Charleston Festival 2025: Bloomsbury House, Free Press Debate, and Woolf's Waste Land
On a Saturday, the Charleston Festival took place at Charleston House in Firle, close to Lewes, England, the historic home of Bloomsbury Group figures such as Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Roger Fry, and Clive Bell. Jamison Kent traveled from London Victoria by train alongside Ella Slater. The garden, which Fry redesigned in 1918, showcases flowers planted by Bell and Grant. Inside, Bell painted various surfaces, and the art collection includes a Pierre Roy piece and Duncan Grant's portrait of John Maynard Keynes. Discussions featured Clive Myrie, Robin Ince, and Katie Razzall on 'In Defence of a Free Press,' while Reni Eddo-Lodge, Alice Oswald, and Ahdaf Soueif addressed 'A Matter of Conscience.' An exhibition highlighted Virginia Woolf and the Hogarth Press, showcasing an original of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land. The festival concluded with Katy Hessel and Jon King discussing 'Art is for Everyone.'
Key facts
- Charleston Festival held at Charleston House in Firle, near Lewes.
- House was former residence of Bloomsbury Group members Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Roger Fry, Clive Bell.
- Garden redesigned in 1918 by Roger Fry.
- Session 'In Defence of a Free Press' with Clive Myrie, Robin Ince, Katie Razzall.
- Myrie: CPJ reported 2025 as deadliest year for journalists; Ince: 70% killed by Israeli government.
- Session 'A Matter of Conscience' with Reni Eddo-Lodge, Alice Oswald, Ahdaf Soueif.
- Exhibition includes original Hogarth Press copy of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land hand-typeset by Virginia Woolf.
- Final session 'Art is for Everyone' with Katy Hessel and Jon King.
Entities
Artists
- Virginia Woolf
- Vanessa Bell
- Duncan Grant
- Roger Fry
- Clive Bell
- Pierre Roy
- John Maynard Keynes
- T.S. Eliot
- John Banting
- Christopher Isherwood
- Katy Hessel
- Jon King
- Clive Myrie
- Robin Ince
- Katie Razzall
- Reni Eddo-Lodge
- Alice Oswald
- Ahdaf Soueif
- Jamison Kent
- Ella Slater
- Emily Burke
- Deborah Levy
Institutions
- Charleston House
- Bloomsbury Group
- Hogarth Press
- BBC
- CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists)
- Elephant magazine
- M&S (Marks & Spencer)
- Anthropologie
- Charbonnel et Walker
- Apollo (magazine)
- Punch (magazine)
- Vinted
Locations
- Charleston House
- Firle
- Lewes
- London Victoria
- East London
- England
- United Kingdom