AU10/31/9/3

Letter from Charles H.Matthews to Sir Albert Richardson: "I would like to thank you very much indeed for the wonderful afternoon we spent at Avenue House yesterday. We had a most enjoyable time seeing so many interesting and beautiful things, and my Wife and myself were delighted too, that on this occasion we were able to see the Gardens and the Garden Temple from Houghton House. It was too snowy on our last visit if you remember. My Uncle and his daughter were most interested and were very appreciative of this opportunity to see Avenue House and your collection of beautiful pictures, porcelain, furniture and other objects of art, for like me they consider that the art of creating lovely things ceased with the advent of the Victorian era. My Uncle was especially intrigued with your collection of Clocks, so diverse in their style and size. My Wife and myself were delighted to have the opportunity of seeing your magnificent collection again and we enjoyed our second visit even more than the first. I am very pleased that you found the drawing that Sir Anthony gave to me, of some interest. To our chagrin we found that when we arrived home we had forgotten the derivation of the term "Posh". Would you mind telling me again, please, for we found this very interesting. It was very good of you to permit me to have the sketches you made of the plesiosaurus, bicycles, etc. and I will treasure these as a memento of a most interesting visit to your wonderful House. I hope that you will not think it presumption on my part, but if you ever have any spare time could you do me a sketch of Avenue House - nothing ambitious of course - just something that I could frame and hang together with the photograph that I took of you on my first visit to Avenue House. I should be so thrilled to have such a sketch, but if my suggestion would be likely to cause you any bother or inconvenience, please think no more about it. Once again, Sir, may I thank you very much indeed for the really wonderful afternoon that we had yesterday - we enjoyed every moment of it, and it was most kind of Mrs.Houfe to devote so much time to us. I have written to her separately P.S. The Exhibition of Photographs and other material that I staged at the Public Library has just finished after an original period of two weeks, extended by another three in view of the great interest displayed by the Public. It is estimated that between eight and ten thousand people attended - about two thousand a week. The Press made a mistake and said 2000 for the whole period. I enclose one or two cuttings of my Exhibition". - a number of other press cuttings regarding Charles Matthews' exhibitions are photocopied onto a separate sheet of paper.

15 Aug 1963

From: 1963 To: 1963

item

Richardson, Albert Edward,
Matthews, Charles H.,
Houfe

newspapers, photographs, private gardens, paintings, household furniture, household decoration, clocks, drawings, dinosaurs, , AMPTHILL, Ampthill Avenue House, Houghton House