Culden Faw
The owners of the beautiful and unspoilt Culden Faw Estate near Henley-on-Thames commissioned a history of the estate, resulting in a highly-illustrated account of key elements from ancient times to the present, closing with a showcase of recent developments. Printing of the book was celebrated with a book-launch for family and friends and limited copies were made available in the village shop.
Lord Julian Fellowes, writer of Downton Abbey, with Sally at the Culden Faw book-launch.
(Photograph © Mark Holliday and Culden Faw Ltd, used with kind permission.)
Thoresby Hall
A magnificent example of Victorian architecture, Thoresby Hall fell into dereliction and narrowly avoided total demolition at the end of the 1990s. Thankfully it has been restored and is now run successfully as a Warner Heritage Hotel. A book on the Hall and its architect, Anthony Salvin, is bringing this remarkable building to the appreciation of a still-wider audience and revealing other Salvin buildings around the country.
Edgcote House
Little was known of the rich history of a Georgian mansion in the heart of rural Northamptonshire until Sally began to delve. The owners were fortunate to be given an eighteenth-century manuscript account book with the house and Edgcote: Building an Eighteenth-century Country House describes and explains the building of the house from the perspective of this unique source. A CD with the book shows the full accounts.
An earlier booklet summarised the history of the Edgcote Estate.
Reports
The new owners of a fine Jacobean mansion near Thame, Oxfordshire, were keen to know more of the history of the house as they restored it to its former glory. A report and portfolio told the story, as it has for other owners in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire.
Archive
A sought-after prep school was struggling with numerous boxes of old papers and photographs stretching back over 100 years. Sally sorted, organised and listed the School Archive and helped to create a display of the most interesting items – now a source for teaching and a fascinating mini-museum. An article about the school buildings and the archive was featured in the The Four Shires magazine.
Family History
A number of clients have extended their family history projects with research help from Sally, who has also transcribed previously un-read old family documents, bringing their contents to life again, and provided storage materials to keep the documents safe for the owner’s descendants.