September 2008

The Farnham Decorative and Fine Arts Society met for its first lecture of the new season at the Maltings on Tuesday, 16 September 2008.   Peter Duffy as the new incoming Chairman introduced himself and reminded members that there were a few spaces for the forthcoming visit to Basildon Park, a magnificent Palladian Mansion tying in with today’s lecture, on 24 September; then a visit round Legal London with Andrew Davies on 4 November.    Any members wishing to steward at the Schools Arts Exhibition from 27 September to 12 October should contact Pat Nicholson.   Peter Duffy also paid tribute to John Bradley’s hard work on the Projection Team on his retirement; members in the Hall showed their appreciation for his work.

The Chairman introduced Dr Laura de Beden, Academic and Landscape Architect whose lecture was titled “Splendours of Venetian Landscape: Palladio and Vivaldi”.   This is the 500th Anniversary of Palladio’s birth.   She commenced the lecture by playing a little music from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – spring and summer.   Later she went on to describe Andrea Palladio, who came from a modest family in Padua and at the age of 13 became an apprentice stone carver which he did not enjoy and escaped to Venice.   He studied and was coached in architecture, engineering and writing and his famous work was the “Quattro Libri”.

Members were shown various pictures of Palladio’s great architecture and his influence on Inigo Jones and America as well as Lutyens and Vanbrugh and Hawksmoor’s Castle Howard.   His attention to detail, shapes, dimensions and his hunger for learning produced marvellous buildings such as the Basilica and St Georgio Maggiore church in Venice, and La Rotunda, La Contenta, Villa Emo which blended into the farming landscape with its simplicity.  Laura de Beden also explained the four orders of columns and capitals: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.

Dr de Beden enthused for her passion of Palladio’s genius and great architecture and the way his villas blended into the beautiful Italian landscape.

VISIT TO BASILDON PARK 24 September 2008

Never has the warmth of a coach interior been so welcome as Tuesday last when a chilly group from Farnham DFAS  boarded ready for a trip to Basildon Park.  Basildon not as in leafy Essex but Basildon in deepest Berkshire and, bye the bye, the inspiration for the name of Basildon Bond notepaper – this being one of the quirkier facts we learned on the trip.

The façade of Basildon Park could have come straight off  Palladio’s own drawing board and the interior followed suit with symmetry ranging supreme inside and out – even to the extent of creating false doors to enhance the effect.

Built between 1776  and 1783 it was created by John Carr  for Sir Francis Sykes who had made his money in the  East India Company as did many who created grand country houses in that era.  In 1838 his heir sold it to James Morrison who set about finishing the octagon room and adding other Victorian embellishments with the aid of architect J.B. Papworth. 

However, apart from being requisitioned during both world wars it lay empty and unloved from 1910 to 1952 when the house was saved from demolition by Lord and Lady Iliffe. 

They put their not inconsiderable wealth to work buying up Georgian furniture and all manner of complementary artefacts to furnish their new home.  In those days many stately home were being emptied and pulled down so bargains were to be had.  For example the incredibly ornate bedhangings in the Red Room were acquired for just over £100 and the beautiful octagonal French carpet which graces the Octagon Room was so filthy Lady Iliffe and several members of staff had to get down on their hands and knees and scrub it clean!

However, it was not the grand things like the room devoted to Graham Sutherland’s cartoons for the tapestry in Coventry Cathedral which made this visit so memorable, but the little homely touches:  the rugs and cushions hand-stitched by Lady Iliffe;  the tables groaning with family photographs; the beautifully embroidered bed linen and flouncy net petticoats on the dressing tables.  Best of all, for me at least,  was a new use for Rufflette tape:  dyed bright pink the slots for hooks were used instead for giant green cross stitches and the result used to embellish a set of sumptuous curtains.  See if you can find it when you visit.

Out thanks to Jean Stowe for organising the trip and all the wonderful volunteers at Basildon Park who gave us so much of their time.

copy and picture by Vicky Jackson