This house, built in 1852 after the village fire, in a style that harks back to the previous century, has been the home and workplace of artists valued for their contribution to the development of British Art. Situated between two small farms and with an acre of garden that reached down to School House by the stream, it clearly provided the ideal setting for creative work.
John Henry Frederick Bacon M.V.O., A.R.A., (1865 – 1914)
John Henry Frederick Bacon M.V.O., A.R.A., (1865 – 1914) was a painter of domestic, genre, and biblical scenes, as well as an illustrator of books, periodicals and children’s books. He became a very fashionable portrait painter of distinguished men. His best known work is “The City of London Imperial Volunteers Return to London from South Africa on Monday 29th October 1900” in the Guildhall, London. Bacon came soon after his marriage in 1894 to live in Pillar House where some of his seven children were born. The late Mrs Gwen Viner, a daughter of the village doctor Dr Rice, remembered coming with her sister to model for the artist. She also remembered that Mr Bacon would paint some of his biblical pictures in the barns adjoining the garden. In 1912 John Bacon was commissioned to do the Coronation Portrait of King George V and Queen Mary which hangs in Buckingham Palace. His paintings are in the Tate Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, other British galleries, the Reform Club, etc. and private collections. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and while living in Pillar House he showed the paintings “Suscipe me, Domine” (1895), “Peace be to you” (1897), and “The Ring” (1898). His address is given in the Royal Academy Exhibitors Catalogue as ‘Pillar House, Harwell, Steventon, Berks’.
Sadly he died of acute bronchitis, age 49, on 24th January 1914 leaving a widow with seven children 19 to 4 years of age. The King and Queen heard of his death that evening and immediately sent a telegram of sympathy to Mrs Bacon, the widow.
(Local knowledge tells that Walter Hitchman, Eric James, Jack Harris and other village folk were used as models by Henry Bacon in “Suscipe me, Domine” and “The Doctor”).
L. Leslie Brooke (1862 -1940)
In 1899, L. Leslie Brooke (1862 -1940), children’s book illustrator, caricaturist, portrait, genre and landscape painter, came with his wife and young son to live for ten years in Pillar House. Here he drew his most famous children’s book “Johnny Crow’s Garden” for the publisher Frederick Warne in 1903, the year his youngest son Henry was born (who would become Lord Brooke of Cumnor, d.1984). There followed the immortal books “Ring O’ Roses”, “The Golden Goose Book”, “Johnny Crow’s Party”, “The Nursery Rhyme Book” edited by Andrew Lang, and “The House in the Wood”, all published by Warne. “Ring O’ Roses” shows Harwell houses and scenes and Harwell villagers. The little boy in Baa, Baa Black Sheep is the young Henry Brooke. The late Mrs Viner remembered that ‘Mr Brooke kept a tall looking-glass in his studio and he would pull faces in it to get the expressions for the animals’. Leslie Brooke also illustrated the book “Travels Around Our Village” by Miss E.G. Hayden of West Hendred, and some of the drawings are of Harwell and its people. The artist said that he “loved best in the world children and roses” and Warne promised that his picture books would always be available to children. Tragically his eldest son Leonard, a history student at Oxford, was killed while flying in the 1st World War. L. Leslie Brooke’s sensitive portraits and other work can be found reproduced in his son Henry’s biography of him entitled “Leslie Brooke and Johnny Crow” published by Warne in 1981. Lord Brooke writes”… it is this garden (Pillar House) which has the prime right to be called Johnny Crow’s Garden, because it was here that Leslie Brooke was living when he drew the pictures for that, his best known book.” The books can be bought from Blackwell’s Children’s Bookshop in Oxford.
It was while he was living in Harwell that Leslie Brooke was given by Frederick Warne a set of drawings for his opinion. They were given by a then unknown artist. He and his wife Sybil were staying in London for a few days and he showed them to her that evening. They were duly returned next day with the “unhesitating opinion that Warne should go ahead and publish, and the book would be a success.” The drawings were the coloured pictures for “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” and the artist was, of course, Beatrix Potter.
L. Leslie Brooke exhibited at the Royal Academy and in 1901 he showed “Victory” at the Royal Academy, painted in Pillar House. His paintings are in the Tate Gallery, other British galleries and private collections. When he died the Journal of America Children’s libraries, “The Horn Book”, devoted its entire spring issue for 1941 to tributes to L. Leslie Brooke. Many years later the Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge wrote to the Brooke family “We were much fascinated about Johnny Crow, who is one of our favourite characters, one of the best of all books on Pastoral Care, comparable to the learned treatise on the subject by Pope Gregory the Great.”
Of the picturesque studios where the artists worked, now known only from photographs, nothing remains but the stout eighteenth century walls. The studios were demolished by a less artistic owner in 1960 to make temporary accommodation for cars.
In 1961 the artist Derek Southall, abstract and landscape painter, came with his family to live and work in Pillar House. He stayed until 1968 when he left to paint and teach in America. He has work in the Tate Gallery, painted while he lived in Pillar House, and paintings in many British and foreign galleries.
The next owner was a great -nephew of Harold Rathbone the painter and founder of the Della Robbia Pottery at Birkenhead and friend of The PreRaphaelites, and was also related to Mrs L. Leslie Brooke’s family.
Standing quietly in Pillar House garden with its sheltering barns on a spring or summer evening, one can glimpse that rural tranquility amidst which Bacon and Brooke lived and worked before the age of the motor car changed the English village and swept away those qualities which they had cherished.
Comments
- Johnny Crow’s Garden
Webmaster –
2 Apr 2010
Many of LL Brooke’s works are available on-line at Project Gutenberg.
Johnny Crow’s GardenJohnny Crow’s Party
Jan (Jay) Fox-Davies says
There must be something about the air around Pillar House and its garden that attracts artists. I moved into Pillar Lodge, the house built in the gardens of Pillar House in 2000. At the age of 60, I started to properly pursue my life long interest in art by attending a Foundation Course in Art and Design at Abingdon College. Some of the tutors on the course encouraged me to skip a BA degree and pursue an MA in Fine Art, (Oxford Brookes’). I graduated in 2015.
I know that at my age, it is highly unlikely that my work will ever hang in any of the Tates, the Royal Academy or the National Gallery, but keeping up the tradition in a minor way, a couple of pieces of my work have been published, one in ‘Tutankhamen’s Curse – The developing history of an Egyptian king’ by Dr Joyce Tyldesley, and in the Royal Jubilee publication ‘The Best of Britain’. My next door neighbour was also a talented artist and her house too is situated in what was the garden of Pillar House. I believe that there was yet another artist further down the lane who’s house also shared the garden.
I know that no matter who owns a house, they are really only tenants passing through. My hope is that, in the future, Pillar House, Pillar Lodge and all of the houses down to the old school house by the stream, will continue to attract artists, to add to the history of this very interesting and well loved village.
D O'Brien says
Jan,
I would love to get in touch! My family lived in Pillar House from around 1990 – 1997 and I too (now in my thirties only) have been inspired to write a book for children about the wondrous grounds.
If you wouldn’t be opposed to getting into contact, my email address is info@gradivis.com
Many thanks!
Richard George Ross Viner says
Just a short note.
My name is Ross Viner. and I went to school at Pillar House from about 1935 until 1839, and lived with my Grandfather, Dr Rice, at the top of the village in a house called The Poplars, now called Wellshead House I believe.. I have a portrait of my mother painted at Pillar house by John Henry Frederick Bacon, It hangs in my home here in Canada, an absolutely inspiring water colour, so delicate and beautiful. Contact me if you wish.
vicky whitehead says
Hi Ross, my name is Vicky and I grew up in Pillar House 1968 to when our family sold it 1993, I have lots of memories and photos if you are interested. Our family would love to see the portrait of your mother, please could you post a picture? Also, there is an exhibition this April in Harwell about the village inhabitants past and present, Kath Luker is curating it, maybe google the village website for more info. Best wishes
Sarah Wood says
Hi Vicky
I was very interested in your post as my father wrote Sir Roland’s autobiography and amongst the papers I found a letter written from Pillar House in 1989 from Greta ……….your mother ? I won’t ramble on as I’m not even sure if you’ll get this but hope so !
Kind regards
Sarah
Hannah Macentee says
Hi Vicky,
I hope you don’t mind getting in touch. I have just come across this page! My family have owned Pillar House since 2000 and i would love to see your old photos of the place! So lovely that you lived there too. It is such a special house with so many amazing memories.
Many thanks,
Hannah
Philippa Morris says
Vicky – I would very much like to talk further. My name is Philippa Morris, and we live in Townsend. I have such fond memories of your slightly crazy household! And your parents took me to a concert at Dorchester Abbey. And lots of other stories.
Hannah Macentee says
Hi Richard,
I hope you don’t mind me getting in touch. My family owns Pillar House and have done since 2000. We would love to see the portrait of your mother painted at Pillar House.
Many thanks,
Hannah
Hannah Macentee says
Hi Richard,
My family owns Pillar House and have done since 2000. We would love to see the portrait of your mother painted at Pillar House.
Many thanks,
Hannah
Hannah Macentee says
Hi D O’Brien,
I have just come across this page. This is so wonderful! My family have owned Pillar House since 2000 and we would love to read your children’s book. Are you able to send me more information? The house is so special to us and I have all my childhood memories there.
Many thanks,
Hannah
Greta `Greetah` Frobisher Weddell Ransom widow PJPW Whitehead BMNH says
shadows : GREETAH-GRETA Frobisher Weddell RANSOM (widow 1992 PJPW of THE PILLAR HOUSE HARWELL … Kathe Luker has the latest DVD and I have posted this HARWELL – ANDRE MALRAUX – PART 2 (PARTS a & b …) jAN. 2018 : the ARTISTS … dear MOLLIE MARY FREEMAN … the others … people of THE GREAT WAR and the 2nd … travelled worldwide the dissolving EMPIRES …US – photos THE GREAT KITCHEN 18th century … when the house burned down 1852 the owners said to village builder (Jordan?) WE WANT OUR HOUSE BACK ! And mostly they got it ~ We tried get it schedule I … its 2 ~~ but `modern times` … AS JIM FROUD Royal College of ART a magnificient 1st … ” we turn our backs on the village and Westminster is telling WHITE HORSE to have some other great piece of rural architecture DOWN …` … Copies all our work with me – some with KATHE : Keep records safe : Paintings with us MARY F. and great `T` DEREK SOUTHAll : ACE ACE ACE P.H. stories on my 3 web sites :
HARWELL never just DANCING ROUND MAYPOLES- This work HARWELL II is real life 20th century : Take a small sherry and read 20 minutes !
OUR HISTORY is putting people back ON EARTH … KEEP telling BAILIOLL – THEY EXIST because Bishop of BAYLOLLS mother BUILT THEM !! – TO MAKE THIS WEB SITE EASIER COULD WE PLEASE GIVE TELEPHONE ADDRESSES AND ADDRESSES OF WHERE WE LIVE IF WE WISH TO … T HIS SY STEM has switched off several times – I rarely look at E-mails because we use phone even to Tierra del Fuego where I am with the NUNS spring 1936 – they are Scots-Irish-Welsh-Spanish : From Clacton we could telephone Tierra 1930s call put through in 20 minutes – 2 days Australia … N. and S. America better pipes under the sea : Would you like PIGEON Post – we used this 1930s DEPTFORD to EAST Anglia as BOSLEY BUTCHERS knew …
Saffron Whitehead says
Dear Victoria,
I was clearing out and noted a copy of Johnny Crow’s Garden given to my youngest son, the 3rd of three, by your mother who I believe is/was your mother, Gretta. I decided to look up Pillar House on the web and up this comes so I had to make a comment! I have several long letters from her at the time she was going through all her turmoil and your father’s death.
I am actually a Whitehead with my father being John Chase Whitehead. No doubt you can follow on Burke’s Peerage! Anyway I was just curious about Gretta and my family heritage.
Best wishes, Saffron Whitehead
Giles MacDonogh says
John Henry Bacon was my great-great grandfather, and my grandmother Katharine Zirner was born at Pillar House. I should love to see pictures of the house that date back to that time?