"Reddish House Broadchalke, Wiltshire: The Property Of The Late Sir Cecil Beaton" 1980 Christie's (SOLD)

[155] pp.

725 lots

1980

9 1/2" x 7 1/4"

w/ price list laid-in

Broadchalke, Wiltshire

VG

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Christie's sale catalogue which was produced in 1980 for the disposal of the contents of Reddish House in Wiltshire, held over two days with 725 lots which included works of art, furniture, silver, pictures, porcelain and garden effects. The catalogue has 142 illustrations including 14 in colour.

After losing the tenancy of his beloved Ashcombe House, society photographer and artist Sir Cecil Beaton bought nearby Reddish House in 1947 and transformed the interior. Beaton added rooms on the eastern side, extended the parlour southwards, and introduced many new fittings. Greta Garbo was a visitor. The upper floor had been equipped for illegal cockfighting at the beginning of the 20th century; Beaton used the cages as wardrobes to store the costumes for his play "The Gainsborough Girls". The water garden he created in 1971 in the meadow at the front of the house, with meandering walks, is still in place. Beaton also added the indoor "Winter Garden" with a glass dome roof and a small pool in the marble floor. A historic research report by Adam Architecture is less complimentary about some other changes made during his tenure: "Beaton removed some important historic features within the house such as original partitioning and several fireplaces, and hid elements such as timber framing". He remained at the house until his death in 1980 and is buried in the churchyard.