26 May 2010

"Future Chatelaines"

Sissinghurst, Vita Sackville-West's home after Knole, photo by Beth Dow

I have a memory of a sunken garden with a crumbling fountain, tiny and misplaced. Vita Sackville-West had an atavistic passion for a great house with 365 rooms, 52 staircases, and seven courtyards. Our fodder finds us, not the other way round.

3 comments:

Anzu said...

So funny - I just visited Knole last week for my birthday. Strange atmosphere, but is dark and rich with an incredible collection of Elizabethan portraits. I just bought The Heir too, which I haven't dipped into yet.

DM said...

She's another obsession of mine (if you can guess). I read this strange book once, Peninsula of Lies, about a man born in Sissinghurst as a servant. Long story short he moved to Charleston, became a woman and married a black man. All the while claiming he was a hermaphrodite. Creepy.

Also, The Heir was so good!

DM said...