Yesterday I went to Cambridge to visit my former professor and he arranged a trip for me to see Lucy Boston’s house, which is located in Hemmingford Grey. I was very touched that he and his wife rented a car to drive me there. It was raining for most of the day so my photos didn’t turn out so good but I really loved the tour of the house. Lucy’s daughter-in-law, who was married to her only son Peter Boston (illustrator of her books), showed us around The Manor, which was built in 1130. Lucy moved to the house after her divorce and she was considered a German spy for a while during the war because she used to live in Austria and could speak German. She wore and Austrian dress and that furthered suspicions. In addition, she would forget to turn off the light in the attic and people thought she was signalling to the Germans. People were afraid to pass her house.
The gardens are very pretty and the inside architecture is amazing. One of the most noted items in the living room is a picture of Burleigh Castle (not sure of the name) which was made from hair!! Amazing. The house has undergone many changes since it was first built but some of the walls (over 900 years old) remain intact. The Music room on the second floor used to be the living room and Lucy had a gramophone that is still in use now. She used to play records for the soldiers in WWII and we got to listen to a 60 year old record (nice classical music). The sound was wonderful. The secret to getting good sound is using fiber (bamboo) needles instead of steel ones. Lucy tried to make as many seats as possible and even used her car seat and mattresses so that the soliders could have a nice place to sit.
Lucy published her first book when she was 60 and she also made amazing patchwork quilts. She continued to do this until her 90s even when her eyesight was failing her. What an amazingly talented woman. There was a special Chinese lantern hanging in the music room that got my attention and apparently it is used in one of the books. I have to read all her books now. The attic is most special because the toys and other objects in the room appear in the stories. Lucy’s daughter-in-law told us that there was a group from a hen’s party there that morning and the bride loved the room so much she cried, thinking of her childhood reading. What a civilized activity for a hen’s party, haha. There is no photography allowed inside so I could only take photos of the garden. I loved the chickens and baby chicks running around.
For more information about the house, see http://www.greenknowe.co.uk/index.html
