Oh hi English countryside! Doesn't the picture above look super fake? I took it through the bus window if you can believe it... The bus ride from the IES Residence Hall in London to Essex was about 2 hours because of traffic.
Last Saturday I went on a field trip to Essex to visit Berwick Church, Charleston Farmhouse, and Monk's House. This field trip was required for my Bloomsbury Era class but I would have gone regardless because of my interest in Virginia Woolf! Berwick Church is where members of the Bloomsbury group painted murals, Charleston Farmhouse is where many of the Bloomsbury members lived and created, and Monk's House is where Virginia and Leonard Woolf lived.
Me and Jenna listening to Beirut's song 'Elephant Gun':
Berwick Church:
There was some controversy when Vanessa Bell (Virginia Woolf's sister) and Duncan Grant wanted to paint the church because they were both athiests. But the bishop (I think that's what he was called?) said he's rather have well-done paintings by atheists than sub-par paintings by believers.
Afterwards we went to a DELICIOUS and what seemed like a quintessential English pub for lunch, The Cricketers Arms:
I had a brie and asparagus tart and potatoes and salad... YUM. Also, I had plain coffee and they asked if I wanted it black or white. I said, "I don't know what that means" and apparently if you want it white, it just means with milk. One girl at my table ordered sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce for dessert and I had a bite and IT WAS AMAZING. I wanted to buy my own and would have but we were short on time.
Then we headed to Charleston Farmhouse. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the house which is a shame because the members of the Bloomsbury group painted EVERYTHING. There are paintings hanging on every wall, designs painted on the walls and furniture... it seemed that they lived in a sort of artists fairy tale world. Of course this was only possible because they had inheritances and posh jobs and a servant named Grace.
I played with the color; I think it looks very storybookish:
A pond just outside the house...
The gardens... (Click on the photo to see it larger):
Jenna, who helped me be nerdy about Virgina Woolf:
A butt!
The members of the Bloomsbury group were all quite prolific and talented, AND they all are speculated to be bisexual and the relationship chart of whom married or had an affair with who is a very, very complicated one.
And now, Monk's House, where Virginia and Leonard Woolf lived:
View in the backyard, no big:
Inside Virginia Woolf's bedroom:
Inside the living areas:
Although Charleston Farmhouse was fantastic and filled with artistically designed everything, I would prefer to live in the more simplistic Monk's House. Charleston was too overwhelming and my senses need a break. Monk's House was lovely and I especially enjoyed Virginia's bedroom.
