It has been a sad weekend. Weaver's farewell and other blog friends unhappiness. Also, memories brought back from the past. I wrote two blogs, one will not be uploaded but the other, which is political in nature, will appear.
I have been haunted by a journey that I took every day whilst Paul was in hospital. It was about 30 miles to York Hospital, through the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside. It went over the Howardian Hills past Castle Howard. Down the narrow carriage roads that took you to the 'big' house.
Now here is a confession Paul and I never went into the house but we visited the garden centre there for plants obviously but it was also a favourite place of Lucys. There was a small garden centre shop with the usual expensive fripperies to buy but it also had a doggy part, with low shelves for them to sniff along. To her delight Lucy could choose a toy or some snack and once a soft furry bed, which she slept in on the way back home but thereafter never touched again.
Our large old houses produce a mixed response from me, they lived off the backs of slavery, moved entire villages so that they could build their great estates. The houses were sumptuous though I must admit I found most of the furniture and silverware ugly but they have arrived through history as a reminder of past lives. See the National Trust for the controversy over this.
But you will see below a marvellous video by a young interior decorator of the inside of the house. It is magnificent, a work of art. He has the pleasure of remodelling some of the rooms and clearly loves the place.
We were talking about such houses yesterday. I'm really into property, and love visiting country houses, but only those in which I can visualise actually living, so, large but not completely over the top. I loved the grounds at Chatsworth, but not the house itself. Too fancy. Too much showing off of wealth which, as you say, is of questionable source. Somewhere more like Petworth is much more my kind of place.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, that's a LOT of house! He describes it well and there are many beautiful things there.
ReplyDeleteI often get that mixed response you write about from churches. So much opulence when the money could have been spent on the needy or helpless in the area...
I suppose these houses were able to employ people which was no bad thing and also benefit the craftsmen and artists of the time. It was the Colston statue in Bristol that started the controversy when it was thrown into the water. I think the gardens of these old houses and the park areas were given into the hands of experts as well and over time have grown gracefully. I mean who could beat Sissinghurst ;)
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say the next house on the 'Home and Garden's site is Charleston House, home to Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8JYBViouj0
ReplyDeleteLike you, I find myself torn on the subject. Such a gorgeous place though, and it was interesting to see a batch of 'extra' dining room chairs in the attic. I love touring old houses, even though our 'old' is quite different from your 'old'. Now that I myself am old, the first thing that I find myself thinking is "can you imagine how expensive it is to heat a place like this in the winter???"
ReplyDeleteI think we must accept these large houses on face value, allow the true history to be written but taking down statues of anyone is fraught with problems and anyone stupid enough to think that by erasing one side of history and allowing another is silly.
ReplyDeleteEveryone seems to have latched on to the evils of slavery, but if you look back through history then just about every period has some practice which would be totally unacceptable today. And heaven knows what the future will think of some of our behaviour. i enjoyed watching the video but spent more time than I ought trying to pin down that young man's accent.
ReplyDeleteYes his accent was a puzzle, under the posh school overlay there was something. I am useless at accents but South-West keeps coming to mind John, like Devon.
ReplyDeleteOh, I read our old houses wrongly. You've not lived in a castle like building. I think Castle Howard was used in the first and just wonderful tv series of Brideshead Revisited. Last year when Ray and I visited England, it was so wonderful to see a place I'd heard about for so long, Chatsworth House. Ray would never have done it without the push from me. He loved the visit too.
ReplyDelete"Our large old houses" Yes I see what you mean, it was a generalisation about our country though Andrew. Never lived in a castle, wouldn't want to, they are enormous places to heat. Good memories about Chatsworth House with Ray. I must remember that English speaking countries do not always understand how we use the language, YP is always describing the different words we use.
ReplyDeleteHello Thelma. Wrote once before..just a thank you for beautiful & informative blog...some interests in common I think...off todays topic but Roy Goutte once sent me his " pamphlet " on Trethevy Quoit . Anyway have been moved today to send my appreciation to the bloggers who enrich my life that's all. I'm Carol, but remain a Ramones fan..Google sign in shit. Thankyou...daren't do the political crap x
ReplyDeleteHi Carol, I did reply to you but by mistake deleted my response as I deleted a whole load of spam. I think the political crap is interesting and should be spoken by more. But then polarisation takes place and everyone goes off into their private grumbles. Thank you also the appreciation, I actually don't mind talking to myself. ;)
DeleteThere has never been a part of history that doesn't produce a mixed response. The large old houses the owners lived off certainly did destroy the slaves and ruined entire villages to build beautiful estates.
ReplyDeleteFor example early Australian history was to build a modern, moral society for the working classes..... except for Aboriginal communities that were destroyed.
The C19th development of steam-powered railways in Canada transportation in Canada and was central to nation building, industrialisation and uniting the provinces together. But at a horrendous and untold cost to the various communities that did the building.
Hello Hels, true when emigration took place we exported the bad habits as well and the cruelty of seeing others as second rate. I suppose slavery also existed under the name of Feudalism as well through the medieval period. Society was defined into its social groups. Those at the top made sure that everyone complied to their social order, whether peasant, priest, soldier or royalty.
ReplyDelete