Charleston Farmhouse facts for kids

Location in East Sussex

Charleston Farmhouse, near Lewes, East Sussex

Charleston is a historic farmhouse in East Sussex, England. It was once the home of famous artists and writers. Today, it is open to the public.

This special house was the country home of artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. It shows their unique artistic style in a real home. It represents over sixty years of their creative work.

Besides the house and its beautiful garden, Charleston has art galleries. These galleries opened in 2018. They show art from the Bloomsbury Group and modern artists. There are also two restored barns. One is a café called The Threshing Barn. The other, The Hay Barn, hosts events and workshops. You can also see Bell and Grant's "Famous Women Dinner Service" in The Outer Studio. There is a shop too, selling art, home goods, and books inspired by the artists.

Charleston holds many special events each year. The most famous is the Charleston Festival in May. Artists, writers, and thinkers come together. They discuss art, books, ideas, and politics. This is just like the Bloomsbury Group used to do around their dining table.

The house is in the village of Firle. This village is in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England.

History of Charleston

The house

The Breakfast Table by Roger Fry

In 1916, artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant moved to Sussex. They moved with their friends and family. Grant worked on a nearby farm instead of fighting in the war. He worked there with David Garnett.

For over fifty years, Charleston became a meeting place. It was for a group of artists, writers, and thinkers. This group was known as the Bloomsbury Group. People like Garnett, Clive Bell, and Maynard Keynes lived at Charleston for long times. Famous visitors included Virginia Woolf, Leonard Woolf, E. M. Forster, Lytton Strachey, and Roger Fry.

The artists loved Italian fresco painting and Post-Impressionism. They used these styles to decorate the walls, doors, and furniture at Charleston. The garden was also changed. It looked like gardens from southern Europe. It had mosaics, hedges, gravel paths, and ponds. The artists added a touch of humor with their statues.

Vanessa Bell once said about the house: "It's most lovely, very solid and simple, with ... perfectly flat windows and wonderful tiled roofs." She also loved the pond, calling it "most beautiful."

The rooms at Charleston show the amazing art of the Bloomsbury artists. You can see murals, painted furniture, and ceramics. There are also items from the Omega Workshops, paintings, and textiles. The collection includes works by famous artists like Auguste Renoir, Picasso, Derain, and Eugène Delacroix.

The Charleston Garden

The beautiful walled garden at Charleston was created by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. They used ideas from Roger Fry. During the First World War, the garden grew vegetables and had chickens. Later, it became a stunning garden. It mixed ideas from the Mediterranean with traditional English cottage garden plants.

In the 1920s, gravel paths gave the garden structure. Grant and Bell chose plants for their bright colors and silver leaves. These plants became the subject of many of their paintings. Dora Carrington wrote about the garden: "Never, never have I seen quite such a wonderful place!"

The garden has many sculptures. This makes it feel rich and full of surprises. You can see classical statues next to life-size works by Quentin Bell. There are also mosaic paths and pools with tiled edges. The orchard offers shade, and the pond is a peaceful spot.

Most of all, this was a summer garden for fun and painting. It was a magical escape from city life. Vanessa Bell wrote in 1936: "The house seems full of young people in very high spirits... lying about in the garden which is simply a dithering blaze of flowers and butterflies and apples."

The Charleston Trust

The Charleston Trust is a charity. It was started in 1980. Its goal is to restore and take care of the Bloomsbury Group's home. This allows the public to visit and enjoy it.

The unique collection at Charleston shows the art and lifestyle of the Bloomsbury Group. It has been open to visitors since 1986. People from the local area, the UK, and other countries visit Charleston.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Charleston faced financial challenges. It usually relies on money from ticket sales, its shop, and café. The charity launched an Emergency Appeal to raise money. Charleston received government funding to help. The Farmhouse was able to reopen to the public at the end of 2021.

See also

In Spanish: Charleston Farmhouse para niños

• Berwick Church includes murals painted by Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, and Quentin Bell.
• Monk's House, Rodmell, was the home of Virginia and Leonard Woolf.
• Omega Workshops