Title Details

Charleston Saved 1979-1989 tells the story of what was described at the time as "one of the most difficult and imaginative feats of restoration current in Britain." When Duncan Grant died in 1978, the house he and Vanessa Bell had rented since 1916 was in a very dilapidated state. All the designs and decorations they had created over the years were still there: the wall surfaces, the furniture, the wood panels, the ceramics, the fabrics, the paintings, and, of course, the garden. But damp, dirt, and neglect had reduced them all to a wretched state. This book describes how Deborah Gage, a young woman of 29, succeeded in raising the money and masterminded the whole operation. It also gives graphic descriptions of the conservation of every part of the house, its contents, and the garden. When it was completed the people involved wrote accounts of what they had done and their words have been used to complete the story of how the house was saved and opened to the public in 1986.