Blandford Book event: Cecil Beaton at Home

Blandford Book Event

Sunday the 26th March at 4.30 pm

Cecil Beaton at Home, written by local Author Andrew Ginger. Tickets are £6.50 which includes a Cream Tea.

Tickets available from Beatons Tearooms in Blandford, or just give us a call to book on 01258 269515

Book signing, readings and a question and answer session also your opportunity to purchase this beautifully presented book with 10% off.


Cecil Beaton at Home, written by local author Andrew Ginger, focuses on two homes that Cecil Beaton loved and spent many years in.

Ashcombe House, near the Wiltshire village of Tollard Royal, and Reddish House, located in Broad Chalke, another village in beautiful Wiltshire.
We also discover some of the splendours at London's Pelham Place and Beatons New York hotel suites.

We see that Beatons country homes were not only havens to escape and seek inspiration for his photography and other artistic pursuits.

But also, and maybe more so, they were designed to provide a theatrical, fanciful yet always beautiful surrounding for Beaton to entertain his equally artistic companions.

Against his often-extravagant interiors, Beatons private life unfolds his unique talent for self-promotion, desire for theatricality, and the uncertain pursuit of love.

As Cecil Beaton himself puts it;

'One can't get on at all if one doesn't have a little glamour about one's home'

This lavishly illustrated visual biography brings together original photographs, artworks, and possessions from his interiors to present an intimate picture of Beaton s extraordinary life. 

Cecil Beaton at Home: An Interior Life

Cecil Beaton (1904 1980): photographer, costume designer, set designer, playwright, creator of fashion fabrics, and designer of sophisticated and somewhat extravagant interiors.

Cecil Beaton has been named as one of the 20th century’s most outrageous, and outrageously talented, design legends.

Cecil Beaton at Home, written by local author Andrew Ginger, focuses on two homes that Cecil Beaton loved and spent many years in.

Ashcombe House, near the Wiltshire village of Tollard Royal, and Reddish House, located in Broad Chalke, another village in beautiful Wiltshire.
We also discover some of the splendours at London's Pelham Place and Beatons New York hotel suites.

We see that Beatons country homes were not only havens to escape and seek inspiration for his photography and other artistic pursuits.

But also, and maybe more so, they were designed to provide a theatrical, fanciful yet always beautiful surrounding for Beaton to entertain his equally artistic companions.

Against his often-extravagant interiors, Beatons private life unfolds his unique talent for self-promotion, desire for theatricality, and uncertain pursuit of love.

As Cecil Beaton himself puts it;

'One can't get on at all if one doesn't have a little glamour about ones home'

This lavishly illustrated visual biography brings together original photographs, artworks, and possessions from his interiors to present an intimate picture of Beaton s extraordinary life. 

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Happier Life by Arianna Huffington

From one of America's most respected papers come a best-seller to hand to overwhelmed entrepreneurs or work alcoholics. If you think a holiday should be restorative - we do - then this is the book for you. This was born out of a well documented drama when the  co-founder, president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group 'collapsed from exhaustion and lack of sleep' and was found  lying at her desk in a pool of her own blood. Hopefully 'Thrive' will stop us reaching such a stage which is why Adriana has written it! It is impassioned, easy to read and reeks of integrity.

This godsend for the overworked demonstrates how you can be more efficient and successful by addressing four areas of your life: wellbeing, wonder, wisdom and giving. Far from being a 'mind - body - spirit' book, it's practical and packed full of research and examples of how some of the most successful companies in the world are applying Huffington's principles.

Thrive - paperback pub by Ebury Press

Did you know that Google has nap-rooms for employees? The evidence is compelling in all areas but most of all that sleep is essential, something Greg McKeown has also picked up on in his book 'The Essentialist' (also recommended). Play - or cultivating a child-like sense of awe - turns out to contribute creativity to teams with strategic conundrums.  What is particularly pleasing, is Huffington's acceptance and use of technology to enable us to 'Thrive'. There is a brilliant Appendices which lists all kinds of apps and tools to wean us off distractions or becoming a 'screen-sucker'. 

Recommended for your last few days on the beach to fire you up to 'thrive' when you return!