Sunday, December 13, 2009

Peppard Cottage revisited.

You may remember my post back in October about Peppard cottage? Here is proof that if you wish for something hard enough it will come true. Over a year ago I posted on here and on some British forums requesting pictures of this house from anyone willing to share. Then my lucky day came. Sean Menzies happened to do a search for Peppard Cottage and found my little blog. Sean had actually been to village where Peppard cottage is. I receive these emails from him. He shared some interesting bit of knowledge about this little English gem.

Hey Derek, I found your blog by doing a search for Peppard Cottage. After having visited the house, I was curious if there were any references to it online OTHER than it having been used in Merchant Ivory's film. Most of it was about the Bloomsbury Set and the film, of course. I did see it used once, a few years ago, in a Mystery on PBS.

I've attached as many of the giant photos of the place I took as I can. It is really a lovely house. I think a one Lynda Rothbarth lives there now, she's a horsewoman. The young caretakers, a couple who live in back, were very nice to me and let me take pictures of the place. I wanted to see if the teeth were still in the chestnut tree, but we ran out of time.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the pics.


Cheers,
Sean.

I love this shot. It shows a view of the west side of the house that we never see in the movie.



Of course I was absolutely giddy to see these pictures. I wrote him back begging for any other pictures he might have, and permission to post them here. He responded with more pictures and trivia.

Go ahead, Derek, post away! I've attached some others, too. I took a lot but didn't realize until I looked at the pics later that most of them were from the front! I regret not getting a photo of the metal plaque that says "Peppard Cottage" which is affixed to the fencepost next to the gate (the one Emma Thompson barges through in the film to go save Helen). In the film, it has been removed and one can see the rusty square where it usually resides.

The white poles in one of the pics I sent are goal posts, plastic. There were a lot of children's toys in the front yard and I tried to shoot around them. Also of interest is the fact that the owners have kept all the production design put in by Luciana Arrighi. The dining room is still painted red and the acorn wallpaper is still in the front hall, I could see that much through the windows.

I've attached the wider view of the front of the house and the fuzzy pic I took of the chestnut tree. All the foliage had been cut back for the Winter so the wisteria was hacked down and the chestnut tree looks like a stump! It was very cool to go up to the front door and touch the wooden railings and cold iron door handle and to knock on the glass. The atmospheric sounds of the wind and the birds are exactly as they are in the film, which reproduced it accurately. Also, it is surrounded by other houses, which you've seen from the Google shots, and there is a pub, The Red Lion, within walking distance!

Oh and the last pic is of Henley-on-Thames, right down the road. It's the most beautiful place I've ever been, at least in the past couple of years. You walk along the Thames, before it is polluted by London, on a tremendous wooden boardwalk that at one point goes out into the middle of the river then back. Just beautiful. ALSO again: the bluebell wood that Leonard walks through is literally at the bottom of the road; the road, once it goes past the house, drops down drastically into a thick wood the is full of bluebells every May. We were there in March, so it was all damp and moldy.

Enjoy!
Sean




Thanks Sean For sharing these with me... anytime you want to become my out in the field reporter you can have the job.







10 comments:

Julia @ Hooked on Houses said...

Just stopped back by to see these photos again and realized I apparently never left a comment the first time.

I got so excited to see this post about Peppard Cottage. Thanks to Sean Menzies for the photos and stories about his visit! This is one of my all-time favorite movie houses. What a thrill to learn more about it.

I'm going to add a link to this post from my post about Howards End. Thanks, Derek!!

Alexandria ♥ said...

Wow, derek...What to say?
wish there were more? happy to somehow feel the presence with the fine music and the ticking of the clock :) Think I shall look for the music. Just struck 10.
Only moments ago I asked Julia on facebook if she had posted about the beautiful home in the movie Howards End.
So here I am...delighted :)
Thank you,
Alex ♥
This movie was a life saver to me when I lived in the desert heat years ago. Beauty : )

John Simkin said...

You might be interested in the fact that Lady Ottoline Morrell rented this cottage from 1907 until after the First World War.

Her husband had just become the MP for the local Henley seat. A large number of famous people visited them at this home. For more information on this see:

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jmorrell.htm

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the pictures! My husband and some family members and I tried to find Peppard Cottage when we were in England 3 years ago. We got as far as Henley-On-Thames (where no one we spoke to had ever heard of the cottage or Howard's End!!). It was getting dark and we had to eat dinner so didn't get past Henley-On-Thames! Bummer to find out it was just down the road!! We were staying in Broadway in the Cotswolds at the time and so never made it back down that way! NEXT time though! Definitely next time!

Susan Mooring said...

I've just watched an Inspector Morse episode I'd never seen, "Deadly Slumber," and I'm virtually certain that the Peppard Cottage was used for that as well as for "Howard's End." The Morse telemovie was shot in 1993, just a year after the film, so it doesn't seem farfetched.

I am a consultant in historic interior restoration, and collect as many photos as I can of old houses and especially their interiors. I've just discovered your blog and look forward to looking through it!

Anonymous said...

I live next door to this house, bit strange seeing people getting excited about it - it's just our neighbour's house!

Anonymous said...

I laughed when I read the last comment! That would be strange if you live next door and hear everyone getting so excited about your neighbor's house!! But surely you must know that Howard's End was such a fantastic movie (in fact, my favorite movie of all time!) and so many people are fond of it in a sentimental way! I suppose it could be a bit scary having tourists hanging about taking pictures though!

Anonymous said...

Although I would find it strange - and annoying - to have tourists ogling my neighbor's house, I have loved this house since seeing Howard's End years ago (I watch it at least once a month just to look at the house). For years, I've considered it THE house I want to live in. When I bought my first house two years ago, one of the primary reasons I fell in love with it is because the study reminds me of the entryway of Howard's End/Peppard Cottage - wood paneled walls and ceiling. And I've planted bluebell bulbs in my yard so, next spring, I'll have my very own bluebell wood. Maybe the neighbors need to watch the movie to understand people's fascination with this house.

Derek said...

I'm hoping this comment goes back to all the previous commenters. This is Derek. The neglectful owner of this blog. The stars have aligned for me and I will be making strip to peppard cottage in a weeks time. I'm hoping this comment gets back to the neighbor. Ill be greeting of the train in reading and getting a taxi to peppard cottage. Take some pictures. If I'm brave enough ill knock on the door and get permission to walk around and take some pictures. But if I can connect with the neighbor that might help. If this makes out to everyone who commented. If so. Leave a new comment or email me directly at mecham6@icloud.com.

Derek said...

I'm hoping this comment goes back to all the previous commenters. This is Derek. The neglectful owner of this blog. The stars have aligned for me and I will be making strip to peppard cottage in a weeks time. I'm hoping this comment gets back to the neighbor. Ill be greeting of the train in reading and getting a taxi to peppard cottage. Take some pictures. If I'm brave enough ill knock on the door and get permission to walk around and take some pictures. But if I can connect with the neighbor that might help. If this makes out to everyone who commented. If so. Leave a new comment or email me directly at mecham6@icloud.com.