FLBC Summer Social: Thursday 20th July 2023
How could anyone not enjoy visiting a house where the present custodian, Lord Faringdon, compares bath towels to greenhouse peaches (both, he says, are warm and white), and thinks his eccentric uncle might have served squirrel pie to his guests?
The answer, of course, is that no one could... And no one did, on a splendid evening spent exploring Buscot Park on Thursday 20th July. A happy crew of FLBC members wandered about the magnificent gardens, and wondered at the eclectic soup of style and colour that is everywhere on show inside the house.
David Freeman, erstwhile curator at Buscot, supplied his erudite commentary on several hundred years of the estate’s history, and particularly since the Hendersons arrived at the end of the 19th century. David explained the unusual relationship between Buscot and the National Trust, which allows for the ‘Henderson Flair’ to continue. (An aside: in Buscot and Chastleton, we are lucky enough to have two of the most distinctive NT properties on our doorstep.)
A personal highlight? No question... The Burne-Jones paintings (with frames by William Morris), The Rembrandt of Pieter Six, The Reynolds, the Gainsborough are all absolutely magnificent... But tucked away in a bedroom is a smallish Ravilious watercolour of Buscot. I’ll take that, please!
At the end of the tour, we were treated to wine in the Hall by Lucinda and James Henderson... So, enormous thanks to them, and to David, and to our very own Camilla George for arranging a memorable evening.
Richard Martin
Cotswold Woollen Weavers, Filkins
On the staircase: art everywhere!
Evening in the garden
‘Buscot Park’ by Eric Ravilious
