Charleston

If you read my last post, you'd know I'm a fan of Virginia Woolf. Coincidentally she spent much of her time in Sussex, not far from where I live, both at her house in Lewes and Charleston, the house of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant which became a popular meeting point for The Bloomsbury Group for much of the 20th Century. I've visited once before, but having learnt a little more since then, I was eager to go back and look around again.

The location is perfect, and began as a working farm - Grant was a conscientious objector of World War II and so had to farm instead of fight in the war - sounds good to me! The gardens are beautiful, incredibly colourful and romantic as they are adorned with sculptures. You can see why this was a perfect location for the Bloomsbury group to spend time thinking, creating and writing.

 Unfortunately you can't take photos inside but I got a bit snap happy in the garden!!

As you step inside the house you are greeted with a story of tangled relationships and friendships, and this is certainly reflected in the decor! Grant and Bell decorated Charleston themselves, painting, sculpting, and pioneering a new way for art and life as they went, shunning old conservative traditions with colour, circles and expression. Everywhere you can possibly imagine is painted, from the doors to the tables and along with the hundreds of paintings, it creates a really unique atmosphere.

Regular visitors to the house included Roger Fry the artist and critic, Vanessa's sister Virginia Woolf, Lytton Strachey and E.M Forster the novelist. As you go round the house a tour guide explains the story of Charleston and it's inhabitants which really aids the visit as I think a lot of details in the house would be left unexplained. My favourite room is the studio, as it acts as a culmination of the whole house and is left in a sort of working order with paints and easels left  out, and I love all the photos and drawings on the fireplace!!

If you like art/houses/interiors/want a good day out I'd definitely recommend a visit! Especially on a sunny day :)