Page 32 - VE Magazine - Issue 42
P. 32
THE
FANTASY
PAUL STEWART TAKES A TRIP TO BOURNEMOUTH TO VISIT THE EXTRAORDINARY HOME OF TWO GREAT VINTAGE EXPLORERS!
P H O T O G R A P H S : MARK CARNABY (www.markcarnaby.com)
SEASIDE VILLA
CARVED INTO the East Cliff facing the soft sands of Bournemouth’s coast, is one of the last Victorian mansion houses to be built in Britain
and undoubtedly, one of this country’s greatest treasures.
Just a three minute walk from Bournemouth’s pier and I arrived at the entrance to the Rus- sell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum; a fantasy house of art, sculpture and architecture with a love story at its heart. The house was built in 1901 by Merton Russell-Cotes (1835-1921) as the ultimate gift of affection for his wife Annie.
THE BEGINNINGS
Despite Merton’s success as a business man, he suffered with bouts of lung disease. Taking med- ical advice to seek a fresher climate, he and Annie spent the summer of 1875 exploring the south coast with a two-week stay at the Bath Hotel in
Annie and Merton Russell-Cotes
32 / October-November 2018 / ve
www.vintagexplorer.co.uk
