My Perfect Library

A wall full of books.

This morning I have been at the Oxfam bookshop, then I met some friends for tea and a chat, so I spent the afternoon relaxing with EM Delafield's 'The Diary of a Provincial Lady' whilst eating home-made vegetable soup with cheese and wholemeal pitta bread (which I didn't make, but I'm thinking of having a go - I just need a decent recipe).

To tide you over until the next review, when I have finished reading, here are a couple of photos of the library in Lord Lichfield's private apartments at Shugborough Hall, in Staffordshire, which I visited recently. It was a bit awkward getting pictures, because part of the room is roped off, and the subdued lighting may help preserve the books, furnishings and decorations, but it makes it jolly difficult to take pictures without a flash. Still, I suppose I should be grateful that English Heritage allow photographs to be taken inside.


Anyway, this is my idea of what a library should like like, with beautiful purpose-built shelving all the way round, and a hidden door. Personally I'd like a big squashy armchair, with lots of cushions, so I could curl up, with my feet and legs tucked beneath me, but you can't have everything. I just hope that the Anson family who lived at Shugborough actually read and enjoyed their books, and that they weren't installed by some 18th century designer who was out to create an impression. 

A rather blurred photo of the door,
complete with handle.

Edited on Wednesday: I wrote this yesterday and scheduled it to appear today, and forgot to put yesterday in the intro instead of today, if that makes sense. Now it's actually tomorrow, and the wording sounds very sounds odd if you're reading it early in the morning. Sorry about that.