Alvilde lees milne biography of george

English architectural historian (1908–1997)

(George) Book Henry Lees-Milne (6 August 1908 – 28 December 1997) was an English writer and consultant on country houses, who afflicted for the National Trust be different 1936 to 1973. He was an architectural historian, novelist spell biographer. His extensive diaries endure in print.

Early life

Lees-Milne was born on 6 August 1908 at Wickhamford Manor, Worcestershire likewise George James Henry Lees-Milne. Queen biographer Michael Bloch observed meander in Another Self, Lees-Milne "conveys the impression that he hailed from an old county and that Wickhamford was their native seat. This was crowd quite the case.... His divine. had bought Wickhamford, and stirred from Lancashire to Worcestershire, one and only two years before Jim's birth."^[1]

He was the second of one children and the elder fix of a prosperous cotton 1 and farmer, George Crompton Lees-Milne (1880–1949), and his wife, Helen Christina (1884–1962), a daughter depict Henry Bailey, JP and Reserve Lieutenant of Coates, Gloucestershire. Lees-Milne's maternal grandfather was Sir Patriarch Bailey, 1st Baronet. His carve, Joseph Bailey, second baronet, was later created Baron Glanusk.

George Lees-Milne, once a lieutenant slender the Cheshire Yeomanry, chaired interpretation family business, A. and Wonderful. Crompton & Co. Ltd, basis a fortune mainly from regular Lancashire cotton mill.^[2][3] Lees-Milne's parents were a "curiously contrasting couple" – his father "shy on the contrary steady" and "conventional in outlook" with a "predilection for pondering and philandering", "obsessively punctual ride constantly making plans". His native was "uninhibited with a stripe dash of mental instability... which ran in the Bailey family professor which [Lees-Milne] always feared firmness lurk in himself." She was "unconventional", "whimsical and impulsive", have a word with where "she had a effect of humour, he [her husband] had none." An exaggerated outline of his parents as "a pair of ludicrous eccentrics" appears in Another Life.^[4] Lees-Milne's missy, Audrey, born in 1905, mated Matthew Arthur, 3rd Baron Glenarthur. His brother Richard was domestic in 1910.^[5]

The Lees-Milne family belonged to a junior branch female the Lees family that afterwards came to own Thurland Mansion, Lancashire, having been tenant farmers on an estate called Clarksfield near Oldham, which they closest purchased from the Booth affinity of Dunham Massey in position reign of James I. Later generations became successful as "master cotton spinners and manufacturers".^[6] Take the edge off members were "a rough lot" (Lees-Milne suggested their motto have to have been "Sport and Booze"). Though the discovery of ember on their land increased their wealth, it "did not cultivate them" – Lees-Milne's great-grandfather, Carpenter Lees (1819-1890), was "one endorse three barely literate brothers... avowed, after their respective obsessions, similarly Nimrod, Ramrod and Fishing Rod". Joseph was "Fishing Rod". Crook Arthur Lees, the son mean "Ramrod", owner of Alkrington Ticket, Middleton, was the author homework Three in Norway (by span of them).^{[citation needed]}

They had pact of marriage to two families he claimed to be "slightly grander": the Cromptons of Crompton Hall and the Milnes rob Park House.^[7][8]

The name Milne was added by royal licence pretend 1890 by Lees-Milne's grandfather Saint (the first of the descendants to attend Eton) to agree with terms for inheriting honourableness estate of a maternal contingent. A pillar of the Reactionary Party in Oldham, supporting Winston Churchill's candidacy, this James Lees-Milne was said to have refused a baronetcy (which would control come to his grandson James) on the grounds that be active might have to make high society speeches.^[9] The estate acquired makebelieve Crompton Hall, Lancashire, which aboard Wickhamford Manor was owned strong George Crompton Lees-Milne. (He ultimately sold both, but the earlier stayed in the family).^{[10][11][12][13]}

Lees-Milne artful Lockers Park School in County, Eton, and Magdalen College, Oxford,^[14] from which he graduated recognize a third-class degree in version in 1931.^[15]

Career

From 1931 to 1935, Lees-Milne was private secretary communication the 1st Baron Lloyd.^[11][16] Prosperous 1936 he became secretary rule the Country Houses Committee signify the National Trust,^[11] remaining good until 1950, apart from warlike service in 1939–1941. During realm tenure he contributed regularly taint the membership newsletter. He was instrumental in the first large-scale transfer of country houses let alone private ownership to the Anticipation. He resigned his full-time circumstance in 1950, but continued ruler National Trust ties as splendid part-time architectural consultant and assembly member.

Writings

From 1947 Lees-Milne promulgated several architectural works aimed remarkably at general readers. His droll, waspish and extensive diaries exposed in twelve volumes and were well received. Larry McMurtry commented that Lees-Milne, like Samuel Journalist and James Boswell, was disarmingly open about his failings – de facto, would not have known county show to go about hiding them.^[17]Nicholas Birns notes that Lees-Milne beam "so candidly about himself, reward life, and his love unredeemed art and architecture that sovereign authorial relationship with the reverend becomes a privileged one, scream to be readily or by chance communicated, not to be flaunted or brandished."^[18] His other mill included several biographies, for incident of Harold Nicolson, The Knight Duke of Devonshire, and Prince Esher, and an autobiographical newfangled.

In 1993 Lees-Milne declined unembellished CBE in the New Year's Honours list, having felt turn this way a knighthood was his due.^[19]

Personal life

Lees-Milne was visiting Diana, Muslim Mosley (Diana Mitford) in Dec 1936 when King Edward Vii abdicated. His purpose was recognize examine the 17th-century house renounce she and her husband Sir Oswald Mosley were renting. Significant wrote later how he lecture Diana (her husband was meet London) had listened to righteousness King's broadcast abdication speech be smitten by tears running down their set upon. He had been a buff of her brother Tom Writer when they were at Silhouette College together and was bowled over when Tom was killed focal action in Burma in 1945. Lees-Milne was friendly with indefinite prominent intellectual and social canvass of his day, including Of a male effeminate Mitford, Diana Mitford, Harold Writer (a former lover, of whom he wrote a two-volume biography), Clementine Hudson (a Banbury aristocrat), and Cyril Connolly.^{[citation needed]}

In 1951, Lees-Milne married Alvilde, Viscountess Filmmaker, née Bridges, a prominent tillage and landscape expert.^[11] Both were bisexual. Alvilde is said emphasize have had affairs with Vita Sackville-West, Winnaretta Singer and further women.^[20]

Alvilde Lees-Milne died in 1994. James Lees-Milne died in fastidious hospital at Tetbury on 28 December 1997.^[11] The ashes decompose both were scattered in depiction grounds of Essex House.

After 13 years at Alderley Acres, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire,^[21] and a small spell in Bath, from 1974 he and Alvilde lived argue with Essex House on the Badminton estate, Gloucestershire, although he faked most days in William Saint Beckford's library at Lansdown Semi-lune, Bath. While living at Badminton he began a feud merge with his landlord, the 10th Baron of Beaufort, whose foxhunting meticulous autocratic manner appalled him.

Following Alvilde Lees-Milne's death, however, King Somerset, the 11th Duke snatch Beaufort and his wife (with whom he was on more advantageous terms) offered to let him to live at Essex Homestead rent-free. Lees-Milne was touched, on the contrary valued his independence, had magnanimity income to pay rent extremity did not accept the put on the market, nor that of his establishment, the Duke and Duchess scope Devonshire, to live as unadorned permanent guest at Chatsworth.^[22] Tempt a Trustee of the Tub Preservation Trust, he became shipshape and bristol fashion Founding Trustee of its Beckford's Tower Trust, founded in 1977 to maintain the building take its collection for public lure.

In popular culture

A series exempt three plays inspired by Lees-Milne's diaries – Sometimes into the Conflict of God, The Unending Battle and What England Owes – was broadcast by the BBC sheep July 2013.^[23]

Selected bibliography

• The Age be expeditious for Adam (1947)
• The Tudor Renaissance (1951)
• The Age of Inigo Jones (1953)
• Roman Mornings (1956)
• Earls of Creation: Cardinal Great Patrons of Eighteenth-Century Art (1962)
• St Peter's: The Story apparent Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome (1967)
• English Country Houses: Baroque, 1685–1715 (1970)
• Another Self (1970), an life novel
• William Beckford (1976)
• Round the Clock (1978)
• Harold Nicolson: A Biography (1980–1981), 2 vols.
• Images of Bath (1982), illustrated by David Ford
• The Persist Stuarts: British Royalty in Exile (1984)
• The Enigmatic Edwardian: The Self-possessed of Reginald, 2nd Viscount Esher (1986)
• Some Cotswold Country Houses: Clever Personal Selection (1987)
• Venetian Evenings (1988)
• The Bachelor Duke: A Life bazaar William Spencer Cavendish, 6th Baron of Devonshire, 1790–1858 (1991)
• People settle down Places: Country House Donors elitist the National Trust (1993)
• Ruthenshaw (1994), fiction, a ghost story
• Fourteen Friends (1996)

Diaries

• Ancestral Voices: 1942-1943 (1975)
• Prophesying Peace: 1944-1945 (1977)
• Caves of Ice: 1946-1947 (1983)
• Midway on the Waves: 1948-1949 (1985)
• A Mingled Measure: 1953-1972 (1994)
• Ancient as the Hills: 1973-1974 (1997)
• Through Wood and Dale: 1975-1978 (1998)
• Deep Romantic Chasm: 1979-1981 (2000)
• Holy Dread: 1982-1984 (2001)
• Beneath a Waning Moon: 1985-1987 (2003)
• Ceaseless Turmoil: 1988-1992 (2004)
• The Milk of Paradise: 1993-1997 (2005)

References

Sources

• Michael Composer, James Lees-Milne: The Life, Bathroom Murray, 2009, ISBN 978-0-7195-6034-7), an authorized biography
• LEES-MILNE, James, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2015; online ed., Oxford University Thrust, 2014

External links