»Ein Toast! Auf abwesende Freunde … und auf anwesende Feinde!« Das legendäre Fliegerass Ferguson O’Brien bekommt seit einiger Zeit Morddrohungen frei Haus. Und O’Brien wäre kein so draufgängerischer Abenteurer, wenn er nicht die Gelegenheit nutzen würde, um zusammen mit dem Detektiv Nigel Strangeways nach dem mysteriösen Briefeschreiber zu suchen, der sich unter seinen Weihnachtsgästen befinden muss. Ferguson O’Brien, hochdekorierter Pilot und Abenteurer, erhält seit einiger Zeit eine Reihe von äusserst eloquenten Morddrohungen, in denen ihm angekündigt wird, den zweiten Weihnachtsfeiertag nicht zu überleben. Doch von so etwas lässt sich jemand wie O’Brien nicht verunsichern, stattdessen schmiedet der alte Haudegen einen Plan, um seinen Mörder zu entlarven. Zur Unterstützung lässt er zudem den charismatischen Detektiv Nigel Strangeways nach Dower House kommen, der sich so in einer bunten Weihnachtsgesellschaft voll undurchsichtiger Motive wiederfindet. Und während Strangeways noch versucht, aus den Gästen schlau zu werden, wird O’Brien pünktlich nach dem zweiten Weihnachtsfeiertag tot aufgefunden – doch dem einen Toten folgen noch weitere …
The Dower House Garden occupies a 1.5 acre site in a beautiful setting within the grounds of Morville Hall (National Trust), near Bridgnorth in Shropshire. The garden aims to tell the history of English gardening in a sequence of separate gardens designed in the style of different historical periods. Particular attention read more
Just over an acre of gardens have been transformed into a gardener's paradise. It features a pretty woodland, meadow, flower garden, kitchen garden and formal lawn.
The historic Dower House Garden at Morville, Shropshire, has been sensitively re-created by its owner, finds Non Morris. Photographs by Val Corbett for Country Life.
"In proving foresight may be vain: the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry" - Robert Burns ☙☙❦❧❧ As every miniaturist undoubtedly knows, things don't usually go as originally planned. More often than not, at certain unforeseen junctures, our artistic creations will actively step in and begin steering us towards a destination of their own choosing: different than the way we've charted. When this happens, we can resist by pushing back OR take a chance that the new fork in the road will lead to a better place than originally planned. The following account is my "condensed" version of how my "best laid schemes went awry" and how I did put up a fight; but after I surrendered to THE WAY, I arrived on time and exactly where I was suppose to be. True to form- this is an exceptionally long story and of course it always begins in chaos The photo above shows the state of Dowager's former Kitchen at the end of June 2022. fyi I'm including the months throughout this post to show how the process developed in starts and stalls and doubling back, and how everything remained in a state of flux until the very last leg of the journey. For those unfamiliar with this dollhouse kit, Here's the actual layout of Greenleaf Glencroft Cottage all highlighted text includes a link After I'd removed all the stuff that I'd stored in the room, I was left with the ugly empty carcass you'll see below. Stripping away all of the remaining fabric and interfacing still clinging to the walls, was a time consuming job. Surprisingly, the majority of the 30 yr. old tape run was still viable so all I had to do was connect it to the copper tape in the Living Room, which I did- testing the line over and over and over..... After that was done, I brought in all the Dowager's furniture which she'd taken with her from the Manor House and insisted on using in the cottage. She had to decide where the task lights would be placed, and thus where more electrical tape needed to go. so of course- More Testing! According to my Dower House Renovation Story: the Dowager has had the old kitchen gutted and relocated it in the yet to be built kitchen annex on the left side of the cottage. Her former tiny kitchen would become her New Formal Dining Room, which would include a brand new casement window and a fireplace. I going to STOP RIGHT HERE to say that I've NEVER EVER had a designated dining room in any of my doll's houses. not in #43 Green Dolphin St. not in Land's End, and not in Villa Leone. I've always made the Living rooms into spaces where the occupants could sit and eat. BUT THIS TIME I wanted a REAL DINING ROOM with not only a fireplace but also a table that could seat 4; where I could have full place settings; silver cutlery and real glass stemware. but ALAS! none of it was destined to be Installing a fireplace inside this narrow room, using her Wide Round Table & 4 chairs, made it a VERY TIGHT SQUEEZE. Someone would've ended up with their buns in the fire- this called for a practical change of plans My suggestion to the Dowager, was to push the table up against the wall and reduce the number of chairs to only 2. The Dowager reluctantly conceded. Of course, I could have opted for a long narrow rectangular table, but I had my heart set on using THIS particular gateleg table which I'd purchased back in the 1990's. And Here was a golden opportunity to put it to good use. So, the table and the fireplace stayed put whilst 2 of the chairs were removed. One problem down- here comes another one- the wallpaper Choosing wall coverings has ALWAYS been an exercise in frustration so it takes me a very long time to decide. Wallpaper sets the mood because it occupies the majority of visible space. It determines the direction of a room and early in July 2022 I was still in need of direction. I'd printed a Tibetan Prayer rug onto cotton and draped it over the drop-leaf table as a tablecloth. I'd done this before in the music room of Villa Leone . I really liked the richness of the look. The sage coloured wallpaper repeated some of the greens in the tablecover but to be honest I found the overall effect Predictable and Boring On a whim I tried the vibrant PINK on PINK scrapbook paper and it felt like A WINNER! I loved the high contrast of the stark white woodwork against the boldness of the walls. This was the point when the room woke up and started paying attention to what I was doing. It seemed to be pointing me towards Edwardian, Moody, Masculine and Mysterious which then put me in mind of- Sherlock Holmes and then I thought that this room should double as a library with built in bookshelves surrounding the fireplace- Brilliant~💡 what a GREAT IDEA! I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the intensity of the pink walls as much as I did- nevertheless I decided NOT to glue the wallpaper templates to the walls just yet: I would wait until I was 100% sure. To that end the templates were held in place with green painters tape for the next 4 months. Even so, the interior decoration continued moving forward. Years ago my dear friend Fatima of Beauxminis and the Vancouver Dollhouse Miniature Show had gifted me a vintage, unfinished BESPAQ corner shelf unit for Villa Leone. I wasn't able to use it in the Villa but here in the Dower House I could. I applied a fruitwood stain to the raw wood followed by a thin aging compound to darken it up a bit, then I filled it with some of the Dowager's favorite blue and white china. I was glad to have it on display, yet disappointed too, because the glass china cabinet door opened from left to right. If the door was open, it got in the way; If it was closed, you could barely see the china. grrrrrr...😠 my my best laid plans are going awry! nevermind carry on... carry on... Since I was restricted to using only TWO chairs, I would've prefered that they matched, but having them both with the same wood stain, came in a close second. I borrowed the John Hodgson side chair from the Dowager's Living room and recovered a smaller chair in the same Elephant printed silk. A rich oriental carpet was laid on the floor- Sherlock Holmes here I come! A large bust of Queen Victoria found her home on the table so far so good now for a few books and a student lamp Back in the 1980's this student lamp had been a ceiling light fixture inside this doll's house. At that time it had had two working light bulbs but when one burnt out there was no way to replace it. so I removed the burnt bulb and turned the fixture upside down. By using assorted washers and jewelry findings glued to its base, I was able to redistribute the weight so it would remain upright once the heavy metal lamp shade was added. The solid lampshade forced the light downward onto the table whilst casting interesting shadows against the wall. FYI I personally prefer indirect lighting but most people including the Dowager, prefers to SEE what she is eating- therefore MORE Illumination was Required So for overhead lighting I hung a SMALL 3-armed LED chandelier with bright white plastic shades Later on, I painted the shades with an alcohol marker. There's not a HUGE difference in the amount of light cast yet the Dowager and I both agree that these"parchment"shades look better! Meanwhile, I'd discovered that I'd constructed the fireplace out of level and not just a Little out of level, but A LOT! Fortunately everything was still removable, so I took it out and built it all over again. This time, I took a page from my friend Janine's MINWORKS blog and cut down a small resin picture frame for the NEW fireplace surround which looks streamlined and modern and not Edwardian at all. hmmmm? By now it was the end of July. I'd been working on this room for a month and I still wasn't very excited about it Returning again to The Story: As aforementioned: this Dining Room of the Dower House had been original cottage kitchen, with a flagstone floor. For practical purposes, the Dowager had decided to retain the flagstone in this room. I'd never made flagstone before but I thought "how hard can it be?" Well- it wasn't "hard" but I don't think that mine looks like flagstone. I made it by coating a template of Heavy Cardstock with white glue and DryWall Patch followed by a coat of LIQUITEX RESIN SAND Where I think I made my mistake was not colouring the flags prior to applying the top coat of Resin Sand. In other words, I'd sealed them before painting them therefore, the colour didn't penetrate. Then, when I carved out the stones I didn't like the look of the grout. I've painted and re-painted this floor more times than I care to count. I've regrouted it lighter; then darker; then back to lighter again. Reworking the flagstone continued off and on, from July to October NOTHING WAS GOING AS PLANNED! By now my enthusiasm for the "Sherlock Holmes theme" dining room was rapidly waning. By the middle of September, my interest had totally evaporated, so I gave up working on this room altogether. To distract myself, I made flowers. For me, constructing miniature flowers whether from a kit or from scratch, is a great stress reliever. I must have had a lot of stress because for the next two weeks I made a total of 80 Peonies and Roses- MOST OF THEM PINK! Earlier in June of this year, a dear friend from Australia Linda Park Linda's Mini World was vacationing here in Canada. Linda, Janine, Fatima and I always try to get together whenever Linda's in town although during this visit Fatima was away in the Azores. Even so, Linda, Janine and I shared a Wonderfully Delicious catch-up luncheon and mini visit at Janine's aptly named "Becalmed Cottage". The reason I'm telling you this is because little did Linda or I know at the time, that her visit would be the crux of what would later happen to the Dowager's Dining Room During her visit Linda had given Janine stacks of VINTAGE VICTORIA MAGAZINESwhich Janine thoroughly enjoyed then later passed on to me. WE LOVE VICTORIA MAGAZINES! Whenever I'm at the thrift store, I always look for them to purchase second hand. Their nostalgic and beautifully staged photos of "the good life" are in my opinion- unsurpassed. I spent an entire lazy day in August lying in bed with cupfuls of hot tea going through the entire pile; flagging pages and absorbing their romance. It wasn't long afterwards whilst I was still basking in their afterglow, that something I must have absorbed from those magazines inspired me to return to the Dower House and REMOVE THE GLASS DOOR from the Dowager's China Cabinet then rearrange ALL the china in it. And, after again viewing the Fabulous Miniature China and Silver collections displayed on the shelves of Josje's youtube vlogs , I decided to include a bit of silver and coloured glass on my shelves too. Unlike Josje's Magnificent collections, the Dowager's has an equal mix of High and Low which I playfully rearranged until I was satisfied that it all looked good together. I found a bunch of pink fimo roses to spill out over the china and down the shelves and Voila! The corner unit immediately became a major focal point. This cupboard transformation took place during the last week of August. However, for the next couple of weeks I continued to wrestle at the crossroads between letting go of my initial ideas which were going nowhere or fully embracing an emerging new one. by the end of September, I'd made up my mind. I officially kicked Sherlock and the Formal Dining/Library to the curb. The Dower House would have instead a New Garden Room! in homage to all those Wonderful VICTORIA magazines received from Linda Park Pure Bliss! Once the interior shelves were redone I also re-dressed the top of the cupboard with additional pieces from the Dowager's china collection The new cupboard arrangement opened the door to new decorating possibilities- such as including another piece of Linda's EMBROIDERY This EXQUISITE FLORAL PETIT POINT was one among many of the precious mini gifts I'd received from Linda during her summer visit. LINDA is an avid embroiderer Par Excellence! Her Miniature TALENTS are truly AMAZING and as for her abundant generosity, I could Never Thank her Enough! Linda has stitched for me 2 pairs of slippers for Villa Leone as well as a pair for the Dowager's bedside, which I featured in my last post ↓ She's also embroidered a matching tea cosy for the Living Room tea table which I totally Adore! Each piece she stitches is an absolute SHOWSTOPPER, so adding her needle art to the Dowager's Garden Room makes me feel Very Happy INDEED! Removing the china cabinet door also altered the colour dynamics in the room. So soon after Sherlock had been evicted the elephants seat covers were also told to leave. before↑ after↓ The chairs were recovered in an iridescent rust/green THAI SILK I'd purchased at a thrift store. The fabric is incredibly beautiful! Along its selvage is a band of delicate embroidery, some of which I used to recover both of the dining chairs with. The centre emblem reminds me of a Tudor Rose which ties in PERFECTLY with the Garden Room Theme At this stage I took the room apart and began the process of permanently connecting the lamps to the electrics. The wallpaper, the window, the wood trims, the flagstone floor and the fireplace were also permanently installed. btw My daughter's boyfriend Lee, says that for scale, I should always include a HAND SHOT somewhere in my posts, so this one's for you, Lee! 💕 This Perfect little needlepoint cushion was also a gift from a LONG time ago, from Pam Grant. Yet another Needle-Savvy friend of mine! Its pink and green geometric pattern looks lovely on this small chair! To the left of the side chair directly in front of the leaded window, ( leading tutorial here) is an inexpensive blue and white porcelain vase which the Dowager has filled with purple hydrangeas. The faded hydrangeas in the vase are a Bonnie Lavish flower kit, which I'd originally constructed for the GARDEN OF VILLA LEONE The tutorial of how I customized the flower kit is here On the floor under table of hydrangeas is a small basket of books, and to the left of the basket, is a rustic bottle basket which was a special gift which Linda hand delivered to me from the Amazing Lidi Stroud BASKETCASE MINIATURES Thank You again Lidi for this Very Special Treasure! The darling glass fronted half cupboard (shown below) makes an ideal liquor cabinet next to the fireplace. I placed a few bottles in a round silver tray (a metal bezel casing) displayed on top of the cabinet. There's a better photo of the assorted liquor bottles a little further down the page which I'm not highlighting since they'll be changed very shortly. I've ordered a mini bottle of PIMM'S from Shepherd Miniatures which I'm waiting to be delivered. I saw a BBC program which specifically talked about how much the British enjoyed drinking their PIMM'S so I searched high and low until I found one in miniature. What is Pimm's? I had no idea until I Googled it "Pimm's is a gin-based fruity spirit. A quintessentially British liqueur, it's made by infusing gin with a secret concoction of botanicals, caramelised orange and warm spices." sounds Yummy Meanwhile, until it arrives, I want to place assorted glasses on the top shelf of this cupboard and extra liquor bottles on the bottom. This pretty cupboard also has a secret top drawer ( no knob) I've filled it with a corkscrew, and two tiny bottle openers, along with pink and white linen napkins. I also found a picture in a magazine of a Regency Botanist. I glued the print onto cardstock sized to fit the gold frame, then hung him directly above the liquor cabinet. i really LIKE Him! AND I like the new arrangement on the FP mantle. This fireplace mantle is narrower than the old one so the blue painted clock just barely fits! I've dressed the surface of the mantle with a Stokesay Ware Blue Willow china plate; a Marie Freedman china cup; a glass pink and green bead jar; and 2 Peter Acquisto silver candlesticks Above the clock is a bull's eye mirror which beautifully captures the reflection of the corner cupboard. I made the mirror using a recycled round jewelry pin and a convex stick on mirror from a dollar store auto parts aisle. I've used a bull's eye mirror once before in the bedroom of #43 which you can see here They're very effective for viewing parts of the room which would otherwise be difficult to see and they capture more of the light. The interior of the firebox surround is outlined with carved metal bracelet links glued inside its perimeter for additional texture and interest but... my Absolute Favourite Feature in this Garden Room are- THE FOXGLOVES! I made these foxgloves back in April of this year just to see if I could. I used several different paper punches and a variety of colouring methods attempting to improve my techniques with each plant I made. I'd been saving these flowers for the Dowager's cottage garden. However, once the room went into botanical overdrive, I felt I needed something "growing" to go with the cut stems in the hydrangea bouquet. Placing the foxgloves in the fireplace was the only available space inside the room. But who has live plants growing IN their fireplace? Then I just happened to find a website of full-sized Potted Porcelain Plants used in home decor. This quelled all my previous hesitations, of whether or not to keep these where they are, because now that they're officially FAKE it no longer matters. see 1:1 Porcelain FLOWER SCULPTURES here For a Wee Bit of Whimsy I made a fireplace fender from a length of plastic Railroad model Gate and fencing which I painted black then doused while still wet with a generous sprinkling of ground cinnamon for textured rust. In the photo below is the new entry into the annex currently plugged with wallpaper for the Dowager's protection Between the doorway and the fireplace is a brass wall sconce that I topped with a pink-tinted Chrysnbon glass globe found in my stash. The Palm fronds are left-over stems from a Moonflower Miniature kit featured in the preceding post of the Dowager's bedroom. The brass urn and the pedestal stand came from the estate of Bettie Smith who was a very dear friend of mine for over 40 years. When she passed away last summer, I was given a number of things from her vast collection a few of which I've been able to use here. They are a constant reminder to me of her and her unfailing friendship and her unlimited joy of minis- I hope that she approves their new home. On the floor next to the small armchair is a garden trug I borrowed from the garden of #43 Green Dolphin Street which the Dowager has now decided to keep! In it are a frilly variety of freshly cut Peonies made from a discontinued flower kit, and a small bundle of lavender stems which Linda had given to me the year before. I included a Mini Fanaberia gardening book inside the basket, too! This is JENNY the Dowager's faithful spaniel made by Leslie Frick. She's taking her afternoon nap on the sisal rug which is a the last big bit left from the original wall-to-wall carpeting I'd installed back in the late 80's. Returning again to the draped table: It's been dressed in a mix and match of items more for display rather than for dining. Here's What's Currently On It A WONDERFUL Royal Copenhagen Musselmalet Dish cover given to me by my bff Janine! During those iffy"Sherlock months" I had the dish cover displayed inside the china cabinet (Ref. photo 10 of this post) Janine told me then that she thought it didn't fit with the rest of the china, but because the cupboard was the only place I had to display it, I'd left it in there. But then when the glass door was removed and all the china was shuffled about, the opportunity to move the Musselmalet onto the table for display purposes only wasn't the least bit out of character. Its distinctive blue and white pattern provides a smooth segue from the corner unit to the table as well as visually hold its own, in front of the bust of the Queen. And speaking of the bust of the Queen on the wall behind her head, hangs a VERY large painting of a small herd of cows in a meadow. In the photo below you can see the textured effects of painting over the surface using matte Mod Podge and a tiny paint brush "how now brown cows?" to the right of that bucolic painting is a framed picture of a goldfinch (a plastic bird button with its shank removed) Under the goldfinch is a painting of a young woman in pink ( magazine clipping on cardstock) and a 3 dimensional metal Leaf Sculpture, a recent birthday gift to the Dowager from one of her children. something I'd saved from something I threw away. A commemorative Qn.V plate sits on the table below the pictures. I've Tucked a tiny Teresa Welch flower bowl in between the plate and a Butterfly dome I made this piece from a glass dome purchased at a Michael's Craft Store. The tiny puffy butterfly stickers I found a dollar store. I cut them in half and glued them onto a snippet of dried grape stem then planted the stem into a mound of fake moss. In front of the Musselmalet dish cover is a Mini Fanaberia Flower book; and a Marie Friedman teacup and saucer and a matching side plate with a chocolate and macarons; and a Janice Crawley Chicken teapot which after 25 years of storing in a drawer, I finally get to display. The colours of the teapot are PERFECT! Definitely worth crowing about! As an aside: The Dowager has Treats and is serving Tea here and in the living room and in her bedroom! She's old enough and can do as she pleases but it seem to me to be somewhat eccentric... my question is- should I be concerned? HEY! WHAT'S THAT? an excuse for a big finger picture! 😛 Along the edge of the table are a few of the Peonies and roses I made in September during my 2 week hiatus I lOVE peonies but since I don't have a lot of success with them in my RL garden, it feels quite gratifying to me to grow them in such decadent abundance in miniature, even though I'm constantly picking them up off the floor after knocking them off the table with my giant hand. This makes # 3 for you Lee! I changed the lamp shade on the student lamp upon the conclusion of my Sherlock Holmes adventure. I settled on this pink fringed one because it was in proportion and girly. It came off of the brass Ni-glo lamp base, installed in the Dowager's Bedroom. Alongside the table is another "wanna be fake" potted foxgloves I have it sitting on top of a Al Chandronnait picnic basket next to a stack of Mini Fanaberia flower books. I've installed a silk embroidered valance with a bamboo pull shade above the leaded casement window. The valance with the tassles is another section cut from the same length of iridescent Thai silk used to cover the chair seats. The bamboo pull shade was cut from a painted asian scroll purchased from the thrift store. We've reached the end. Here's a final OVERVIEW of the Dower House Garden Room "In proving foresight may be vain: the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry" And I'm so glad they did! ☙☙❦❧❧ elizabeth As a reminder: I'm still having problems with the comment section. If you try to leave one before the sidebar finally appears, or before the whirly-thing in the tab stops twirling, then your comment won't register. This can take up to 60 seconds before the program quits loading and kicks in- Talk about frustrating for you as well as for me trying to respond:🙁 oh well,... it IS what it is. 🤪
Concept Portfolio Collaborations Brief To create a new home for a couple of keen naive and folk art collectors to downsize into, curating and re-housing as much of their collection as possible. To “undress” the charming period Dower House of later additions and architectural anomalies, and incorporate as much natural,
The historic Dower House Garden at Morville, Shropshire, has been sensitively re-created by its owner, finds Non Morris. Photographs by Val Corbett for Country Life.
Byfleet Manor, which stars in Downton Abbey as Lady Violet's Dower House hits the market at £3.95 million
The Drawing Room at the Dower House is where the Dowager Countess of Grantham spends much of her time waiting upon Mrs Crawley's regular visits. The room is lavishly decorated as well as being painted with a light green and cream upon the room's many panels.
The historic Dower House Garden at Morville, Shropshire, has been sensitively re-created by its owner, finds Non Morris. Photographs by Val Corbett for Country Life.
Chawton is famous as Jane Austen's former Hampshire home – and one of the finest houses in the village has come to the market.
One of the oldest, largest and most beautiful country houses in England has come up for sale – and while the guide price is just the start of what must be spent, Parnham House could once again be one of the finest homes in Britain.
Built in 1685 for Honour Napper. Two storeys and attics, with a symmetrical seven-bay front of Ham stone ashlar and a tile and slate stone roof. The 2 light stone-mullioned windows, surmounted on each floor by a continuous hood-mould, appear to be C20th replacements of wooden mullioned windows. Central doorway has a four-centred arch and a segmental-headed porch with oval window above. Internally the range consists of 3 rooms with a fourth in a rear wing. The original chimney has the remains of a smoke chamber beside it. The arched and pedimented carriage entrance was introduced when the house was gentrified ca. 1936. Note the Sun Insurance Plaques Nos.666933 and 760615
The Dower House is a mansion located in Downton, Yorkshire. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren before February 25, 1723, with the original purpose of being a home to the sister of the first Earl of Grantham. While designed before February 25, 1723, it was not built until after 1772[1]. By the early twentieth century, it was home to Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham. Violet's mother-in-law did not live in The Dower House and instead resided in Crawley House. This is very unusual,
Greys Court, Rotherfield Greys, Oxon | National Trust
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Luxury Real Estate Irnham in Lincolnshire United Kingdom England historic home Grade II John Newton Sir Isaac Newton countryside
Highclere Castle is not the only Downton Abbey filming locations - here are 13 other filming sites to visit that have been used by Downton Abbey crews
Luxury Real Estate Irnham in Lincolnshire United Kingdom England historic home Grade II John Newton Sir Isaac Newton countryside
So why did a cosmopolitan, sushi eating, shoe loving, chai latte drinking, ex-magazine Bookings Editor leave the 'golden paved' streets of London for a house in the rural English countryside - where the nearest shop is a 15 minute drive away? No, there's no punch line, but it is a question that I am often asked! The main reasons obviously revolve around family, space and quality of life. However, there was also the fact that ever since I can remember, I have been BESOTTED with the Georgian period of architecture. Ever since I saw my first Jane Austen adaptation on the television, I vowed that one day I would own a house that would have suited Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy (okay - perhaps the poorer, younger brother of Mr. Darcy, since his house was a MAGNIFICENT as well as HUGE Georgian country pile). Closer to what I had in mind, was perhaps the sort of house that the parish vicar would have lived in; genteel, understated and often deceptively modest in size despite a grand exterior. The classical references, such as porticoes,the double hung sash windows and shallow roof, all add up to a child's image of a house. However, beautiful proportions on the outside, also means light, airy rooms with high ceilings on the inside. So who could blame me for insisting that one of the main criteria in deciding whether or not to relocate to the English countryside, was that the house must have the simplistic, dolls house like symmetry that is such a particular trait of the small Georgian country house. Heavily influenced by classical architecture - I think that there's something undeniably romantic about them. The heyday of Georgian building was between 1790 - 1800, but the style largely stretches from 1714 - 1837. My home, Hill House (below), dates from the late Georgian period, and was built as the Master Brewers house (attached to a nearby and now defunct brewery) in 1822. I like to think that I've found my life size dolls house - what do you think?
"Built for Mrs Baker's mother some distance from the main house, it was free form in plan, the curving walls intended to extend eventually to enclose an orchard. It showed the same concern as the Baker's house for shade, rainwater collection and insect protection" - Serle, Geoffrey, "Robin Boyd, A Life", Melbourne University Press, 1995, p.260
Watanabe Shotei was a versatile artist and artisan of the Japanese Meiji era. At an early age he had the possibility to exhibit Japan's arts and crafts as a team member of Shibata Zeshin for the Paris World Exhibition of 1878. Later he travelled to Europe and the United States to study Western art and to exhibit Japanese arts and crafts outside of Japan.
Ferguson O’Brien, hochdekorierter Pilot und Abenteurer, erhält seit einiger Zeit eine Reihe von äusserst eloquenten Morddrohungen, in denen ihm angekündigt wird, den zweiten Weihnachtsfeiertag nicht zu überleben. Doch von so etwas lässt sich jemand wie O’Brien nicht verunsichern, stattdessen schmiedet der alte Haudegen einen Plan, um seinen Mörder zu entlarven. Zur Unterstützung lässt er zudem den charismatischen Detektiv Nigel Strangeways nach Dower House kommen, der sich so in einer bunten Weihnachtsgesellschaft voll undurchsichtiger Motive wiederfindet. Und während Strangeways noch versucht, aus den Gästen schlau zu werden, wird O’Brien pünktlich nach dem zweiten Weihnachtsfeiertag tot aufgefunden – doch dem einen Toten folgen noch weitere …
Luxury Real Estate Irnham in Lincolnshire United Kingdom England historic home Grade II John Newton Sir Isaac Newton countryside
With its several centuries of history, beautiful country views and an ideal location within easy reach of London, Grade II-listed Great Offley House is perfect for a family.
