Tea at Trianon: A Cottage on the Grounds of Rievaulx Abbey

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, November 12, 2022

A Cottage on the Grounds of Rievaulx Abbey

From Country Life:

With the dramatic backdrop of Rievaulx Abbey — which is lit up at night — Rose Cottage in Rievaulx is a rare find, says Rachel Macpherson of Carter Jonas in York. ‘The properties that form this picture-perfect community very rarely come on to the market for sale, as a large number have been in the ownership of local estates for many years.’
The cottage has three bedrooms — all of which enjoy views of the abbey, as well as the surrounding countryside — and a pretty cottage garden. In addition, permission has been granted for a ground-floor side extension to be built. The property is currently on the market via Carter Jonas with a guide price of £600,000. Internally, everything is in working order, but — and it’s something of a big but — the place is crying out for a refurbishment. Not quite to the extent that the abbey itself is, of course, but from the looks of things it’ll need top to bottom decoration, including a new kitchen and bathroom. That said, what needs to be done is cosmetic rather than structural, and the makeover will give the new owner a chance to really transform this house into a much-loved home right from the start. What it won’t be, however, is an opportunity for an AirBNB rental: a covenant on the property prohibits its use as a holiday let.

The village of Rievaulx sits in what was once the inner court of the Rievaulx Abbey, one of the most powerful Cistercian abbeys in England. Built in the 12^th century and later abandoned during the dissolution of the monasteries, the dramatic, towering ruins now form a breathtaking backdrop to Rose Cottage’s garden, where mature hedging, trees and a low-level stone wall form much of the outdoor space. (Read more.)