The Little Hall Museum, Lavenham

   Yesterday the bf and I were in Suffolk for our annual treat, a Christmas present in fact - lunch at The Great House in Lavenham.  Afterwards and slightly tipsy we went next door to the romantic, exquisite Little Hall Museum. This was our second visit and the first for me with a camera.  As you may recall I first blogged about The Little Hall back in 2013.  Way back then I gave a very short history of the place: a late medieval cloth merchant's house restored in the early part of 20th century by twins Robert & Thomas Gayer-Anderson who filled the place with beautiful things from the Middle East and Renaissance Italy.

   Anglo-Irish, or 'Ascendancy', Thomas & Robert (a qualified doctor) served in the British and Egyptian armies.  Both men were also romantics, adventurers, artists, homosexual, and avid collectors.  Retiring in 1929 Thomas bought and restored Little Hall and it was to remain his home until his death in 1960. Robert remained in the Middle East taking a number of civilian posts with the Egyptian government.  The medieval house in Cairo, Bayt al-Kradlea, which he bought, restored and furnished, and which he was forced to abandon due to ill health in 1942 and gave to the Egyptian government, is now The Gayer-Anderson Museum.  It was to Little Hall and Thomas that Robert returned to in 1942 and lived there for the remaining three years of his life.  The Little Hall then, I would guess, is primarily a reflection of the taste Thomas Gayer-Anderson.  It consists of a main, medieval block to the street and a longer wing at right angles which in part, I think, dates from inter-war period. The garden is very English and quite lovely.  The images reflect our route through the museum.

   Finally I couldn't resist showing yet another view of the outside with its gorgeous ochre limewash.

Flowers

     Just some images of flowers in the house and the garden.

The Garden

     I thought I'd start blogging again with these views of the garden, as a contrast to the previous views of the place when it was blanketed in snow.  It's looking perhaps a little too overblown, and yes, the peonies are in the wrong place.  As regular readers will realise that these last months I've haven't really had the time.  Still it all feels very English when you're in the midst of it.

 

 

More snow and a work in progress

       Fresh snow here.....this is this morning's pile of the white stuff.

 

 

      I thought I'd post this watercolour drawing of a Coptic ivory I made in the week, even if it didn't go quite to plan.  As you can see it went 'Pete Tong' (= wrong) in the bottom third (over worked), but the rest of it was quite good.  Apart from the watercolour the drawing was done with a cheap ballpoint pen over pencil, with wax pastel used for the highlights.

 

Snow

 

I woke up to an inch (maybe) of snow.  Granular stuff, that was like polished ivory and very, very slippery in places where it had been compressed by traffic.  Braving a bitter easterly I took the opportunity to take some photographs.

The Garden 

The Park

This former farmhouse lies in the midst of the park, surrounded by tall, thick hedge of privet.  It is built of the local limestone and has a heavy roof of limestone slates known as 'Collyweston slate'. Perfection

Another half hour in the garden...

     Since I have ceased to be a full time carer (my father has gone into permanent care) I've begun to look at those things which I have neglected of late.  One of these is the garden.  Gardening, and gardens, are a great pleasure but the commitment of looking after another person, particularly when they are so ill, made gardening a chore, just another call on my time.  I attempted to maintain thigs at a certain, passable level, but I itched to do more.  The small veg patch at the end of the garden was particularly neglected. 

 

 

     However since Christmas, and weather permitting, I have tried to spend a few minutes each day out there tidying up ready for the spring.  This morning I had a go at the veg patch.  Believe me it was worse.....
The idea behind this small patch, is still as it was when I first cleared the ground  four or so years ago:  to grow those things that are not found in local supermarkets, or if they are for sale are only available in wasteful amounts.  For instance: chard, radishes, lambs lettuce, board beans, runner beans, rockett.