Acquisitions

How strange it is that people can become famous simply for collecting possessions.

For example, Charles Wade, who gave Snowshill Manor to the National Trust. I recommend this page for his life story. He inherited a large amount of money and after fighting in World War I, spent it on a Tudor Manor, which was almost completely decayed. He renovated and extended the house and then started to fill it with beautiful and interesting things, which he bought from house sales and markets in the UK. He liked good craftmanship, evidenced in such things as model sailing ships and particularly, inlaid cabinets. The house contains wonderful examples of these oriental cabinets, and also, interesting early machinery such as spinning wheels, a weaving loom, model farm carts from all counties, a complete set of early bicycles including a hobby horse, and medieval musical instruments.

Quite by chance, he collected about 20 wonderful sets of Samurai armour; each one must be unique.

But nothing is labelled, so you have to ask the volunteers about everything, and there is no context for anything. This is because Charles Wade made the demand of the National Trust that it all be shown as he wanted it kept, and he didn't want it to be like a museum. No. He wanted it personalised. so when you see his collection, you see something of Charles Wade, and thus he achieves immortality.

Another example of this phenomenon is Isabella Stewart Gardener, whose museum in Boston (Massachusetts)  has to be seen to be believed. Another is the Burrell Collection in Edinburgh.

A doorway at the Burrell, very fine, completely out of context.

I'm not sure that the glory of owning things should be a reason for immortality. It is very sad that we don't know who designed and made the superb firescreen inlaid with shell that is in one of the rooms downstairs in Snowshill Manor. That person lived an obscure life, perhaps suffered hardship, and left something amazing behind. Same of the person who carved, out of a single piece of ivory, 3 intricately patterned balls that turn inside each other. How was that done?

I was uncertain about Charles Wade. On one level he was very eccentric. On another, the longing to be famous, to be immortal in human terms, is the most mundane of ambitions.

However, his Manor House gave us a reason to go to a most beautiful part of the country which we would not have otherwise done, and the views are lovely. the dreaming orchard has pears and apples and also hazelnuts ripening, the hum of bees comes from the flowers, and there are doves cooing away in the dovecot.

Post script: During our lives, most of us acquire things we want to pass down, or we have an heirloom from someone with a story attached to it. In our small way, we are all hoping for immortality by way of possessions. My mum wants to give me some small silver items. I said OK, I would have them. But really, my ambition is to have just the things we use and no other things.

On the other hand, my son wants to dress up for a fancy dress party, and suddenly I feel that we should have a larger stock of dressing up clothes. Where is grandpa's Samurai warrior suit when you need it, eh?