

A very pleasant, speedy read, I have to say! I felt I was right in there with the moment, as I remember the music scene of 1985/86 that Bee inhabits, and also the London and UK social culture of 2000, which Ana inhabits. This book was very easy to relate to and had some wonderful, well-rounded, oh-so-real characters, whose flaws came alive on the page like a punch in the face.

I love the way the author uses fashion to define characters; obvious with the likes of Bee and Lol (her nickname suits her- I adored this character, and found her laugh-out-loud funny!) but also subtly nuanced with Ana, the pretty girl with the perfect catwalk model's figure who thinks she's unattractive. Ana was, in fact, very easy to relate to, and I like that this is a novel that examines dysfunctional mother/ daughter relationships (something I can certainly relate to). It makes for a much more refreshing read than a novel where everything in that department is all sweetness and light and tickety-boo. This novel certainly had equal measures of light (in the form of humour) and dark, although it tended to veer towards the latter.

I did work out very early on that (spoiler alert!) Bee was the person responsible for Zander's paralysis, although I thought the author would have her injure him whilst on her motorbike in an inebriated state, which wasn't the case. I really, really feel for poor Bee, and I'm happy that this self-destructive woman was explained so carefully, and that she ended up with a good post-life celebration and a modicum of understanding from all who knew her. It's a happy ending kind of book (I suppose), but also sad as it's such a shame that Bee never found peace of mind. But then, was she meant to? This book certainly questions whether people's lives are preordained from birth.

I did like some of the add-on characters, such as Amy and even John, the cat, who acted as a kind of symbolism for loss in Bee's sad, unfulfilled life. Gregor worked as a real catalyst in the story and Hugh (I privately nicknamed him Gruesome Hughsome!) is someone I can personally relate to- I think we've all known men who think they're gorgeous and too good for you, when in reality they are not, and are pig ugly.

My favourite bit did have to be where Ana- who desperately needed to find herself- tried on some of Bee's fantastic wardrobe, as Bee sounds like she wore the same kind of quirky fashion that I do, and Ana- well, let's just say I hope this lovely character goes on to become a singer and model. An interesting study of relationships of the sisterly variety (and the family we create for ourselves- that of our friendships), I'd certainly recommend this book.

ROYAL BRIDES 1840-1981: A MAJESTY SPECIAL

 ROYAL BRIDES

1840-1981: A MAJESTY SPECIAL

THE BLURB

There was none.

THE REALITY

I first owned this book as a ten-year-old.  Fascinated by all things royal wedding in 1981 when Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles, my mum bought it for me as a present that year.

Featuring beautifully executed and elegant sketches of the wedding dresses of Queen Victoria, Princess Alexandra (later Queen Alexandra), Princess May (later Queen Mary), Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother), Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth) and Lady Diana Spencer (later the Princess of Wales and really, does she even need an introduction?) this is a joy not just for royalists, but also for fashionistas.  I've seen every single one of these dresses in exhibitions at Kensington Palace, and they don't disappoint in the flesh.

This dreamy crinoline really grabbed my attention as a little girl- it's Princess Alexandra, who married in 1863.

She had this dress altered so that she could wear it again, and here's my photo taken in Bath's Fashion Museum, where it was on temporary display in 2019.

As a kid I copied the drawings of all the dresses, starting with Lady Diana.

Here's the real thing, in Kensington Palace's exhibition in 2021.

One thing I will say is that this book- at just 14 pages long- only included the royal brides who went on to become Queen (yes, I know that doesn't apply to Diana) and it would have been nice to see sketches of the dresses of Princess Margaret and Princess Anne; amongst others.

And my favourite royal wedding dress?  It was Fergie's, which post-dated this book as her wedding happened in 1986.  I've blogged about my favourite royal wedding dresses before, and the link is here:-

http://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-best-royal-wedding-dresses-and.html

Editorially, this book is lacking.  I picked up on a typo straight away, a missing word further in and some very bad English.  It also looks like the person offering the descriptions seems to have sight problems.  The Queen Mother's dress did not have long sleeves.  And Princess Diana's dress did not feature a "gently curved neckline-" it was v-shaped.  More care could have been taken over this aspect of the book.  Also, dresses have backs as well as fronts, so that view (even if just a thumbnail sketch) would have been great.

A few years later I mentioned that I hadn't seen my Royal Brides book for a while and my mum kindly informed me she'd given it to a jumble sale some time previously.  I went ballistic!  Yes, by this time I might have been a fourteen-year-old punk, busy designing dresses made of rubber and mesh, but this was MY book and she had no right to do that- as I VERY clearly expressed to her.

So, forty years on, it was a delight to find my cherished book once again!

💗

THE MUSEUM OF BROKEN PROMISES by ELIZABETH BUCHAN

THE MUSEUM OF BROKEN PROMISES

BY

ELIZABETH BUCHAN

THE BLURB:-

Welcome to the Museum of Broken Promises, a place of wonder, sadness and... hope.

Inside lies a treasure trove of objects- a baby's shoe, a wedding veil, a railway ticket- all revealing moments of loss and betrayal. It's a place where people come to speak to ghosts of the past. The owner, Laure, is one of those people.

As a young woman in the 1980s Laure fled to Prague, where her life changed forever. Now, years later, she must confront the origins of her heart-breaking exhibition: a love affair with a dissident musician, a secret life behind the Iron Curtain, and a broken promise that she will never forget.

THE REALITY:-

It took me months, rather than weeks to get into this book. It was partially to do with what I had going on in my life- I tried to pick this up when I was living in a hotel room, due to severe damage having happened to my flat. It was such a stressful time as every single day I had something significant to deal with; so much so that I didn't seem able to concentrate at the end of a day, so could indulge in a bit of television but nothing too taxing. Then, when I returned home I had the big clean up to do. Then, other stresses happened, and I devoted my time to writing (with some success- I'm now five short stories down, and a previous one's been published!)

But... I couldn't get into this book until I was 150 pages in, which is too long. I didn't think the present day part of the novel characterisation was that strong, and didn't like the way the book jumped from past to present (although these were clearly labelled). I nearly put it down and discarded it. Which would have been a shame. As this book got very interesting as we moved on, and even brought me to tears at the end.

This was a great study of what life was like under the communist regime that governed Eastern Europe until the late 1980s. You pick up the inequality and the lies (although really, don't they exist with all governments? It's just with this particular set-up they seem glaringly obvious) and the Big-Brother-Is-Watching-You nature of life, what with goons following people and reporting on them. This should serve as a warning to those who oppose free speech (which I don't) as I've seen inklings of this existing in the UK. I like how the author has dug deeper into peoples hearts and put the characters into context. For instance, there's an older lady who doesn't oppose the hard left regime. Why? Because she remembers the hard right Nazi regime and has no wish to go back to those horrors.

This was certainly a book which made you think, and address how circumstances and surrounding people, and the subtle manipulation by others can cause you to behave in a way you though you never would. Here, we have the central figure Laure who (spoiler alert!) momentarily believes the untruths she's fed, and doesn't trust in her love, the guilt eating her up for most of her life. Which is why this book is soooo sad.

Kočka the cat- there are male and female versions in the different time frames acts as sweet symbolism for love and unhappiness, and the book made me want to visit the Museum of Communism in Prague! I also found the puppets and their messages heartfelt, and the way they served as symbolism for the fact that we are all puppets at some time or another, in one way or another. We just have to be aware of who's pulling the strings, and discard them if necessary.

But, most hauntingly of all are the final lines in the book, which represent a life ruined; a life without her true love, who she betrayed:-

Clack, I loved him.

Clack, he loved me.

I will keep this in my bookcase for a while (and will overlook the proofreading errors- I picked up on three; words added/ words missed out/ a good old-fashioned cock-up.)  

The Museum of Broken Promises. And broken hearts.