I took a decadent midweek day off and went to Ightham Mote with friends.
It's a National Trust property in North Kent and as the name suggests, it does have a moat.
But this 'Mote' means to meet, to assemble, nothing to do with that water, originally built as an medieval assembly hall.
Ightham Mote is built from Kent Ragstone from a quarry, still there, a mile and a half away. With each owner came the desire to extend and modernise it.
In 1612 the Selby family inherited it and were given a new fireplace as a moving-in present. Unfortunately no-one thought to measure the space and it didn't fit, it was too tall. Undeterred they raised the ceiling on that side of the house.
We had to admit it was worth all the effort, it is a great fireplace.
Dorothy Bonham was the woman responsible for this fireplace. This is her portrait, her younger self, pictured with an open collar, declaring herself available for marriage. It worked, she married William Selby.
Here, she is a married woman, closed ruff, pictured with a 'ghost', wished for child. They both loved kids, but sadly never had any.
Dorothy Selby died by her own hand. It's not what you're thinking. She was a prolific needle worker and pricked her finger with a dodgy needle. She died of Septicaemia within a week.
Whether as an homage to Dorothy or not, there is quite a bit of needlework to been seen around Ightham Mote.
3D flowers, cross-stitch and embroidery in the housekeeper's room.
Children's samplers on the landing.
Trimmings on the curtains.
Not textiles, yet this 18th century hand-painted Chinese wallpaper captured our imagination.
Below stairs, extracts from a kitchen maid's diary tell us that the crypt was used as an air-raid shelter in the Second World War.
Bequeathed to the National Trust in 1985, they continued to make changes. Restoring and conserving Ightham Mote has taken 15 years, at a cost of £10 million.
Archaeological finds from the last nearly 700 years are on display reflecting the most extraordinary life of the house and its occupants; Medieval, Tudor, Victorian and 20th century.
Not all occupants are wanted though. There's a rat in the kitchen.
More about Ightham Mote and visiting informational on the National Trust website here.
Looks a wonderful place. Those flowers are amazing. I've always been impressed by embroidery because I just can't do it. The idea that such detailed samplers were worked by girls as young as 11 is enough to make me ashamed. I realise they'd been learning how to do it since they were old enough to hold a needle, but I despair for the kids who were like me - completely unable to sew a stitch without ending up in knots.
ReplyDeleteI love that they raised the height of the building rather than abandon the fireplace. That's a wealthy family. It seems unbelievable in this day and age that someone could die in that way and so quickly.
ReplyDeleteWe are going to Portsmouth for our holiday and I am looking forward to visiting lots of places in the area. Can't wait!
What a great place, one I have never heard of. Yes, the fireplace is well worth the effort, it is very grand, and beautiful, indeed. Poor Dorothy - I feel so sad for her, no children And killed by her own needle! As a needlewoman myself, I can't imagine such a thing. Love all the ancient artefacts, and the gorgeous wallpaper.
ReplyDeleteThat's a grand piece on a lovely property. Last time I visited was on a beautiful summer's day - the grounds were gorgeous. You picked up far more history than I did!
ReplyDeleteThankyou. My secret to picking up all that history? We had a fab talk from an animated guide. I'm a convert to tours now.
DeleteI'm feeling sad for Dorothy now, a lady I'd never heard of until 5 minutes ago! I've seen various blogs about Ightham Mote but it's lovely to read one that focuses on one of the people that lived there, makes it much more personal and brings it alive.
ReplyDeleteHow awful to be killed by her own needle. A fascinating place though and love the look of some of those textiles.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that about the collar being a sign of your married status. I've learned something new this Monday morning. How wonderful to take a day out with friends and visit somewhere steeped in so much history. Very adventurous on the home improvement front, takes me ages to paint anything!
ReplyDeleteLisa x