Dear Friends
I have two slices of family enterprise that have kept me at it through the winter!
Firstly, if you get the chance, do listen-in to ‘Duchess’, the podcast series, that my oldest, Violet, has just launched. I am especially proud of this as it’s not often that once out of the nest, children want to collaborate in business with their parents, so when Violet pitched this idea to me, I was doubly excited. Her idea was for the two of us to travel around Britain taking a behind-the-scenes peek at the women who keep our great estates on the rails. They may have titles and their contribution as guardians of British heritage is immeasurable, but all too often, today and in the past as well, their stories have gone untold. So, if you’d like to catch a Countess at home, with her feet up on the sofa and a hundred rooms still to spring clean, or if you’ve wondered what it’s like to live under the same roof as a family of ghosts – listen in! Here’s the link to Duchess on Apple Podcasts >

And finally, finally, if you happen to find yourself in Palm Beach, Florida, do call by the Wally Findlay Galleries on Worth Avenue, where you will find ‘Belvoir Castle – a beautiful view’, a wonderful collection of paintings of Belvoir by the celebrated English artist Charles Neal.

Charles came to us in the summer of 2019, spending much of his time painting en plein air. I think the results express the lasting beauty of Belvoir’s gardens and the patina of history that has worked its way into every room – small wonder that the film world so often comes calling. But perhaps I should save ‘Hollywood comes to Belvoir’ for another postcard. A final consolation then, for those of you who dream of travel, but can only dream in these ‘interesting’ times: you can view the exhibition online and a short film of Charles at work by clicking on these links:
I never thought I’d say it, but now that we are allowed so little communication, the internet has been a blessing!
Well, that’s all for now – stay well and keep in touch,
Emma