Merry Christmas...

Wishing each and everyone of you a very merry Christmas, and the best for 2010. We hope that this festive season is one of joy, and that you are all surrounded by the warmth and love of friends and family.

David and Peter.x

Scranletting down at Ticklepenny Corner...

At present I feel as if we've been transported into the novel Cold Comfort Farm. Last week we collected our purebred Suffolk Sheep (five Ewes and one Ram); and we have found a breeder of Wessex Saddleback Pigs, whose Sow has just had a litter, so when the piglets are weaned we will be going to pick up one Sow piglet and one Boar piglet.

Thus, we are one step closer to our dream of having an idyllic little farm (which is something that we can be getting on with while we wait for the construction plans to be completed for the park and house). All going well we should be able to start the build in about 6 months. However, in the meantime we are working on getting the farm established. Now that the weather is starting to fine up we should be able to make a start on dividing the 10 acre farm annex into 2 acre paddocks for the animals, which are at present contained only by temporary electric fencing.

Suffolk Sheep

Suffolk sheep evolved from the mating of Norfolk Horn ewes with Southdown rams in the Bury St Edmunds area. They were known as Southdown Norfolks, or "Black faces."

The Norfolk Horned sheep, now rare, were a wild and hardy breed. They were black-faced, light, fleeced sheep. Both sexes were horned. The upland regions of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridge on the southeastern coast of England are very rugged and forage is sparse. It was this dry, cold and windy area in which the Norfolk breed adapted itself to traveling great distances for food, thereby developing a superbly muscular body.

The first documentation of the crossbreed as 'Suffolks' was in 1797 when in his "General view of agriculture in the county of Suffolk" Arthur Young stated "These ought to be called the Suffolk breed, the mutton has superior texture, flavour, quantity and colour of gravy." But it wasn't until 1859 that they were exhibited in an agricultural show under that title. The first flock book was published in 1887. This contained 46 flocks ranging in size from 50 to 1,100 ewes and averaging 314 ewes. All 46 flocks were in East Anglia; 34 were in Suffolk itself.

Suffolks developed around the rotational system of farming in East Anglia, grazing on grass or clover in the summer. After weaning the ewes could be put on salt marshes or stubbles. Swedes, turnips or mangels were grazed in the winter in a very labour intensive system with a fresh area fenced off each day. Lambing was in February or March, outdoors in the fields with a hurdle shelter or in open yards surrounded by hurdles and straw.

The breed expanded rapidly, with the first flock in Ireland established in 1891, in 1895 in Scotland and 1901 in Wales. From the earliest days sheep were exported around the world, to Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, North and South America and the colonies (that's us in New Zealand!). Suffolks are now the most dominant sheep meat breed throughout the world. Suffolk cross lambs are ideally suited to today's trade requirements. They have an excellent lean meat ratio, large eye muscle, well-muscled legs, and succulent, well-textured meat.

Our little flock...

And Mr Darcy, our Ram...
(newly shorn)

Wessex Saddlebacks

The Wessex Saddleback is a striking looking black pig with a white belt, which includes the front legs, around the body. (Historically, the Wessex developed alongside the Essex Saddleback, which differed only in having white hind feet and tail tip.) The ears are lopped forward.

The Wessex is both prolific and hardy, and does well as an outdoor pig – being bred originally as as a baconer (specialist bacon producer).

A Wessex Saddleback breed society was formed in Britain in 1918, but the breed (or a very similar one) may have been imported into New Zealand prior to this date. Sometime before 1905 a Mr Hardcastle described black pigs with a white stripe over the shoulder as being plentiful among the wild pigs of Canterbury (NZ), and a Mr Forster of Oxford (NZ) is recorded as having imported white-shouldered pigs from England around the end of the nineteenth century.

There is some confusion about the origin of the Wessex Saddleback. Some sources state that it began as a cross from "the black breed of the New Forest" and "the Old English Sheeted breed", spreading through Hampshire in the 18th century. The breed is claimed to be one of the few British pig breeds not to have been affected by crossing with "Neapolitan" (oriental / Continental) pigs. If this is true, it may be one of those closest breeds to the landrace pigs which foraged in woods throughout Britain for centuries.

Over the coure of the 20th century pig farming became more and more intensive. The more extensive systems to which the Wessex is suited declined, and the breed declined with them. Today it is now considered a rare breed. Meanwhile, the similarly coloured, but otherwise rather different Essex had followed a similar course, and in 1967 the two breeds were merged in an effort to prevent both from becoming extinct. This hybrid breed was called the British Saddleback. ("Wessex Saddleback" is often used when people are actually referring to loosely in Britain for the British Saddleback). A few herds of Essex Pigs survived in a relatively pure form in Britain, and efforts are being made to revive them as a separate breed, but the Wessex is currently considered extinct in Britain. However, before amalgamation some Wessex Saddlebacks had been exported to other parts of the world, and the breed survives in small numbers in Australia and New Zealand. In Australia in 2008 there are less than 100 registered breeding sows, and they are considered critically endangered by the Rare Breeds Trust. In 2006 embryos and semen from Wessex Saddleback pigs were imported into Britain to re-establish the breed.

Below is the trailer for the film version of Cold Comfort Farm. If you enjoy typically British humour, you will enjoy the film...

Treillage...

Treillage or Trellis comes from the Latin trilicius, meaning 'three threads'. This is the almost woven nature of the lattice work of iron or wood which we have come to know as a trellis. Its use can be traced back into ancient history, being used to support grape vines in Egypt, and featuring in garden frescoes found at Herculaneum / Pompeii:

It can be used to create grand buildings, such as Italianate arbours or gazebos...

to small yet charming archways...

or to great effect with outdoor trompe l'oeil...

and indoor...

I am hoping we will be able to create an Italianate arbour at Willowbrook, in the rose garden.

The Great Country Estates of Britain Series. Part Three: Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace (the only non-episcopal, non-royal 'Palace' in England, was built in Woodstock, Oxfordshire between 1705 and circa 1724.

It was constructed in part as a gift from Queen Anne and 'a grateful nation' to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, in gratitude for his military triumph against the French and Bavarian forces of Louis XIV at the Battle of Blenheim, (Blindheim) a small village on the Danube. As with Castle Howard, it was designed by John Vanbrugh, in the rare and short-lived English-baroque style. The design was a matter of infighting and controversy at the time, and architectural appreciation of the palace is still divided today.

Above: John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

The palace cost an astronomical sum to construct, and it's funding was the source of much fighting between the Marlboroughs, The Queen, and Parliament. The Duke contributed £60,000 to the initial cost when work commenced in 1705. This was supplemented by Parliament, who voted in favour of funding the building of Blenheim, but did not decide on an exact amount.

The plan of Blenheim Palace (shown above) is essentially a large central rectangular block. Behind the southern facade are the principal state apartments. On the eastern side are the private apartments of the Duke and Duchess. On the west the entire length is taken up with the long gallery. The central block is flanked by two further service blocks around square courtyards. The eastern court contains the kitchens, laundry, and other domestic offices, the western court contains the stables and riding school.

The three blocks together form the "Great Court" designed to be severely imposing to demonstrate military prowess. Vanbrugh had turned the ideal of comfort first and opulence second, on its head, for it was not merely a country house, but a national monument. In order to create this effect, Vanbrugh created a unique, English / Vanbrugh style of baroque, using vast masses of stone to give the feeling of strength and security, as well as much positive and negative detailing to enhance the masonry with contrasting shadow and light:

The solid and huge entrance portico on the north front (below) resembles the entrance to a classical temple. But it is not a pure classical style. It combines castle elements, such as the low towers at each corner of the central block and crowning the towers with vast masonry belvederes, decorated with finials (disguising the chimneys):

All these features were to aid the heroic pantheonesque atmosphere of the building, a Roman triumph on a grander scale.

There are two approaches to the palace's grand entrance, one from the long straight drive directly into the Great Court, (the current visitors' entrance), the other a more impressive , triumphal arch: the great East Gate. The gate is also the palace's water tower.

The homage to the Duke's pre-eminence (and status as a national hero) is reflected in every last detail of the design of the palace, right down to it sprawling out from his seat at the dining table in the great saloon, as if he was the climax of the palace itself.

The Duke did not live long enough to view this majestic tribute realised, and sit enthroned in this architectural vision: it was not completed until after the Duke's death. Upon which, the palace chapel obtained greater importance, and the design was altered, placing the high against the west wall to allow room for the Duke's tomb at the east end (where the altar should rightfully go).

His tomb was commissioned by the Duchess in 1730, and was designed by William Kent.

Statues of the Duke and Duchess depicted as Caesar and Caesarina adorn the great sarcophagus, while in bas relief around the bottom of the tomb is a depiction of the surrender of Marshall Tallard. Successive Dukes and their wives are also interred in the vault beneath the chapel.

From the outset, the payments to the builders and labourers were paroxysmal. Queen Anne paid some of them, but with growing reluctance, due to her frequent altercations with Sarah, the Duchess of Marlborough. After their final argument in 1712, all state funding ceased and work ground to a halt with £45,000 owing to workmen. It seemed that not even the vast sum of £220,000 had been enough to finish the house. The Marlboroughs were forced into exile on the continent, and did not return until after the Queen's death in 1714.

Queen Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) was the last of the Stuart monarchs. With no successor the throne passed to George, Elector of Hanover, related through his Grandmother to the English throne. He was to become George I. Her reign was not marked with success. but relative turmoil. However, given the fate of her recent predecessors, I guess at least she got to leave the throne in one piece (albeit buried in a square coffin due to her overwhelming oedema from unchecked gout and erysipelas (a generalised skin infection which, in Anne's case lead to overwhelming sepsis). One can start to see the doughy changes to her physique in the portrait above (which is one of the kinder painted in her latter years).

During the war, the 1st Duke of Marlborough lost his son to smallpox. An Act of Parliament established that in the event of a lack of a male heir the title would go through the female line., thus the Duke's eldest daughter, Henrietta, inherited the title of second Duchess of Marlborough. Henrietta also died without a male heir, so the title passed to the eldest son of her sister Anne, Charles Spencer, who became the 3rd Duke in 1733. At this point the Churchill name was lost,. However, the 5th Duke, by royal licence, was allowed to add Churchill to his surname and ever since the family has been Spencer-Churchill. Charles Spencer had a younger brother John who remained at Althorp. From him the Earls of Spencer descend. Lady Diana Spencer, the late Princess of Wales, was a direct descendant of the 1st Duke of Marlborough.

The palace itself takes up about 7 acres, and is set within a vast park. The 4th Duke brought in Capability Brown and William Chambers to make major changes to the original park and gardens.



The 5th Duke who was a horticulturalist of international renown, developed extensive gardens which no longer survive. He spent vast sums of money (which he could not afford) buying rare plants and flowers, particularly orchids. He created a whole range of specialist gardens,which except for the Rose Garden (was restored by the present Duke), are history.

The financial pickle persisted through another 2 dukes. George Spencer-Churchill, the 8th Duke of Marlborough, inherited a poorly estate. Thus, he decided to sell off over 200 old master paintings, using the funds for Palace maintenance and improvements to the estate. He was also a scientist. He constructed his own laboratory within the palace and introduced gas, electricity, central heating and a telephone system of his own design.

The 8th Duke's brother, Randolph, married Jennie Jerome and had two sons, one of whom was Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim and proposed to his wife, Clementine Hozier, there too. Winston said "At Blenheim I made two decisions: to be born and to marry. I am happily content with both".

The 9th Duke, Charles Spencer- Churchill, inherited the estate in 1892. He too dedicated himself to restoring the palace to its former glory, but was thwarted by its impecunious situation. Thus, he married Consuelo Vanderbilt (2 March 1877 – 6 December 1964), of the prominent American Vanderbilt family, who at the time owned most of Fifth avenue, and several country houses. It was a socially advantageous marriage, he had the pedigree, the palace and the status, and she had all the wealth. Thanks to her, Blenheim was restored to the glorious palace it is today: her dowry paid for the complete redecoration of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd State Rooms, and re-stocking the Long Library (the books were sold by the 7th Duke to pay for the palace's upkeep).

Above: The Long Library
Below: The Statue of Queen Anne which stands at one end of the library.

The Duke also completed the Water Terraces (below) to the west and the Italian Garden to the east.


He restored the Great Court to its pre-Capability Brown original state (i.e. as it stands today) and restored the Grand Avenue of elms (in all he planted half a million trees).

Above: The 9th Duke of Marlborough, with his wife Consuelo and their two sons.

They had 2 sons, John Albert William Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford (and later the 10th Duke), and Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill. Sadly, but predictably, the marriage did not last.

Consuelo was close friends with many of England's elite, including Winston Churchill, who remained a regular visitor to Blenheim. One famous occurrence at Blenheim during this time was an altercation between Churchill and one of Consuelo's other friends, Nancy Astor (the first female MP, with whom Churchill was not friendly). On this occasion Churchill arrived unexpectedly and ran into Astor. An argument inevitable pursued, during which Astor commented that if she were married to Churchill she would put poison in his drink, to which Churchill replied "if I was you husband I would drink it".

Above: The Green Writing Room.
Note the tapestries on the wall commemorating the Battle of Blenheim.

Below: Tapestry detail.

Above: The Great Hall.

Below: The State Dining Room

Below: Several photos of the ground and park taken in 2008.

It is also the family home of one of my favourite interior decorators, Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, the eldest daughter of the 11th Duke of Marlborough. Her interior design company, Woodstock Designs, is located in the nearby village.

Above: An aerial photo of Blenheim, showing the park and the nearby village of Woodstock.

Below: A panoramic video of the forecourt take during our trip in 2008.