The Garden Room, page two

Henry James occupied Lamb House for nineteen years beginning in late 1897 . . .

"In the summer months Henry James would work in the Garden Room with its large bow-fronted window commanding the full length of West Street which wound its way past the tall canopied front door of the house.  According to his secretary 'he liked to be able to relieve the tension of a difficult sentence by a glance down the street; he enjoyed hailing a passing friend or watching a motor-car pant up the sharp little slope.'"  (from "The Story of Lamb House, Rye: The Home of Henry James" by H. Montgomery Hyde, 1966, p.56)          "When Henry James decided in the summer of 1904 to revisit his native land, and to stay for six months or a year, he was much concerned to find responsible tenants for Lamb House, his beloved Georgian house in the little once walled town of Rye, on England's southern coast."           There is an account of that tenancy and copies of letters written by James about the house, gardens, and servants in the August 1946 issue of The Atlantic Monthly.            (After reading the article you may return to this site by using the "Back" button on your tool bar at the top of the screen.)

Henry James's visitors to Lamb House included E.F. and A.C. Benson, "Edmund Gosse, George Gissing, W.D. Howells, Rudyard Kipling, Logan Pearsall Smith, Hugh Walpole, Mrs. Humphrey Ward, H.G. Wells and Edith Wharton."  (Hyde, p.70)

Others enjoyed the Garden Room and Lamb House as well . . .

Edward Frederick Benson's bookplate, George W. Plank, illustrator

The American artist George Plank, who designed the bookplate used by E.F. Benson, was a frequent visitor to Lamb House.  Plank moved to England in 1914, lived in London, and greatly appreciated the invitations he received from his many friends to visit them in the countryside.  Lamb House and Rye were favorites of his.  He took his work with him when he left London on these visits.  He eventually moved to Sussex.          Plank writes glowingly of visits to Rye and Lamb House in letters to his sister back in the U.S., telling her about "the house and garden, with the village and all the country about."  He describes to her the peaceful atmosphere of the house and how much work he's doing while there.  Once, in the month of May:   "Spring is here with all its magic, and...every time I go out-doors, [I'm] so glad to be alive, and so lucky to be in the country in this lovely house...  the garden is simply yelling with flowers - all come into bloom since we came.  I won't write all the names, for it would take up the whole page:  there's a large lawn of perfect grass and the gravel walks and then low box hedge, then flower-beds and then old beautiful brick walls.  An enormous wisteria tree makes an arbour to the entrance of the garden room, and it too will soon be in flower."  (from the Plank Papers in the Yale Collection of American Literature)

Other pages:   Garden Room, page three    Benson   Friends   Links   Or, return to:  Welcome to the Garden Room   There is also more information available on  George Plank