STANLEY SPENCER (1891–1959) was married twice. Nothing unusual about that. The problem for Spencer was that he wanted to be married to both women at the same time.
The conventional version of the story goes like this. In 1929, after four years of marriage to Hilda (neé Carline) and two children, Spencer suddenly fell under the spell of Patricia Preece. She seemed urbane, worldly and positively glamorous next to Hilda, whose attractions were intense idealism and religious devotion— although, as a Christian Scientist, she was not quite in alignment with Spencer, the physical metaphysical. The two women, both also artists, offered Spencer different kinds of satisfaction and in his naivety—or selfishness— he wanted it all.
The outcome was predictable enough in that he lost both women. What is more, it transpired that he had apparently been duped: Patricia was already living with someone (the artist Dorothy Hepworth) and was seemingly intent only on taking his money and using his reputation to further her own artistic ambitions. She never lived with Spencer and, after a short time, moved him out of his large house in Cookham and into a shed/ studio in the garden. Ultimately, he was ousted even from the shed, spending the years 1938–39 in a bedsit in Swiss Cottage.
この記事は Country Life UK の October 14, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Country Life UK の October 14, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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
