Lady Ottline Morrell grave (16th June 1873 to 21st April 1938)

 

For years I’ve been reading books about the Bloomsbury Set, a bohemian group of novelists, painters and artists which was active in first half of the twentieth century. Bouncing around the letters and diaries written by some of the members is the name of the society hostess - Ottoline Morrell - who was hub around whom everyone revolved. I found her grave in sprawling Nottinghamshire countryside behind a pretty church. I’d read so much about her that I couldn’t quite believe she was under the stone before me.

 

This 6 foot tall strutting peacock comes across as an attentive, lovable person but she was treated poorly by the nexus of artists, intellectuals and philosophers who gravitated to her large country home. The compendium of famous guests (Aldous Huxley, Bertrand Russell, Virginia Wolf, Augustus John and more) talked about her behind her back, bitched about her lack of talent, took advantage of her hospitality, used her to meet other famous people, stayed at her home for free for months and mocked her odd looks and eccentric attire.

 

She was to married Liberal politician Philip Morrell with whom she shared pacifist views and an open marriage. They had twins - one of each - but the son died after three days. Her husband fathered a few children which Ottoline ended up caring for.  The couple also owned a large terraced home on Gower Street in Bloomsbury in London which became a political salon (I’ve visited it and saluted the blue plaque.) Anyone famous of that era visited the bisexual conscientious objector couple who lived there. Visitors were invited for the weekend to their country home Garsington Manor near Oxford but they often stayed for weeks.

 

In her autumn years Ottoline suffered from cancer and necrosis of the jaw. As her jaw was crumbled away she had to bandage up her face and hide herself away from the maelstrom of luminary visitors. She was almost killed by her well-meaning doctor her injected her face with an experimental drug which contained poison (after her death her medical records disappeared and the doctor killed himself.) Aged 64 she suffered a stroke and spent three months in a clinic at Tunbridge Wells. She recovered but was back within a year where she died of heart failure.

 

I thought other fans may have left flowers on her grave but there was nothing there. She's buried next to her husband (the children are buried elsewhere.) As I took some photos a man was looking around the place. I was going to say "are you looking for this one?" but judging his football shirt and hideous shorts I doubted he'd heard of the Bloomsbury Group. I did a salute and left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garsington Manor...

 

 

Ottoline and her husband...

 

Some members of the Bloomsbury Group...