Innehållsförteckning för English Cottage 2024 från Victoria

Dear Friends The dreamy storybook havens of English Cottage engage the senses and awaken my imagination. Escaping into this publication, I feel as if I can inhale the scent of blossoms while tending a higgledy-piggledy garden, listen to the call of birdsong as I walk a well-worn path, and taste the sweetness of a cup of tea savored in the sun-dappled shade of towering trees. Drawing closer to a centuries-old abode, I hear the creaking welcome of ancient doors, opening to reveal the wonder and romance that await within—a delight to my eyes and heart. In this special Victoria Classics edition, we showcase a range of favorite past features. Among our offerings, discover beloved cottages, estates, and castles. Step into textile designer Louise Townsend’s airy interiors on page 15, admire…

If the storied stone walls of Leeds Castle could speak, they would tell a tale rich with the fascinating history of the royalty and the notable families who have called this regal residence home. Built nearly nine hundred years ago in a valley of the River Len, near Kent, England, the beautifully restored castle is a trove of antiques, art, and history. It was home to six queens, a palace of Henry VIII, and an escape for the glamorous and powerful. The majestic structure first belonged to one of William the Conqueror’s lords, Robert de Crevecoeur. In 1278, the castle became the palace of Edward I, and it remained a royal dwelling for the next three hundred years. Henry VIII, one of Leeds’s most infamous residents, used the castle as…

Sheep graze on the hillside as clouds drift overhead, giving a gentle cadence to the afternoon at the farmhouse and studio of Louise Townsend. Open to welcome gentle breezes, windows frame vistasof Devon, an area of southwest England known for its pastoral beauty and temperate climate. The property’s idyllic setting, which includes verdant fields, orchards, and herbaceous borders abloomwith roses, delphinium, and lupines, serves as the muse for her eponymous line of screen-printed fabrics, pillows, and totes. Home and career intertwine for this textile designer. The daughter of a naval officer, Louise grew up in various English ports. Despite the transient nature of military life, she can trace the weaving of two important threads, family and self-expression, as far back as she can remember. Several of her ancestors were artists,…

When textile designer, writer, and leader of theBritish Arts and Crafts movement William Morrisfirst came upon the gray limestone farmhouse nestled by the River Thames in the Oxfordshire village of Kelmscott, it perfectly matched one he had envisioned in a dream. Originally called Lower House, the oldest section was built by yeoman farmer Thomas Turner in the early seventeenth century; his grandson, also named Thomas, increased the home’s footprint with a large wing many decades later. The addition greatly enhanced the stature of the dwelling, with exterior walls tapering inward from the ground level to the roofline to accentuate its height. Generous windows, high ceilings, and carved stone fireplaces further added to its splendor. In 1864, the property acquired its loftier name, Kelmscott Manor, from James Turner, the last descendant…

In mid-sixteenth-century England, the only woman who wielded more power than Elizabeth Talbot was the queen herself. Though this soon-to-be chatelaine came from modest beginnings, she made her way to thetop tier of nobility through a series of advantageous marriages, the second to Sir WilliamCavendish. The charismatic “Bess” was able to persuade him to sell his own holdings and move to her home county of Derbyshire. The couple purchased the Chatsworth property in 1549 and built the initial structure. After Sir William’s death, Bess retained the estate and married twice more, the last to the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, custodian of Mary, Queen of Scots. During Mary’s imprisonment at Chatsworth, she and Bess—both accomplished needlewomen—stitched noteworthy projects, known collectively as the Oxburgh Hangings. The property passed through the Cavendish line,…

Echoes of the past reverberate in the Mill House, an architectural treasure on the outskirts of Staffordshire, England. Art and enterprise intertwine in the historic waterwheel at the core of this five-story charmer. Mechanisms visible through glass enclosures reveal the estate’s provenance as a former corn mill, while thoughtful details showcase the loving care that has gone into its preservation. The agrarian structure, erected in the early 1800s, narrowly escaped demolition more than two decades ago after it was nearly destroyed by fire. Shrouded in yellow tape, the area’s only surviving mill had already been condemned when a developer recognized its uniqueness and decided to restore it. In 2010, Kay and Mike Petrouis bought the property and began a twelve-month renovation that continued these efforts. Finding someone to repair the…

Holker Estate and Gardens is believed to be favored by Providence and enhanced with more natural beauty than any other place on earth. It has been the home of only three families since the sixteenth century and has never been bought or sold. Located in northwest England’s Cumbria, near Grange-over-Sands, amid the scenic woodlands and parkland of South Lakeland, Holker (a Norse word meaning “a rising in marshy land”) has been persistently restored and lovingly imbued with a sense of purpose for more than four hundred years. Currently the home of Lord and Lady Cavendish, who have opened a portion of the estate and gardens to thousands of visitors annually, the rose-colored, neo-Elizabethan mansion is now known as one of the best-loved stately homes in Britain. With each passing generation…