When Standen, which had belonged to the Beale Family, was given to the National Trust, we were all asked whether we wanted to have anything, and I chose the watercolour by Arthur Melville (of the house from the time he visited it) but the National Trust decided they wanted to keep that, quite rightly, in the collection, so I didn’t get anything of my choice and I was given two things.
One was an oriental runner carpet, and this bowl. This bowl is an Imari bowl which is Japanese and I know nothing about its individual history – I wasn’t aware that it was even at Standen, or that the family owned it. I don’t think it is as valuable as many of the things at Standen were: I think the valuable things were either kept by the National Trust or were taken by close family. My guess is that it was bought out in Japan by James Beale and his wife, because one year they went on a cruise – in fact they had their own yacht – and went round Japan and the far east in about 1870. Imari was the port from which it was shipped by the East India company. They may have just bought it in London for all I know – all those who might have been able to tell me are long dead, so it’s a mystery.
I have it on my bookcase. It was filled with my iPod, with a few netsukes – modern not valuable – and some photographs. It’s different to anything else I have, so it adds to our collection of objects and its got family connections so I know where it came from.
James Beale was a lawyer for the building of the forth rail bridge, based in London but a lot of income was to do with property. He commissioned Standen. The Beales themselves were not particular rich in terms of inheritance, but were always in business: lawyers to the London, Midland & Scottish Railway company. Uncle Sam, who was the next generation down, certainly had a free pass for travelling on the railways even after nationalisation.
Of British Arts & Crafts houses, Standen is one of the three most renowned… the architect was Philip Webb.
Alison says there is a William Morris wallpaper called Standen – it was formerly in the music room in no 9, and in current living room of no 11.
Anthony
The Royal Collection 