Charleston: A Bloomsbury House and Garden [Hardcover]

Quentin Bell (Author), Virginia Nicholson (Author), Alen Macweeney (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2002

This volume encapsulates the artistic sensibility and casual sophistication of the Bloomsbury Group. In 1916, Virginia Woolf wrote to her sister, Vanessa Bell, that though the farmhouse at Charleston in Sussex was primitive, "you could make it lovely." Six months later, Bell moved in and, treating the house as a blank canvas, went on to create a treasury of Bloomsbury art. As the best remaining example of the decorative style of Duncan Grant and Vanessa bell, Charleston presents the visitor with insights into the art of the Bloomsbury Group. The book provides family memories and anecdotes drawn from a lifetime's experience of Charleston. Each room links the interiors with some of the leading cultural figures of the 20th century, guests such as Vanessa's sister Virginia Woolf and Lytton Strachey. Specially commissioned photographs portray the esence of the Bloomsbury style both throughout the house, with its painted furniture and walls, decorative items and paintings and in the garden.

Editorial Reviews

Review

a fabulous DIY story, with lashings of eminent Edwardians Independent Here is a view of the quintessential Bloomsbury house through the eyes of a child and grandchild of Clive and Vanessa Bell. It gives warm and intimate views of unorthodox lives ... the pictures are a glorious reminder of Charleston's enduring influence Times --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Quentin Bell, the younger son of Clive and Vanessa Bell, grew up at Charleston, giving him an intimate knowledge of the house and its inhabitants. He was a painter, sculptor, potter and art critic, and held chairs in Fine Art and the History of Art at the universities of Leeds, Oxford and Sussex. He died in 1996. Virginia Nicholson is the elder daughter of Quentin and Olivier Bell. After studying at Cambridge University she worked as a television researcher. She lives in Sussex near Charleston and is a member of the Charleston Committee. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln; Frances Lincoln ed edition (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0711211337
• ISBN-13: 978-0711211339
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,922,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About time!, November 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Charleston: A Bloomsbury House and Garden (Hardcover)

I agree with the previous reader, this is it ... the definitive book on Charleston Farmhouse. Although I think this book is more than a glimpse of the house and garden for those unable to visit, it is a surperb reference for those of us that have visited and wish to recall the house, etc. The photography is stunning, the text is informative. A worthwhile addition to any Bloomsbury book collection.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars living bloomsbury - the definitive book on charleston, August 31, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (new zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charleston: A Bloomsbury House and Garden (Hardcover)

i stumbled across this book on a beautiful indian summer sunday afternoon....it is a treasure for those unable to physically saunter through the rooms and out to the walled garden that is charleston. all photos in colour, all rooms as they were when vanessa bell, duncan grant, family and friends lived and worked there. inspirational.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice coffee table book., July 2, 2007

By 

Bruce Oksol "oksol" (San Antonio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Charleston: A Bloomsbury House and Garden (Paperback)

For this genre of books, 5 stars. A nice gift for a Bloomsbury fan, but it is only "nice-to-have," not required for one's library.