Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2020 i Victoria

Dear Friends Perhaps you highlighted September in your calendar, as I did months ago, in anticipation of Victoria’s previously scheduled tour of London and the Cotswolds. Editor Jordan Marxer planned a remarkable itinerary for our sojourn—each destination carefully chosen to showcase the signature charms detailed in her best-selling book, Our Hearts Are in England—and it was with an abundance of caution that we made the difficult decision to postpone that trip to a date more appropriate for international travel. With the longing to explore distant lands becoming more acute, this sumptuous issue arrives just in time to open windows to new worlds, allowing a crisp early autumn breeze to carry us to that favored British isle. In the English village of Swinbrook, we invite you to settle on the banks…

“THE ESSENTIAL JOY OF BEING WITH HORSES IS THAT IT BRINGS US IN CONTACT WITH THE RARE ELEMENTS OF GRACE, BEAUTY, SPIRIT AND FREEDOM.”—Sharon Ralls Lemon…

One sunny afternoon, as Lesley Holmes was relaxing over a cup of tea at her farm in Cornwall, England, she realized the field gate was open. It seems all thirty of her sheep had escaped their enclosure and were halfway down the lane when she caught up with them. Fortunately, the flock came when she called, and all was well—just a typical day in the country life she loves so much. Longtime readers will remember that Lesley first charmed us when she served as Victoria’s Artist-in-Residence in 1998. At the time, she resided in the Cotswolds, and her watercolor paintings of rolling landscapes, honey-colored cottages, and village vignettes perfectly portrayed the pure enchantment synonymous with the area. Her winsome work even landed her the job as illustrator of the renowned…

A Full Phlox DAY On the first day of fall, hazy wisps of soft, gray fog hung over the brook in front of our home, disguising the thick verdant undergrowth on the banks and appearing to be in an all-day holding pattern. I should have known better. As is often the case at this time of year, by midmorning the shroud lifts in an unearthly way, and I can finally see my garden phlox, the last survivors still in bloom in what is now a crisp, sparkling light. The day leaves no hint to the obscurity it has left behind. The sun has taken command. I grab my clippers and head out across the lawns. One of the strangest aspects of fogs is the startling way they carry sound. Voices…

Visit our website to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you love. Take a closer look at some of our favorite September features: Memorable Character Step into the milieu of beloved costume drama Downton Abbey with a visit to sites used in the filming of the popular British television series and movie. A Sumptuous Legacy Find inspiration amid richly hued fabrics and trims at the London showroom of esteemed firm Watts of Westminster, a company steeped in heritage. Milestone Celebrations Perhaps no occasion thrills our hearts as much as afternoon tea, and this five-star London hotel offers a sublime opportunity to enjoy the cherished ritual within elegant surrounds. Countryside Charms Through deft brushstrokes, former Artist-in-Residence Lesley Holmes depicts the idyllic unfolding of daily life at her…

Each era has its own flavor. By the time I started arranging flowers in earnest, several talented floral designers—most notably Ariella Chezar, Amy Merrick, Nicolette Owen, Sarah Ryhanen, and Sarah Winward—were highlighting seasonal blooms and working with subdued, antique color combinations. Their designs inspired me to think about color in a whole new way and seek out ingredients that had these qualities. I started filling my garden with plants with eerie metallic tones; flowers in muted, muddy colors like chocolate, plum, and soft rose; leaves with mottled coloring and deep veining; plus as many textural, airy ingredients as possible. Thankfully, this style has taken hold all over the globe, and thousands of floral designers and flower enthusiasts are embracing this softer, more romantic approach. From late summer into autumn, the…

“AUTUMN SEEMED TO ARRIVE SUDDENLY THAT YEAR. THE MORNING OF THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER WAS CRISP AS AN APPLE ….”—J. K. Rowling “THE LIGHT SHED OVER THE SMALL BREAKFAST TABLE ILLUMINES THE DAY, MANY DAYS.”—Anne Morrow Lindbergh SEE RECIPE INDEX, PAGE 103, FOR RECIPE INFORMATION.…

When creatives Lynn and Barry Henderson purchased their home in a historic district of Cartersville, they could look beyond modern changes and envision its earlier appearance. As a photographer and a sculptor, respectively, the two brought particularly keen talents to the renovation and an ensuing addition. “By using photos gathered from the two previous owners, we were able to restore the house back to its original look,” relates Lynn. “Our goal was to keep with the time period it was built, as well as giving it an English cottage feel.” They did add Tennessee fieldstone around the lower exterior and also used it for fireplaces indoors—details that would not have been present back in 1909. Otherwise, the couple took great care to preserve or replicate authentic features, such as the…

At the heart of one of London’s most culturally vibrant boroughs, The Milestone Hotel invites guests to indulge in the comforts of an English mansion. From exquisite architecture and rich furnishings to delectable cuisine and lavish amenities, the auberge delights sojourners with its engaging staff and storied past. Built in the late seventeenth century, the original dwelling transitioned from private residence to young gentlemen’s academy to Jesuit school before being replaced in the 1880s by the two houses that stand here today. As the 1920s began, the property was converted into a hotel and eventually was incorporated into The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, which restored the five-star standards it currently boasts. Among the more than forty deluxe guest rooms, thirteen luxury suites, and six long-term residences at The Milestone, no…

I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee, which was both challenging and rewarding. Mountain people live off of the land, and while that offers harvest, hope, and bounty, it also brings hardship and struggles. Due to rugged terrain and social norms, we were isolated, which meant that we looked alike, spoke alike, and dressed alike. There weren’t many opportunities to venture beyond our rural community. Not being exposed to places, people, and cultures different than our own limited perceptions of how others live. Because my dad worked for an airline, our family had the opportunity to travel, and I was able to catch glimpses of a great big world full of all kinds of possibilities. That early exposure was just enough to whet my appetite. I saw…

When nineteenth-century architects George Frederick Bodley, Thomas Garner, and George Gilbert Scott the Younger joined forces in 1874 to design the offices of the London School Board, the resulting partnership offered the gentlemen the chance to spread their wings beyond brick-and-mortar blueprints and enter the world of interior furnishings. Christened Watts & Company—the origin of the name still remains a mystery—the noted trio drew inspiration from the Aesthetic Movement to create fabrics, wallpapers, and more that reflected the charmingly eclectic Queen Anne style of the day. “There were always two sides of Watts,” notes Princess Marie-Séverine de Caraman Chimay, company director and descendent of founder Scott. “The ecclesiastical projects at the end of the nineteenth century were prolific—the ancestors designed everything from altar frontals to priests’ copes—as were secular orders.”…

The Trent and Mersey Canal wends its way through the English countryside, as it has since the late 1700s. The scenic 90-mile path connects these two major rivers, allowing easy transport for both the clay components and the finished products of the pottery industry that has flourished in central England for centuries. Middleport Pottery has been producing its signature wares for nearly 170 years. Formed under the partnership of Frederick Rathbone Burgess and William Leigh, the company began production in 1862 and quickly established a reputation for quality. The business moved to its present location in Stoke-on-Trent in 1889, but it wasn’t until the twentieth century that its items bore the name Burleigh—a portmanteau of the original partners’ names. Resting alongside the canal, the esteemed pottery’s Brobdingnagian, dappled-brick building, with…

WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 15–16: Reeve Lindbergh, daughter of aviator-authors Anne Morrow and Charles A. Lindbergh, is the author of more than two dozen books. To sample more of Reeve’s work, including her newest collection of essays, Two Lives, visit her website at reevelindbergh.com. ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 17–18: Erin Benzakein, author of Cut Flower Garden and the newly released A Year in Flowers, is the owner of Floret Farm in Washington’s Skagit Valley. To learn more about Erin’s work, visit her website at floretflowers.com. IN PURSUIT OF ELEGANCE Pages 19–21 and 23: French Market Collection: Hunt Scene Wallpaper 8.5'x16', $2,087; 985-646-0678, frenchmarketcollection.com. Pages 19, 23: French Market Collection: Blue & Gold Vines Aubusson Pillow 17"x23", $725, Rooster & Fox Aubusson Pillow 20"x20", $412; 985-646-0678, frenchmarketcollection.com. Pages 19–20: Coalport: Ming Rose Footed Cup &…