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| Bradenstoke Abbey |
I have followed the story of Bradenstoke Abbey's stone as it lay about in a warehouse in America there is even a film* showing the packed craters below. For a good period of my life I was married to an archaeology lecturer and so the history of Wiltshire and its remains were part of my background.
I remember visiting the farm on which the ruined remains of the Abbey were found, we were taken by a relative, his name was David and belonged to our group. There was a furore at the time that the stuff that Hearst had taken had lain around for years in the warehouse in America completely forgotten, why could it not come back to England?
I see I have written two blogs on the fate of the stones and that over time the ruins that Brakespeare recorded in his time have at last come under official care. All to the good. Really one cannot build up an old historic building as it was before, but the sense of loss by the villagers of Bradenstoke, and perhaps the sense of ownership was strongly felt.
*This film erroneously shows Bradford on Avon tithe barn, and the information that the stones went to the building of the 1958 Madonna hotel, I am not even going write of this terribly themed hotel but yuck!! But in this two year reassessment, I am so pleased to have found Brakespear online, a favourite historian from the past.
And not forgetting St.Donat's Castle where Hearst undertook a 'brutal' restructuring....
Hearst undertook a "brutal"[ expansion, including the incorporation of elements from other ancient structures such as the roofs of Bradenstoke Priory, Wiltshire and St Botolph's Church in Lincolnshire. His approach to architectural reclamation was controversial and the destruction of Bradenstoke was opposed in a vigorous campaign organised by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Bernard Shaw described the castle after Hearst's reconstruction as "what God would have built if he had had the money". Wiki on St.Donat's Castle
So what happens to agriculture in France??
ReplyDeleteFrance is sparsely occupied compared to Britain. The English for instance have been buying up French chateaux, there is a spate 0f television programmes on how to 'do them up', the obsession with property (and its value) is very British. So when I started this particular blog, it was this that made me think of the tithe barn that got shipped to America.....
Deletehttp://magnonsmeanderings.blogspot.com/2021/08/barn-conversions.html
I imagine to the people who have been doing up Gwydir Castle, this fireplace was extremely important as it is part of its fabric and history, though pretty it is not. I believe it and the panelling was bought and returned to its rightful home - all 14 tons of it!! A friend has just been up there and said it was wonderful and Keith and I plan to have a night away up in North Wales and visit it soon.
ReplyDeleteI think Hearst sounds like he was related to Trump, and with an IQ of a wombat - though I do wombats a disservice I think. Just because you have money doesn't mean you have taste, or common sense or ANY sense of history.
Jennie you are a hive of information. The one sweet thing about Hearst is that he loved an actress called Marion Davies, and a lot of what he did was for her but his taste was terrible.
DeleteWhat a complete arsehole William Randolph Hearst must have been. Regarding Bradenstoke, he was no better than a common vandal. He may have been stupendously rich but failed to understand that money isn't everything. The money he squandered on egotistical schemes could have been better spent on humanitarian projects.
ReplyDeleteYes well said but money has always 'talked'. the case of his vandalism went through Parliament and then the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, but still was not saved. There are some images here on wiki...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradenstoke_Priory
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