$350
Sz: 5 3/8"H x 4 1/2"W x 2 1/2"D
Handmade in England by Timothy Richards
Reddish House, also known as Reddish Manor, is an early 18th-century manor house in the village of Broad Chalke in Wiltshire, England. It was possibly built in its current form for Jeremiah Cray, a clothier. It is a Grade II listed building.
Whilst the history of the property can be traced to the early 16th century, the house as it currently stands appears to have been developed in the early 18th century, when owned by a series of three absentee landlords all sharing the name Jeremiah Cray. The construction and design appear to show a mélange of influences of the architectural styles favoured during the reigns of Charles II (1660–1685); William III and Mary II (1689–1702); and Queen Anne (1702–1714).
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 cock-fighting 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.
Timothy Richards has been making architectural sculptures for 37 years. Now in his twelfth workshop, he remains the only person living to have developed such work. The origins of this quality of plasterwork date back to the Fouquets who worked in Paris between 1780 and 1830. Tim has built a network of collectors in America and England over a quarter of a century. Education remains at the heart of Tim’s models. They will stand the test of time. Over 300 commissions have been completed.