Dana Wiffen visits the favourite country retreat of the Bloomsbury Group of writers, painters and intellectuals.

Hidden away not too far from Eastbourne, my wife and I were not too sure what to expect when we visited Charleston, the home and country meeting place for the writers, painters and intellectuals known as the Bloomsbury Group.

But we paid our money and were told that our guided tour time was 1.40pm and would last about an hour, we both thought this could be great or also not so great, but having paid we walked around the gardens until our tour time.

Charleston near Glyndebourne in East Sussex

Our guide quickly grabbed the interest of some children that were part of our group giving them a clip-board with items to “look for” she did a good job in holding their interest for the whole time whilst also making it an interesting experience for all the adults present.

From 1916 onwards the old farm house at Charleston became a hub of artistic activity as The Bloomsbury Group used this house as their country retreat.

This included such names as Duncan Grant, Venessa Bell, her sister Virginia Woolf, Maynard Keynes, Clive Bell, critic-Roger Fry, and authors-Lytton Strachey, TC Eliot and EM Forster.

All known for pushing the boundaries in their particular field they also did likewise in their personal lives, possibly best described as the original “hippy movement” in the way they lived and changed partners.

Their art though is everywhere they have painted directly onto walls and furniture and filled rooms with their textiles and ceramics, with the help of the superb guide you are taken back in time as you move around this old house that is a wonderful priceless time capsule of that time.

The hour was gone in a flash, and the only downside to the visit was the gardens that seemed poorly maintained and they did not do justice to the wonderful house.

Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News 2011©