Charleston

Charleston was the home and country meeting place for the writers, painters and intellectuals known as the Bloomsbury Group. In addition to the house and artists' garden, there is an exhibition gallery showing an exciting mix of contemporary and historical shows of fine and decorative art, a Crafts Council selected shop selling applied art and books relating to Bloomsbury, a small tea room and a video presentation.

Charleston's walled garden was created by the artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. Together they transformed vegetable plots and hen runs, essential to the household during the First World War, into a quintessential painters garden mixing Mediterranean influences with cottage garden planting. Part of the garden's sense of luxuriance and surprise comes from the variety of sculpture it contains. Classical forms sit side by side with life-size works by Quentin Bell, mosaic pavements and tile edged pools.

Charleston hosts a number of special events throughout the year, most notably the Charleston Festival which is centred around talks and drama relating to literary, artistic and Bloomsbury themes.