40 Scene exploits inspired the sexual revolution of the 1960s, while the bohemian interiors of Charleston went on to inspire many designers. As you’re taking a tour around the house, you’re seeing the original vision that would go on to add a splash of colour and character to homes all over the world. The style of the property is timeless.
Jewel of the South Downs Alex Klineberg gives a tour of Charleston, the Bloomsbury Set’s glamorous country retreat near Firle ) One day, when we emerge from lockdown
with terrible hair and depleted social skills, booking a trip somewhere will be at the top of my list. While travelling abroad might be off the table for the foreseeable, staycations and day trips might be the best we can hope for. One of the best day trips you can take from Brighton is to Charleston in Firle, which was the Sussex home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. It became a country retreat for the Bloomsbury Set, which was a group of writers, artists and intellectuals, many of whom lived in Bloomsbury – yeah, that’s where they got the name.
The London properties of the Bloomsbury Set were destroyed in The Blitz. Charleston is the only Bloomsbury property to survive with the original furnishings intact. And what lovely furnishings they are. Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant were both great designers and artists. Charleston became a life-long artistic project as well as a home. They painted everything themselves, from the fireplace to the dining table. The property has been preserved exactly as they left it. It’s now managed by the National Trust. The Bloosbury Set is credited with helping to eshaping the culture we live in. Their sexual
Beyond the charming furnishings, the stories of what went on in the house are quite something. Your tour guide will fill you in on all the details. Although Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell lived together and had a child, Grant was openly gay. Social and sexual experimentation were the order of the day among the Bloomsbury Set. Such behaviour was not only allowed, in many cases it was encouraged. The columnist Peter Hitchens has credited the Bloomsbury Set with giving us the liberal sexual politics of today. As Quentin Crisp said, he came from a time that was so conservative, if a girl wanted to wear nail polish she had to leave home for good. The Bloomsbury Set changed all of that. Another Bloomsbury and Charleston luminary was economist John Maynard Keynes. He was also gay, although he would later marry Lydia Lopokova, a Russian ballerina. One day, while sitting on a bench in Charleston garden, he wrote arguably the most important letter in British history. In the letter, he pleaded with the Americans to send financial and military aid to support the fight against Nazi Germany. The letter yielded the desired result, but the British government wouldn’t finish off paying the debt until Gordon Brown was prime minister. This is one of endless Bloomsbury anecdotes you might CHARLESTON STUDIO. PHOTO: PENELOPE FEWSTER
