IT took a fairy to settle a jovial dispute about our village pub’s new signage. ‘I think that’s a harebell, rather than a bluebell,’ declared one patron, and the matter was cleared by examining the flower’s flared petals, familiar from The Song of the Harebell Fairy, from Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies of the Summer, in which they chime for fairy feasts and balls.
Barker’s miniature residents of woodlands, hedgerows and flowerbeds appeared in print in 1923 and have since gone on to enjoy a global popularity that might have surprised their modest creator. The daughter of a seed merchant, she originally took up drawing to escape the confines of her childhood bed, to which she had been relegated by severe illnesses, including epilepsy (she credited the Pre-Raphaelites and Kate Green- away among her lifelong sources of inspiration).
Details reflected those seen in the meadows: the primrose fairy has wings modelled on a brimstone
Her father encouraged her, but tragedy soon hit again, when he died suddenly in 1912. Ingenuity saw the family through, with Barker helping out by selling her illustrations. In 1923, she managed to publish her Flower Fairies of the Spring, although it was a muted beginning that hardly hinted at the phenomenal success to come. Two years later came the book that would change her life: Flower Fairies of the Summer.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 08, 2023-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 08, 2023-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
