Monday 12 September 2011

To Let


These are pictures of the hall and a sitting room of a house in which I spent many happy hours of childhood. How well I remember the galleried landing and the sun-filled, south-facing sitting room and a Siamese cat, called Tulah (which used to sit on the window seat) and an Afghan hound, called Shah (which sat next to her), and Dolph and Mary, who seemed incredibly ancient to me then, sitting companionably, on either side of that fireplace with teatrays on their knees, entertaining me for hours on end. The odd thing is that I don't remember the last time that I saw them. While I was at university they moved to a smaller house and they just weren't there anymore. Now it is "To Let" and I feel very nostalgic indeed...

Left click pictures to enlarge.
Posted by NJS at 12:16

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous13 September 2011 at 11:34

    It's ever so slightly Rennie Mackintosh in style, where is it? Or is that a rude question?
    It's a strange experience to look at a past home, I sometimes pass our old family house and see myself as a younger soul and my father coming through the gate smiling - then I spend the next hour in tears, so I try not to do that too often. Nostalgia - I really think it's one of the saddest emotions, it's the yearning part that hurts the most.

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  2. Anonymous13 September 2011 at 11:36

    Oh and Hunters and Frankau - my cap is doffed to you.

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  3. Anonymous13 September 2011 at 12:03

    It's in St Austell in Cornwall; set in about an acre, it was built by a local builder in 1912. I am unsure who the architect was but the owners whom I knew relayed the rumour that he built it out of materials which he had 'saved' over the years from various building commissions! Nostalgia is both painful and pleasurable. As Proust rightly says (if I know about Hunters & Frankau I must also know about Proust): "Les vrais Paradis sont les paradis qu'on a perdus." I guess that the old Hollywood directors understood its draw: hence the potency of films such as "Random Harvest" and "The Ghost and Mrs Muir" - even "Gone With The Wind" (and however many times one sees them).
    NJS

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  4. Anonymous13 September 2011 at 13:10

    Thank you. Cornwall is beautiful, it's on my list for next year.
    Oh I'm going to a Hunters & Frankau hosted dinner next month!

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  5. Anonymous13 September 2011 at 13:30

    Not at all. Cornwall is still beautiful but St Austell has been spoiled. Make sure that you see Fowey by moonlight!

    Not many people even know who H&F are! Simon Chase (whom I have never met) telephoned me internationally (at his expense) and gave me an hour of his time over the draft section in my second book on cigars. Given that some people that I contacted did not even reply, I think that says a lot.
    NJS

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  6. Anonymous15 September 2011 at 13:22

    I've met Simon Chase - Lordy it is small world.Oh what wes your book on cigars? I have a David Tang/Cuba tale for you.

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  7. Anonymous15 September 2011 at 15:41

    Are you in the cigar business or just smoke them? It wasn't a whole book on cigars just a part of a chapter but, thanks to SC it is a reasonable intro. Do tell the tale!
    NJS

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  8. Anonymous15 September 2011 at 17:42

    Oh no, not in any business, I just went to a few cigar dinners and events!

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