Strachey had acquired literary celebrity earlier in the same year with the publication of Eminent Victorians—four irreverent biographies of notable figures from the period—and he was enjoying the novelty of being lionised by the wealthy. Hutchinson, a denizen of the Bloomsbury Group, had particularly requested a report about his recent stay of several days at Lindisfarne Castle.
His host at Lindisfarne was a London businessman, the founder of COUNTRY LIFE, Edward Hudson, who hoped Strachey would write for the magazine. Hudson had bought the castle in 1901 and employed his friend, the architect Edwin Lutyens, to remodel it. The project was a labour of love for the two men, both of whom relished the romance of the spot. As the work was nearing completion in 1906, Lutyens even brought a tame raven to Lindisfarne, a bird that—after the example of the Tower of London—he clearly thought no self-respecting castle should be without. It proved a mischievous pet.
Strachey must have travelled north by train —the evening before his arrival at Lindisfarne he had been dining in Gordon Square, London—and in his letter he marvels at the change of scene. For the final leg of his journey, he describes mounting a dog cart at sunset and crossing ‘3 miles of sand, partly underwater, with posts to show the way—rather alarming to the nervous—then a vision of an abrupt rock with a building on it (Fig 1)—a village past, and various windings—an unexpected stop. Ecco old Hudson in evening dress.’ This seemed a remote spot, but city manners held sway.
Denne historien er fra November 30, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra November 30, 2022-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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Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning