Victoria September 2017

September has always seemed a month of dramatic change to me. Summer is over, school has started, and we are headed into fall. When I was a child, the shift from carefree vacation days to rigidly structured hours seemed the most dreadful way to spend time. With adulthood came certain freedoms, and one I happily embraced was choosing to use September days for travel. I have found that this transition month allows me to avoid the summer heat and masses of other travelers while experiencing beautiful destinations and making valuable memories. England is always on my short list of places to explore more fully. This issue is filled with stories to charm you and perhaps inspire your adventures. From a look inside a family’s treasured house outside London, to Bath and…

Take a closer look at some of our favorite September features: Romantic Sojourns Edwardian architect Harold Ainsworth Peto, designer of Iford Manor’s resplendent gardens, filled them with the Old-World beauty of statuary and remnants from antiquity. A Literary Legacy The memorable characters of beloved author Jane Austen and her observances on the social mores of her day live on in her continued influence of generations of writers. An Unforgettable Journey All aboard Scotland’s Jacobite Steam Train witness the unfettered beauty of sun-dappled lochs, castles, and moors in a cavalcade of tranquility. Fit for Nobility With nearly a millennium of history, Belvoir Castle stands on a fine tradition—one that it shares with the public through verdant gardens and public tours. We love your ideas! Do you have any suggestions about something you’d like to see in the magazine? If so, e-mail…

My love for England is in my genes. As the story was told by my eldest uncle, my maternal grandfather sailed out of Liverpool, England, in the late 1890s on a whaling ship. He had been shanghaied, and before he knew it, he was headed for parts unknown in search of a whale. Whether or not he was planning to eventually come to the United States, I do not know, but he ended up in southeastern Massachusetts, later settling down in a nearby coastal Rhode Island town. There, he met my grandmother, the love of his life, and together they bought a farm, raised their eleven children—the youngest of whom was my mother—and lived off the land. It was there that my dear grandfather hand-dug and planted the most beautiful…

I have a friend whose living room is dominated by two expensive, overstuffed sofas that flank a coffee table like the pair of lions on the steps of the New York Public Library. They are show sofas, not intended for naps or Popsicle-eating children. Their spotless, perfectly slipcovered backs rise flawlessly above high, down-filled cushions that seem too good to sit upon without asking their permission. It is a beautiful room, large and light-struck, overlooking a harbor full of sailboats in the summertime. The walls are hung with watercolors. Baskets of ferns catch the sun. Still, there is something roped-off and intimidating about the room—as if the furniture were more important than the people in it. “Your sofas scare me,” I tease my friend, who laughs as she follows me toward the…

In the eighteenth century, Thomas Chippendale crafted cabinetry and furniture that today fetches millions at auction, as his influence continues to imprint décor the world over. “I had always wanted to do a Chinoiserie room even before I saw the famous Claydon House in Buckinghamshire,” says Carolyne Roehm. “During the eighteenth century, it was very much in vogue, and I particularly loved the way Chippendale incorporated it into his furniture designs.” And what better than a collection of blue-and-white to tie it all together? During her travels, Carolyne takes note of the beauty of finer details. Culling these aspects helps her, as a decorator, breathe fresh appeal into centuries-old spaces while honoring their past. Intricate designs overhead, such as those created by Robert Adam, are remarkable. “I just love his plasterwork,”…

“CELADONS, THE COLOUR CAUGHT BETWEEN GREEN AND BLUE, GET SKY AFTER RAIN, AND KINGFISHERS, AND ICED WATER, ALL OF WHICH ARE LYRICAL.”—Edmund de Waal Savor a quiet moment by lighting a Biren & Co. Moreton in Marsh candle—a fragrant ode to the Cotswolds—and settling against D.V. KAP Home pillows to become immersed in House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth (Skira Rizzoli, 2017). Or soak up September’s radiance with these Wild & Wolf finds, including pruners, a garden kneeler, and a coordinating enamel vessel. “IF YOU HAVE A GARDEN AND A LIBRARY, YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED.” —Marcus Tullius Cicero Botanical Collections urns and herb pots display seasonal plants to best effect. For an afternoon delight, serve Allens Scottish Shortbread. Turn to Tea Forté for flavorful blends and ingenious steeping cups.…