Charleston
With a National Art Pass you get
In 1916, artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant moved to Sussex, establishing Charleston as the hub of the Bloomsbury Group's activities outside London.
Clive Bell and John Maynard Keynes both lived at Charleston for a time, while the Woolfs, EM Forster and Lytton Strachey were all frequent visitors. 'It's most lovely, very solid and simple, with … perfectly flat windows and wonderful tiled roofs', wrote Vanessa Bell of her home, the outward simplicity of which belies the imaginatively decorated interior, with its frescoed walls and painted furniture. It was Quentin Bell, Vanessa's son, who summed-up the Charleston experience, proclaiming it 'not so much a house as a phenomenon.'
In 2015, Charleston ran a highly successful Art Happens crowdfunding campaign to restore Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant's iconic painted surfaces and protect them for future generations.
Why you should go
Beautiful Arts and Crafts house
Was home to the Bloomsbury Group
Located in the South Downs National Park
Visitor information
Address
Charleston, Firle, East Sussex, BN8 6LL
01323 811626
Opening times
Wed to Sun and Bank Holiday Mondays. Please see website for further details.
