A front view of George Bernard Shaw's House at Shaw's Corner in Ayot St Lawrence. Not a bad pad for a revolutionary socialist. It is now managed by the National Trust, recently called a left wing organisation by one of our loonier right wing MPs for opposing changing the law to allow his speculator mates to concrete over Southern England. When Shaw moved in Ayot St Lawrence was not attached to public utilities so the house had its own well and pump.
A rear view of the house.
Shaw's writing shed. It was rotatable to track the sun. It is now deep in shadow from trees but I suspect it had an open vista in Shaw's time.
Inside.
Another view of the rear of the house.
The view from the back garden: I suspect the trees would have been lower.
I am no botanist but I suspect this is a wild English rose.
Very interesting John, love the rotating shed...:)
ReplyDeleteDear Monty
ReplyDeleteAll writers seem to have a ritualistic place.
J
as Nye Bevan said "Nothings too good for the workers"
ReplyDeletedear Anon
ReplyDeleteIndeed, although I am not sure you could call George a worker exactly.
J
Ah such a genius ... somehow the co-founder of the London School of Economics and the author of the likes of Pygmalion. Do they offer tours of the house? Is it a full open to the public museum or just open for occasional tours?
ReplyDeleteLook an interesting place to visit, cheers John!
ReplyDeleteDear Excess
ReplyDeleteThe house is open to visiters (but check times/dates) and has a large collection of Shaw memorabilia. I was not permitted to film inside.
Yes, Shaw was a genius, and apparently a thoroughly nice man.
John
Dear Ray,
ReplyDeleteA nice day out. The only drawback is no tea room.
J
Hi John
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much creative work men do in sheds; Dickens had his chalet, Mahler his summer house in the woods and now Shaw's shed
Are there any plans for wooden prefabs in your future?
Dear Shaun
ReplyDeleteMy wife is quite keen on putting me in a shed, with all my models and painting stuff.
J
Leslie Peltier, a amateur astronomer who observed variabel stars and discovered several comets had a shed he could rotate with his feet in order to track the stars. He stayed toasty warm with a heater inside while his optics stayed cool exposed to the air. Nifty stuff.
ReplyDeleteDear Fred
ReplyDeleteThe first radar screens put up on the British coast were rotated by airmen sitting on a wheeless bicycle set up.
J