ELIZABETH CRAVEN AND HER WORLD

    There were a lot of actresses on the English stage in Georgian times who attracted noble, rich and sometimes powerful admirers. Some of them - quite a lot - became mistresses. This one did even better for herself, and married an Earl.     She is Louisa Brunton, celebrated comedic actress, Jane Austen fan and Countess of Craven. Unlike many others who trod the boards, she was not interested in liaisons or a quick legover in return for a few jewels and a bunch of flowers. No! She was virtuous, and she was smart. She was also, let's face it, lucky.      There were lots of rich admirers who were married already and others whose families would have put a firm foot down to prevent such a misalliance. The heir to a noble house was usually supposed to marry some titled girl whose ancestry - and dower - were worthy of his.     The noble admirer whose eye Louisa caught was none other than William, Earl of Craven, who was quite a catch from ...

What possible connection could there be between this house in France, and Benham Park in Berkshire, the home of Elizabeth Craven, the Georgian feminist writer?  Benham is in many ways the quintessential English country home. Designed by Henry Holland in neo-classical style with grounds landscaped by Lancelot "Capability" Brown, it is the epitome of Georgian British taste and elegance. Yet it does have an old, curious link to the other house in central France, whose name is the Abbaye de Couhé-Vérac.                         Chateau de Couhé-Vérac, Haute-Vienne, Aquitaine . As this picture shows, the French house is attached to the remains of a mediaeval church, and was in fact built on the site of an ancient Cistercian monastery, the Abbaye de Valence, ruined during the wars of religion.  This abbey was the birthplace of William de Valence, half-brother of King Henry III of England, in the da...

What are the links between Elizabeth Craven, Capability Brown the landscape gardener and Henry Holland, the great Georgian architect who designed  Carlton House and Brighton Pavilion for the Prince Regent? Coombe Abbey, North side to which a classical fa cade was added in the Restoration period. Craven first met Capability Brown when he was hired to re-landscape the grounds of Coombe Abbey in Warwickshire, a home owned by her husband, Lord Craven.  Soon afterwards, another of the Craven homes, Benham Valence, burnt down, and Brown and his young colleague Henry Holland were commissioned to build a new house and transform the estate.  This time they worked closely with Elizabeth who had her own strong ideas about houses all her life and added to that a passion for gardening. She learnt a lot from Capability Brown, and found that her ideas and tastes chimed perfectly with those of Henry Holland. Under her supervision he incorporated man...