Cotswolds Cozy
The March
issues of Victoria Magazine celebrate England –
its countryside, its style and
more.
In the 1998
March issue you will find an article on furniture inspired
by the lifestyle in
the countryside of England, Cotswolds.
The descriptions
of the homes, people and
countryside of Cotswolds is
perfectly
idyllic.
“Some two hours’
drive east of London, one comes upon golden-hued villages cupped in the green
hands of the hills, each with its ancient church tower. This ist the Cotswolds
region, where cottage doorways are a tangle of roses, and within, one can sink
into furnishings as amply welcoming as these—
a return to a
timeless English comforts”. Mary Forsell
“Books and pictures were everywhere, patterned china ewers
filled with dried flowers. Photographs, ornaments, small items…covered every
horizontal surface”. Rosamund Pilcher, The Shell Seekers
“Nowhere else
is there such a sense of tranquility” Julain Thompson – furniture designer for
the Cotswolds Collection for Highland House is quoted as saying.
According to
the Victoria magazine article, due to the dark English winters, the walls in
these cottages were typically whitewashed to reflect light. Also, ‘nature has a
way of crowding in too. A butterfly collection gathered by a Victorian
ancestor, a sprig of herbs enbcouraged in a warm corner, play their role in the
artless decoration. For what cheers and comforts has its own dateless style—and
a gift for fitting in, like an old stone dwelling on a hillside that greens
anew each spring' Forsell.
Portions of
Rosamund Pilcher’s novel, The Shell Seekers is set in
Cotswolds.
“Happiness is making the most of what you have, and riches
is
making the most of what you've got.” Rosamuld Pilcher, The Shell Seekers.
Cotswold also
appears as a central character in stories written by
a number of authors, some
mysteries.
“Miss Read” has
set a whole series of novels, The Thrush Green books which are
set in a fictional village in Cotswolds. These stories relay a clear picture of
the life of those living in Cotswolds – seemingly as they have for decades.
Reportedly ‘semi-autobiographical’
books by Nancy Mitford, such as
‘Love in a Cold Climate’ are well written with
a wry sense of humor.
Also Joanna
Trollope novels are said to be set in the smaller villages in the Cotswolds. These stories are said to be
‘unique and interesting…as well as intriguing because of their British setting’.
Apparently,
there are the Mary Russell Mysteries, stories set in the countryside.
Mary
Russell is said to have been the wife of Sherlock Holmes!
These stories are
written by Laurie R. King.
Even Agatha
Christie set her Miss Marple books in the
Cotswolds village of St. Mary Meade.
Also there is Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee –
stories set depicting the author’s childhood including some of the darker side
of rural living. A movie was made with the same title.
Other authors
who base their stories in the Cotswolds include:
Anne Granger –
Meredith Mitchell series;
Patricia
Harwin's series of Far Wychwood mysteries;
Fiona Mountain
has chosen for her sleuth, Natasha Blake;
M.C.Beaton's
brisk and aggravating middle-aged sleuth Agatha Raisin;
Rebecca Tope's
Cotswolds Mysteries;
Melissa Craig,
creation of author Betty Rowlands;
Edward
Marston's historical mystery The Owls of Gloucester set in the
11th century;
Rosemary Rowe's
beguiling series set in Roman Britain;
Freda Davies's
detective Keith Tyrell
I am fascinated
by all I have found of this romantic sounding place – with names of villages
such as Bourton-on-Water, Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold and more. There does
seem to be a sense of mystery and magic in these names and the descriptions of
the ‘honey colored limestone villages of Cotswolds.
“here no one is
ever too busy to chat and perhaps to invite you in for buns and tea” In a place
where – nothing seems to have changed – where sheep remain the main economy of
the countryside and chickens still roam through the gardens and into the
kitchens.
Idyllic.
Completely idyllic. I plan to find one of these books and travel through my
imagination and look to my home to see if I can bring a sense of the
tranquility of Cotswolds into the décor.
