Charleston: A House Made by Artists
A visit to Charleston House, plus upcoming summer markets
In a slight departure from my usual focus on Scottish culture, I’d like to share with you my recent visit to a remarkable house in East Sussex (although there is a Scottish connection here!)
Charleston Farmhouse, not far from England’s south coast, was once inhabited by members of the Bloomsbury Group such as the painters Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, as well as range of other prominent writers and intellectuals. Virginia Woolf (Vanessa Bell’s sister) was also a regular visitor.
The group first moved in to Charleston in 1916 at the height of the First World War when, as conscientious objectors, Duncan Grant and his lover David Garnett were required to secure farm work in order to avoid conscription.
The Charleston group were experimental in both art and living. Interestingly, there was a relatively open tolerance for gay relationships at a time when social attitudes and the penalties from the state were severe. The artists were able to live outside the norm, beyond expectations, turning their shared living quarters into a place of relative safety, authenticity and imagination.
The painter Duncan Grant was originally from Rothiemurchus near Aviemore. In fact, I noticed there was an elaborate sgian dubh (kilt dagger) prominently displayed in his bedroom upstairs.
Almost as soon as they arrived, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant began to paint all the surfaces in the house, from fireplaces and doors to dining tables, cabinets, chairs, and bedframes. The whole house became a work of lived-in art, filled with experimental and expressive patterns which sought to escape the stuffiness of mainstream society.
The dining room (pictured below) features a hand-stencilled black and white wallpaper, while the large round dining table was also decorated by hand, and lit from above by a ceramic pendant.
The room which struck me most was the studio at the side of the house (pictured below), a broad, high-ceilinged space filled with plenty of light. The room was primarily a work space, filled with paint brushes, pots, and easels, but being one of the warmer rooms in the house it also doubled up as a living room with comfy chairs and a small library.
This lack of distinction between making and living is part of what makes visiting Charleston such an enriching experience. It offers up an example of colourful, creative resistance to the norms and restrictions of the day - and isn’t there still so much to be resisted?
Recent events
My summer market season got off to a busy start with the Meadows Festival over the first weekend of June. After the Meadows, I participated in the Grange Open Studios for the first time, followed by the Kelvingrove Summer Market in Glasgow last weekend.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by at my pop-up stalls. It was a pleasure to speak to people about maps, the Atlas of Scotland, the future, and everything in between.
Upcoming markets
I’ll be trading at a few different makers’ markets this summer, with stops in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee. The big one will be a full 28 days at Edinburgh’s West End Fair, covering most of August. Follow the links below to find out more.
6 July: Edinburgh Craft & Flea (Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh) 10am - 4pm.
12 July: Newbattle Summer Fair (Newbattle Abbey, Midlothian) 10.30am - 5pm.
19 July: Glasgow Summer Fair (Trades Hall, Glasgow) 10.30am - 5pm.
25 & 26 July: V&A Summer Design Market (V&A Dundee) 10am - 5pm.
28 July - 24 August: West End Fair (St John’s, Princes Street, Edinburgh) 11am - 6pm.
A bit about me. I am a writer, illustrator, and map-maker based in Edinburgh. My work aims to make Scottish history and culture more accessible through a variety of unique creative projects. I am the author of 3 illustrated books covering Scottish history, culture, current affairs. My latest book, the Atlas of Scotland, uses hand-drawn maps and illustrations to tell Scotland’s story, including Scotland’s historic European and international connections. Here you will find links to my website, my online shop, and my accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Great article Andrew with beautiful photography. How lovely to have the freedom to paint most of the everyday items in your house, how “at home “ you must feel!