I WOULDN’T ask any horse into the house,’ declares Celia Knight in the opening scenes of The Englishwoman and the Horse, Candida Lycett Green’s delightful documentary of 1981. The horse in question, Sam, is seen gently taking a sugar lump from his mistress’s teeth as the family gathers in the drawing room after lunch.
‘He just loves human beings and he’s very placid, so he usually comes in once a week, after lunch, when we’re all sitting around having coffee,’ Miss Knight (later Lady Vestey) explains, as the camera pans back to reveal an enormous skewbald horse standing among the sofas and side tables. The speaker’s sister, Henrietta—the future racehorse trainer— is seen curled up in an armchair, sticking photographs into an album, as their mother pours the coffee and gently chastises Sam when he rattles the cups, looking for sugar.
‘As far as house training is concerned, he hasn’t had an accident yet,’ Miss Knight continues, ‘but I have a feeling that the time he does disgrace himself, that will be the end of his invitations into the drawing room.’
That the film’s narrator is completely nonplussed by this scene is hardly surprising. Lycett Green’s mother, Penelope Betjeman (née Chetwode), thought nothing of taking her grey Arab, Moti, to tea with their neighbour the 14th Baron Berners (he of the dyed doves and the inspiration for Lord Merlin in The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford). Lord Berners, who painted Moti in the hall at Faringdon House, Oxfordshire, was said to be delighted by the steed’s ‘perfect manners’.
Denne historien er fra September 03, 2024-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.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 03, 2024-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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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
