Friday 19 June 2015

From Medieval to Art Deco

The next stop on our road trip was to a National Trust house at Coleton Fishacre and the former home of the D'Oyly Carte family.  Probably the best house we have visited so far.  Although not steeped in history as such, it captured the 1920's ....to quote from their website:

"Travel back in time to the Jazz Age at the country home of the D'Oyly Carte family.
You can lose yourself in the RHS accredited garden: viewpoints give enticing glimpses out to sea, paths weave through glades past tranquil ponds, and tender plants from the Mediterranean, South Africa and New Zealand thrive in the moist and sheltered valley.
This most evocative of country homes, built in the Arts & Crafts style, is imbued with 1920s' elegance. A light, joyful atmosphere fills the rooms and music plays, echoing the family's Gilbert and Sullivan connections.
Glimpse life 'upstairs and downstairs' from the glamorous Saloon to the light and airy recently opened servants' rooms."

 



You know me, I took a lot of photos - not all in this post, it would be far too long a blog post...so I will be adding some here, being the house and then views of the garden in the next post.   Just sit back and enjoy...









 and up the stairs....



I thought this clock/mirror was unique...



and the carpet throughout the house was lovely.  One of the room guides told me it was installed over 10 years ago and having had thousands of people walking over it, you would have thought it was new....



 Have to admit I wasn't too keen on the style of furniture, it was the light airy rooms and the layout of the house I liked best...



 the rooms were 'styled' for the era really well though...



 and they had some nice paintings....this one was lovely...
called "Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris"
painted by Wilson Bassett
Oil on Canvas.



and this was more traditional
called
"View of Fields and Trees"
painted by Ellen Malcolm - Oil on board



and this one was totally different,
called
"A Bird's-Eye Map View of the Kingswear Peninsula with a Wind Dial"
an oil on panel and was painted by a George Spencer Hoffman in 1927



 and so to the gardens 



in my next post!

and one of my sketches from this trip...



Link, just click ...




10 comments:

CJ Kennedy said...

I love the turret rooms. Wind dial and map painting so unusual

Christine said...

Love that Bassett painting, this house looks more modern.

ann @ studiohyde said...

I liked that wind dial/map painting too CJ. The D'Oyly Carte's obviously carried on their theatricals in their home, lol.....thank goodness they did, or we wouldn't get to see it now aye :-) What amused me was this family who were steeped in Opera, were actually very much a part of the Jazz age. Personally I love Jazz.

ann @ studiohyde said...

Yes, so did I....something about it wasn't there.

robin cox walsh said...

WOW, so much to comment on! LOVE your sketch. I like the pen/style you're using/getting. This is my favorite place you've posted about in your travels so far. Looks like you could move right in and be comfortable. I'm fascinated by the kitchens in old houses. Glad you posted pics of the kitchen. I also love the painting "Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris"! Finally, (I bet you're glad I'm winding down) the gardens look amazing!

Eileen H said...

It's nice to step back in time seeing all the different eras. I like it.

ann @ studiohyde said...

Lol...glad you enjoyed this post Robin and yes there was quite a bit to it wasn't there. As with you, I liked that painting, somehow it was simple but striking. Yes, kitchens in old houses fascinate me---perhaps because I try to imagine how on earth they coped back then without a microwave! Glad you like the pen I've been using...not sure whether to only do a few drawings with it, or get into doing more --- worried it might seem rather same(y), but then perhaps that could be said of my drawings of the lad, lol ;)

ann @ studiohyde said...

It is nice to step back yes....I'm fascinated with other houses like these.

Judy said...

I love this house too! I love the curves in the architecture and the wooden stairs. Also love the kitchen. Ok, now on to the garden. :)

ann @ studiohyde said...

Yes, the stairs were lovely, absolutely made for the place of course. It was the carpet that I fell in love with, a simple stripe along its length as a border and the russet colour was subtle, not over the top ---- plus it felt nice to walk on :-)