he megrims or hysterics or fainted if
too assiduously courted!’ Today both
grottoes and fainting ladies are obsolete.
The interior of Mulberry House is
delightful because of its simplicity; the
walls are mostly painted a flat cream, the
woodwork is white, the floors polished
black slab-oak and the characteristic
windows let in all the Sussex sunshine.
From the upper storey there is a
pleasant view looking south of the
Downs, with Chanctonbury Ring (said
to have been planted by the Romans) in
the near distance.
Wide doors give admission to the
principal rooms; we presume that in
those days they were built to permit the
passage of the hooped skirt but the little
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narrow door leading from the drawing
room via the ante-room to the garden
does not permit of that interpretation.
Perhaps it was put in later or used by
the maids whose dresses were of more
modest dimensions.
The architect of that day certainly
understood the value of a hall and
staircase; the former is wide enough
to make the pleasant picture seen on
these pages – the stairs are comfortably
shallow and wide also; the treads
are painted cream like the rest of the
woodwork and a deep fawn pile carpet is
held in place by narrow iron rods.
The absolute simplicity of the decorative
scheme is relieved by a little panelling
over the garden door and by very wide
mouldings, which divide the walls from
the ceiling. There is an atmosphere of
peace; even the dog on the tiles outside
the garden door did not wake up when
the photograph was taken.
On the half-landing is a large window with
a domed top and a wide sill, which speaks
for the thickness of the walls; it is perfectly
proportioned and beautifully glazed. There
are the plainest of straight balusters and
a handrail of polished mahogany. Central
heating makes the old house warm and
comfortable; the dining room possesses
that present-day device, a service hatch
but is disguised to look like a little cupboard
on the wall beside the oak buffet.
In this room, an oak refectory table
with bulbous legs and an old settle
harmonise quite happily with the country
Chippendale chairs, while the polished
black oak floor – made out of old Sussex
timbers – shows up against a plain
carpet of tamarisk-red. The long curtains
are chosen to agree with the carpet and
are heavy printed linen with a design in
grey, brown and orange-red on a cream
ground. Choice etchings in narrow black
frames are seen on the walls.
In the drawing room we have a colour
scheme of cream, blue and coral pink.
The curtains, with their severely plain
pelmets, are French-blue, with stripes
in which coral and yellow colourings
predominate. They are lined with a cream
stuff the exact colour of the paintwork – a
good point this, where you have deeply
recessed windows because the curtains,
of necessity, do not fit very closely. In this
room, the frieze and ceiling are tinted
a cloudy blue. The Persian carpet is in
tones of rose, blues and cream and the
plain covers on the upholstered furniture
are of dark blue linen.
Comfort but simplicity is the keynote of
the room. There is a piano and a choice
little 18th century writing table made of
elm and oak, a tea table, lounge chairs
and a settee.
piano is a fine old English tea caddy with
coloured decoration on a cream ground.”
Home Magazine and the Ladies Field sold
for a shilling back then but it has sadly
disappeared from the newsagents’ shelves.
Mulberry House on the other hand is
thriving and you can find our friendly staff
occupying the first floor, giving you a great
opportunity to spot some of the features
mentioned in this article.
By Liza Laws
On one wall in this room hangs a
perfect example of a Chippendale china
cupboard, while over the small door we
see an oval Chinese dish, beautifully
decorated in rose, green and gold. The
delightful English watercolours are framed
correctly in gilded frames and on the
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