Land Of Hope And Glory
Sussex Life|October 2019
When composer Edward Elgar took a cottage in the wooded environs of Fittleworth in West Sussex it ushered in a period of great productivity
Richard Westwood-Brookes
Land Of Hope And Glory

In the spring of 1918, Sir Edward Elgar, wearied by World War I and years spent living in London, sought sanctuary amidst the haunted woodlands of West Sussex.

Pronouncing himself “sick of towns” he rented a cottage called Brinkwells near the ancient village of Fittleworth, and there began a remarkable period in his creative life.

In just a few months during the glorious summer which followed, he composed four of his finest works – including the Cello Concerto, first performed a hundred years ago this month.

The Fittleworth landscape hummed with the harmonies of wild earth, and immediately brought an enormous sense of relief to his disturbed and troubled life.

Since 1912 fame had forced Elgar to live in Hampstead. It was convenient for his metropolitan commitments, but a world away from his “beloved borderland” in the Midlands, where in years gone by he had revelled in the fresh air, seeking inspiration from the countryside around him.

Gradually, his creative spirit, born of the Malvern Hills, had seemed to ebb away and the music he produced was nothing compared to his former glories. There were trifles in support of the war effort and he even wrote music for the West End and, surprisingly, the music halls, doubtless responding to the need to maintain his expensive London home.

Brinkwells changed all that. “It is divine,” he wrote. “A simple thatched cottage and a (soiled) studio with a wonderful view: large garden unweeded, a task for 40 men.”

The idyllic landscape was populated by familiar country folk reminiscent of his boyhood: people like farmer Aylwin who provided transport in his pony and trap, and handyman Mark Holden, who built a special shelter for Elgar’s wife, Alice, so that she could enjoy the flower-fragranced garden and listen to the hum of summer.

This story is from the October 2019 edition of Sussex Life.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 2019 edition of Sussex Life.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SUSSEX LIFEView All
TAKE YOUR TIME
Sussex Life

TAKE YOUR TIME

Dean Edwards’ new cookbook features delectable recipes that you can slow cook or stick in the oven. Here’s a selection of the best

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2020
Decorative art
Sussex Life

Decorative art

Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
ON THE FRONT FOOT
Sussex Life

ON THE FRONT FOOT

The rugby legend took the reins at Sussex County Cricket Club in 2017, rekindling his love for a sport that first won his heart on the village cricket fields of North Yorkshire

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2020
NAKED AMBITION
Sussex Life

NAKED AMBITION

In the 1980s, Christine and Jennifer Binnie partied with Boy George and Marilyn and bared all as performance art collective The Neo-Naturists. Now they are working together to gain the recognition they feel they deserve

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
ROCKET MAN
Sussex Life

ROCKET MAN

Astronaut Tim Peake has come a long way since growing up in Westbourne and attending Chichester High School for Boys: 248 miles above Earth, to be precise. But, he says, life on the International Space Station has a lot in common with family caravanning holidays

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
Revolution man
Sussex Life

Revolution man

Lewes’ most famous resident Thomas Paine may be the greatest propagandist who ever lived. But how did a humble customs and excise officer ignite the touchpaper for revolution in not one but two countries?

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2020
THE DIARY
Sussex Life

THE DIARY

17 exciting things to do this month in East and West Sussex

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2020
All in a day's work
Sussex Life

All in a day's work

Meet Tim Dummer, who has helped keep Midhurst’s Cowdray Estate shipshape for an impressive five decades

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
My favourite Sussex
Sussex Life

My favourite Sussex

Bruce Fogle is an author and a vet with a practice in London who has lived in West Sussex with his wife, the actress Julia Foster, since 1989. He recently became president of RSPCA Mount Noddy near Chichester

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2020
10 OF THE BEST Meat-free restaurants in Brighton and Hove
Sussex Life

10 OF THE BEST Meat-free restaurants in Brighton and Hove

Brighton is often rated one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the UK. What these restaurants prove is that plant-based food doesn’t have to be puritanical – at all of these places you’ll find big flavours and a desire to push the envelope

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020