I’ve done 3 sessions at Charleston now, shadowing the excellent volunteers and Visitor Management team in the house. I’ve done stints in the Garden Room, Duncan Grant’s Bedroom, the Spare Bedroom, and Vanessa Bell’s Bedroom, with a bit of nose-poking and ear-wigging whenever it’s people-free so I can get a handle on other rooms and corridors.
I now have a Substack if you would like to follow along over there.
There is a LOT to learn, as people want to know about the house, the contents, the people who lived there, the people who visited there, the people who didn’t live there, and the wider society at the time as well in both London, Sussex, and beyond. We have comprehensive information in our folders that we have with us, and of course I have learned a great deal from listening to the other guides who have an encyclopaedic knowledge. I am getting a little better at recognising my Vanessa Bells from my Duncan Grants with the portraits and the decorated furniture, but there is a huge amount of cross-referencing (for instance a portrait of Angelica by Vanessa in Duncan’s bedroom; a portrait of Angelica by Duncan in Vanessa’s bedroom). It’s a beautiful and inspiring place to be, and it’s wonderful to have the chance to soak up the artefacts and properly look at the paintings and decor, as it’s been so sympathetically curated and feels welcoming and accessible. The more I learn about these creative and indomitable characters, the more admiring I am of their spontaneity and experimentation.
I have put together a scrappy poster with all the things I am learning. I have two A1 sketchpads which I love using but rarely have the need, so this has been a fun chance to get them out and do some scribbling.
