Thursday, February 18, 2010

a case for benign neglect


Several days ago Courtney wrote a wonderful post on Style Court about the magnificent 18th-century state bed at Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, with its original Chinese embroidered silk hangings ~ an extraordinary bed from an extraordinary house. Her post brought back a flood of memories from my visit there two summers ago.

The National Trust, which has owned and administered the house since 1984, bills Calke Abbey as an example of "the country house in decline." Indeed, it has all the trappings of 18th-century opulence, Victorian innovation and obsession, and 20th-century eccentricity. All of which, when finally met with impoverished circumstances has produced a property that is, quite literally, a time capsule. Over the years, nothing was thrown away ~ the rooms filled floor to ceiling with vitrines of stuffed birds, egg collections, hunting trophies, old prints, books, textiles, furniture, and other curiosities.

When the Trust took over the derelict house, they had no idea of the bed's existence. Curators were shocked to find it stored in its original boxes, and speculate that the bed was never installed in the house because the ceilings were not high enough to accommodate it. Through simple neglect, the colors and integrity of the fabric have been beautifully preserved. In terms of the house itself, the Trust decided not to attempt to "restore" it to any particular time period, but to keep it as they found it. While the house may seem chaotic, each object has been meticulously catalogued, each peel of wallpaper and plaster crack thoroughly documented to maintain "authenticity."


Some find the house disturbing, its shabbiness depressing. I was fascinated by its moody stillness, dark passages and curious rooms. And of course the theatrical nature of it all appealed to my camera.

Photographs taken July 2008 at Calke Abbey (more here!).

9 comments:

Style Court said...

J --

I'm so glad you posted this! Wonderful to hear your thoughts. I'll add a follow-up link to my post. Your images and words bring it all to life.

the gentleman said...

Ah, Calke Abbey, one of my favorites. Great to see the photos of the service areas. When we visited, struggling to get decent photos in the interior twilight, I never made it out of the drawing room.

North of 25A said...

So interesting - I would love to have those chairs by the fireplace.
Thanks!

The Down East Dilettante said...

although Calke's benign neglect bordered on desuetude, it is quite beautiful in its way. I wish more people would sometimes just leave things alone, and let them age gracefully...one sees it so much less nowadays.

Emile de Bruijn said...

Your photographs are wonderful. I find the blue walls at Calke particularly poignant. Apparently this kind of blue was used a lot in mid-nineteenth-century interiors, as the pigment - French ultramarine - became more widely available then. It was thought to deter flies, which explains its use in kitchen areas. In fact this hasn't been scientifically proven, but it certainly looks good, especially in a state of decay!

home before dark said...

Beautifully done, JCB. Your new big girl camera loves being with you. "Moody stillness, dark passages and curious rooms" who could ask for anything more from a snapshot in time?

Janet said...

Courtney ~ all your inspiration!

gentleman ~ I love how we all had our own little obsessions...

north of 25A ~ I know what you mean...I wouldn't mind a seat in one of those chairs, with a cup of tea, and a good book.

DED ~ always bigger, better, faster, no? But, every now and then we find a treasure...

Emile ~ yes! The blue walls are wonderful, particularly since so few survive in their original paint.

hbd ~ thank you! However, these were in fact taken with my old camera. I keep looking at them thinking how much better I could have done with the big girl!

Emile de Bruijn said...

Calke appeared on yet another blog this week, so I have just done a post (with a few National Trust images for good measure) linking us all together.

nikole said...

Wow, it looks pretty amazing.