Whilst unpacking my books, a red and white cover caught my eye. Frostquake by Juliet Nicolson - the blurb reads - The frozen winter of 1962 and how Britain emerged a different country. Did I ever read that I wondered, of course I did but it had just slipped my memory. Well I found it on Audible and as it winds through my memory bank all the names, I listened with fascination.
Juliet Nicholson is the great granddaughter of Vita Sackville West. Her grandfather was Harold Nicholson and her brother Adam Nicolson. Juliet had lived whilst a child at Sissinghurst and most of them in the family are writers.
Having been to Sissinghurst on a very hot day, its beautiful gardens still echo in my mind. Was this the first garden to create 'rooms' for different arrangements of plants. I remember being slightly disappointed by the 'white garden', perhaps it wasn't white enough!
But of course the book is an interesting history jaunt through one of the coldest winters we have ever had in Britain. When even the sea froze, joining the rivers in frozen wonder. Milk was scarce because every bodies milk bottles was still under the snow. The milk from Devon farms completely cut off, and the milk itself thrown onto the snow colouring it a shade of primrose.
Sheep stuck in the snow eaten alive by foxes, it was a bad time for animals as well. Though Juliet Nicholson tells the funny story of a little zoo by them, all the 'petting' animals fitted into the barn of the farm except for the giraffe. But the live in workers kindly gave up their sitting room for the giraffe, all furniture removed except for the settee, which the giraffe lounged on and was not to keen on to leave her comfortable quarters.
The Nicholsons had problems, Vita's death in 1962 left inheritance tax problems and Harold her grandfather had the upkeep of Sissinghurst and several servants to look after. The estate passed to Nigel Nicholson, the son and Juliet's father. The gardens and cottages were eventually handed over to the National Trust in 1967 see here. The properties consisted of several cottages, which the children, Adam and Juliet lived in with the rest of the family, the Elizabethan tower and the gate house were not much used.
I can't remember much of the terrible times that had happened then only that we lived in Chigwell and I would walk through large snowdrifts over the fields to see to my horse and little Mum her donkey companion. Though the people at the cottages by the stable would see to their feed. It was a big stable with several iron topped stalls, and very creepy with rats running round.
visited in 2010
Just the other day I came across a note I'd made to order 'Frostquake' sometime - but never had. Perhaps I'll hop over to the library website and do it now
ReplyDeleteDo that Sue, it is excellent to listen to, or read of course. I think listening to books allows you to do some kind of sewing or knitting at the same time.
DeleteThe winter of 1962/3 will stick in the memory of those of us who lived through it. I had just started grammar school, and the snow after Christmas closed the school for three days, the only time anyone could remember that happening. Where we lived we had snow on the ground from Boxing Day until the first week of March, and for most of February the temperature didn't get above freezing. We had coal fired but some neighbours with oil central heating had serious problems with the oil freezing in the tank.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, the Nicholas Blake detective book "The Abominable Snowman" is set during that winter.
Hi Will, you didn't say whether "The Abominable" Snowman" was any good but it has a good title.
DeleteI read this many years ago, when I read most of the Nicholas Blake books (this was the pen name of Cecil Day Lewis). I certainly enjoyed them at the time, although like many series with the same central character some were better than others. They covered a period from the second world war to the sixties. The reviews on Amazon are good for many of them
DeleteIn fact, this has set me off to look them out to re-read them.
That is good being reminded of books once read Will. I can check on Audible as well.
DeleteHi, I was 17 in 1962 living in Molesey, Surrey. I read Frostquake last year and it did bring back a lot of memories for me. I know we had no central heating which makes me wonder how ever we survived! Jan Bx
ReplyDeleteHi Jan, I must have been about 17 as well, I had a moped at the time which slipped all over the ice. That is the second mention of Frostquake, so it must have made a splash when it was published.
DeleteI remember that winter, even Southampton and the Isle of Wight got snow then. We had great ice slides walking to school. Someone threw a snowball in the school playground which turned out to have a biggish stone in it and that cut someone's face - a little blood goes along way, especially splattered over snow.
ReplyDeleteWhat I remember most were the reports of the smallest birds in the New Forest freezing to death overnight, poor little things, and literally 50% of the bird population perished that winter. I remember provisions being helicoptered to remote villages and farms, and airdrops of hay to ponies on the Forest and Dartmoor and Exmoor, and pictures of snow up to the tops of the telegraph poles in Yorkshire.
It seemed a terrible time for the wild animals and birds Jennie, sometimes we forget the moments in history when times were bad. I shall look up why the weather turned so rough in December 1962.
DeleteI had never heard of your winter of 1962. I went off to read about it. Whatever did we do before the internet, really? Mind boggling to think of. We had 80 inches of snow fall north of us, 7 feet, and shut things down. I am trying to imagine 20 foot snow drifts. Wow!
ReplyDeleteThe wind can create enormous snowdrifts especially up on the Yorkshire moors, I notice in New York they are having problems with snow at the moment Debby.
DeleteMy daughter was born that summer. In the meantime, I kept slogging to work. I worked on CWRU campus. They kept the sidewalks clear, but the snow was shoveled shoulder deep.
ReplyDeleteGreat tunnels of snow I can just imagine it Joanne. Mostly now in Britain snow turns to rain pretty quickly.
DeleteNice to be back when I feel up to it. I loved her gardening ideas and what springs to mind from one of her books is a chap turning up at her door with a van full of pansies to see if she would buy a few and when he opened the doors and she saw them she bought the lot
ReplyDeleteVita along with her husband Harold, led a somewhat exciting life, he was devastated when she died and never moved from Sissinghurst after her death. It was a joint affair the gardens, along of course with the gardeners and it is now kept in an immaculate condition by the NT gardeners, who are I believe are female. Also Sarah Raven is married to Adam Nicolson.
DeleteHonestly, the books I have read and then forgotten about - makes me worry sometimes. But nothing like Jane who reads a lot of easy thrillers - she will reread them again a couple of years (or even months) later having completely forgotten the plot! Oh well, double the value! And to be far she reads loads more than me.
ReplyDeleteI suppose our brains aren't big enough to remember all the books we have read Mark. Jane of course has the answer to not acquiring too many books. Also I am beginning to stack up a library on Audible.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that about Juliet Stevenson. I loved the freeze of 1962. No school. I hated school and I still love the disruption of snow.
ReplyDeleteI have led everyone somewhat astray, just change Stevenson to Nicholson. Should have done an ancestry tree. Vita Sackville West married Harold Nicolson, Nigel Nicolson's ex wife Phillipa Tennyson-d'Eyncourt was the mother of Juliet and Adam. Adam Nicolson married Sarah Raven, she sells plants, I think Pat has bought some off her. Also Adam has written a favourite book of mine - Sea Room. Should have written another blog Tom - chuckle.
DeleteI know Sarah Raven. I used to go out with her sister, Anna. Anna married Norrie McLaren and they live on a huge estate in Scotland. Even so, I did not know about the Nicolson connection.
DeleteIt's a small world Tom are we not supposed to have contacts every 5 people or so. Anna Raven must be the artist then. Things come back and strike bells.
DeleteYes, she's an artist.
DeleteVery belatedly reading the post and comments, trying to remember my own winter of 1962. It was the last term of school for me with an early morning hop aboard the school bus which then made a lengthy round on back roads before dropping younger children at the 'village school' and lumbering another 16 miles to the 'high school.' New England winters were always bitterly cold and snowy at the time. My main concern was not weather but getting through mid-term exams at the end of January.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon, I can't remember it too well. Only that for a couple of years I had moped before getting a car, and it slipping around on the ice. Also making my way through large drifts in the fields to see to my horse and donkey. A young man rushed up from the fields below and asked me for a date, which was such a surprise. If I had taken it up with him I might be living a different life.
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