5050 x 3360 px | 42,8 x 28,4 cm | 16,8 x 11,2 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
1 settembre 2009
Ubicazione:
St Margrets Bay, Kent
Altre informazioni:
Noel Cowards former House 'White Cliffs' at St Margrets Bay, Kent. Noel Coward bought the house White Cliffs at St. Margaret's Bay from his friend the Hon. Kay Norton in 1945. His previous house Goldenhurst, in Kent, had been requisitioned by the army during the war, and until he could acquire the necessary money and permits to refit it, Coward spent his time at White Cliffs, and derived great pleasure from its location. It was built so close to the sea that the waves lapped the walls of his bedroom, and the cliffs rose steeply behind the house. ' I don't think I can fail to be happy here' he said, and was so taken with the place that he decided to move in straight away. White Cliffs had been torn apart by British and Canadian troops training for D-Day. There was no heating or lighting, and the wind whipped through the broken windows. With the help of Gladys Calthrop, who lived on the cliff in 'The Moorings', and the comfort of delicious lunch boxes from Madame Floris, a London confectioner, Coward set about installing electricity and plumbing, and painted the house from top to bottom. By early December the smelly paraffin heaters, candles and thick sweaters were done away with and Coward could assume his famous silk dressing gowns once more! On the long beach of St. Margaret's Bay were only 4 houses of which 'White Cliffs' was the closest to the sea. In the post-war days of 1945 when there was a housing shortage in South East England, Coward was forbidden to purchase more than his one house. To ensure Coward's privacy, two of the other houses were bought by Coward's friends, novelist Eric Ambler and Cole Lesley, and the third by Coward's mother and Auntie In the late 1940s, Noel Coward was at the height of his writing and performing talent and in the 6 years he was at 'White Cliffs' he worked on numerous outstanding plays, songs and short stories, including 'Ace of Clubs' and 'Blithe Spirit'. He left in 1951, having sold 'White Cliffs' to Ian Flenning