BLYTHE HOUSE, an Edwardian Baroque building with hints of St Trinian’s in London’s Olympia, looks like the headquarters of a shadowy secret service—which is exactly what it was cast as in the 2011 film of John le Carré’s espionage thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. As ‘The Circus’, it was the centre of British intelligence during the Cold War, a place stuffed with secrets. In real life, its contents are even more mysterious.
The former headquarters of the Post Office Savings Bank is home to the V&A Museum’s archive, which includes some 20,000 pieces of costume not currently on display in the museum, three million photographs and much more besides: a who’s who of fashion, art and performance history.
Dating from 1899, the building is bitterly cold in winter, roasting in the summer, famous for having lifts that barely work and absolutely labyrinthine—to reach for another Hollywood reference point, it feels a bit like the warehouse in which the Ark of the Covenant, rescued by Indiana Jones, is stowed at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Looking for something with royal connections? Here’s an embroidered silk gown made by Norman Hartnell in 1957 for The Queen to wear to a French state banquet (she wore it twice, then gave it to the V&A). How about a West End legend? Behold, a dress that Cecil Beaton designed for the 1958 stage production of My Fair Lady. Dior? Picasso? Tick, tick.
Denne historien er fra August 05, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra August 05, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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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
