Creative Writing trip
Creative Writing trip
On Wednesday 2 April, an excited cohort of students from the SPGS Core Writers’ Group gathered in Victoria Station to catch a train to Charleston. We spent the morning touring the house there, which was used by the Bloomsbury Group as a creative hub and a pacifist retreat during the First World War.We particularly enjoyed the vibrantly patterned walls, mantelpieces, doors, furniture and even a bathtub hand-painted by Vanessa Bell as well as the colander lampshades contributed by her son, Quentin! The house is such an intimate reflection of how its inhabitants lived and worked and it was really special to see its library, art collection and decorative details just as they would have been kept during the early 1900s. We also visited the gallery at Charleston, which was showing an exhibition on impressionism and post-impressionism – movements which greatly inspired the writing and art of the Bloomsbury Group. After lunch, we dedicated some time to writing outside before walking a few miles in the sunshine to the small rural church of St Michael & All Angels in Berwick, whose interior was painted by Duncan Grant, Vanessa and Quentin Bell with later additions made by Duncan and Vanessa’s daughter, Angelica Bell. It’s truly beautiful and really worth a visit. All in all, it was an absolutely lovely day trip and we’re very grateful to Mrs Hyam and Dr Bratten for their enthusiasm and for dedicating their time to sharing such a special place with us.
Saskia (VII)
