An Artist's 500-Year-Old Manor House That's Been Left Untouched

Sophie Wilson doesn’t do perfect. When we first spoke to the artist and founder of 1690 Store about making a film about life in Crowland Manor, the tumbledown house she and three of her children have called home 2014, she warned us that we would have to “take us as you find us”. “We live alongside history here,” she continued, “rather than moving away from it.”
As well as paying heed to the lives she feels have gone before here by allowing the jumbled joy of life to play out against this positively un-perfect building, Sophie’s work plays into this too. Sophie’s handsome sgraffito-slipware ceramics - terracotta salt boxes, butter dishes and chargers, all made by hand in a requisitioned scullery beside the kitchen - are poetic expressions of the tug of history she feels here, often inscribed with literary bon mots and bygone rhymes.
When it comes to her children, “I think they’re beginning to understand the value of this building’s authenticity,” she says. Sophie herself needs no convincing. however. “I think because it’s so wonky and flawed, it’s a human place. It’s very close to being human… And so it’s easy to love.” In fact, everything Sophie says comes back to love. “I’ve always thought this house is the love of my life.” So what about the future, then, when life inevitably shifts and priorities change? Sophie is unsurprisingly sanguine. “I would leave this house for love, but nothing else.”
Film: James Coyle
Stills photography: Elliot Sheppard
Interview: Grace McCloud
Production: Hannah Phillips and Harry Cave
Graphic design: Tom Young
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Пікірлер: 205

  • @inigo_films
    @inigo_films10 ай бұрын

    Have a historic home to sell? Get in touch to find out how we can maximise it's value: inigo.social/ltg

  • @benshort831

    @benshort831

    10 ай бұрын

    A poet’s space. Worth a thousand English Heritage’s set pieces.

  • @markmasi5219
    @markmasi52196 ай бұрын

    I’ve never seen a video with a person so understanding of, and so eloquent about a house. Takes a very special person to be able to make peace with all the imperfection, but if there’s such a thing as a soul, this house has one, and so does the owner.

  • @BE-bs8oe

    @BE-bs8oe

    5 ай бұрын

    Merci beaucoup, I just have the same story with my house, which wall sticks to the coast, I speak to, the former people lived like artists in and painted on every door and wall. Electricity looks like a Jackson Pollock oevre, or more a pièce de résistance ;-)) It rained inside from top to bottom after 3 years of drought. But I still love it for its whimsical quirkiness and the nostalgia of the honeysuckle overgrown iron gates, the different feelings and views upon moving to different floors, the tiniest front garden with 4 trees despite its size. The love that unites us is very strong . Send my silent love to this softpower Lady of the House.

  • @soniatriana9091

    @soniatriana9091

    5 ай бұрын

    @markmasi I agree with your comment, because I wrote something very similar to your & I didn’t see yours until after I sent my comment!

  • @markmasi5219

    @markmasi5219

    5 ай бұрын

    @@soniatriana9091 All good, Sonia!

  • @lindabaker2905

    @lindabaker2905

    4 ай бұрын

    Ali comments soul felt and beautiful.

  • @dianemorgan600
    @dianemorgan6006 ай бұрын

    I can feel how spiritual she is, "I will only leave this house for love." what a statement. Beautiful Sophie, I love your house. Enjoy the magic there!!!

  • @bahshas

    @bahshas

    6 ай бұрын

    lol what a crockfull

  • @sajahf

    @sajahf

    6 ай бұрын

    it's a property listing site so ....

  • @jenniferl3115
    @jenniferl311510 ай бұрын

    “I wanted to be part of that noise” 😭 So beautifully stated. THIS is authenticity of an old home captured perfectly for the camera. Thank you for sharing.

  • @buenavidaestates-livingthe6333
    @buenavidaestates-livingthe63334 ай бұрын

    Ahhh...definitely a lovematch. I'm an "old house lady" myself and have been the custodian & restorer of quite a few over the years. They sure do talk to you when they want to be yours. I always refer to it as a relationship, they become living breathing beings over time due to the lives lived in them. :) That was a remarkable story!

  • @FRASERMCGREGOR72
    @FRASERMCGREGOR7210 ай бұрын

    This is gold dust. So full of atmosphere and beauty in the palette and patina on the walls. Feels very grounded and comforting like a warm hug in a home. What a beautiful place to stay and enjoy. Thank you for sharing

  • @lagritsalammas
    @lagritsalammas6 ай бұрын

    I understand her so well. The first ever place I ended up living in when I moved out from my parents' house had a similarly profound effect on me. It was a gorgeous wooden apartment building from 1928 that really stood out from the crowd due to its fairytale-like appearance. At the time the house hadn't yet been renovated and from a technical point of view it was actually really lousy: firewood heating between the kitchen and bedroom and a broken stove in the living room, running water but no shower, north-facing windows that hardly let any real sunlight in, walls not properly insulated, linoleum floors peeling off in the kitchen and hallway, humidity seeping in from the basement, and dividing walls that let through any and all sounds. And yet, I was in love with that place, and saw so much magic in the old rangehood I cooked my meals on, the stained glass window in the kitchen door, the yellow "hot wall" facing the bedroom, the original 1928 wallpaper peeking out from beneath the Soviet one, the sounds of piano as the professional pianists upstairs rehearsed for their concerts, and the light tremble of glassware whenever a tram passed by. I eventually needed to move out when the landlady sold it all off, but as fate would have it the new set of owners used my research paper as the basis for restoration work, and I was later hired as an architect for one of the basement flats. The house has been meticulously restored to its former glory now, but I will always remember how it used to be. And I still experience goosebumps whenever I pass it by.

  • @shaash5236

    @shaash5236

    3 ай бұрын

    How very lovely ❤

  • @dk8226
    @dk82267 ай бұрын

    The lady speaking is washed in love... It's life enriching, hearing her describe what the home means to her. Such a personal and refreshing openness. Thank you for touching my soul. 💙

  • @mrsfifties1
    @mrsfifties19 ай бұрын

    One of the loveliest places you've ever featured. There's something to be said for allowing a house to breathe naturally, rather than renovate it to within an inch of its life. My house isn't anywhere near as wonderful as this, but it is old, and you do take some of the wall with you when you pass through!

  • @BlueAlien1313
    @BlueAlien13136 ай бұрын

    I absolutely love this house and I love her. I have an old house and it does speak to me and I talk back to it, so I totally get what she is saying.

  • @pollyhg2826
    @pollyhg28267 ай бұрын

    I live a few miles from here, and it was lovely when Sophie sold items from the front room. A fab glimpse in to the house and home.

  • @evitasdad
    @evitasdad5 ай бұрын

    She ‘gets it’. What a wonderful fit of person to place. I very much enjoyed listening to her.

  • @morro8785
    @morro87856 ай бұрын

    I think love isn't about leaving everything as it is. This house needs rather that kind of love that actually takes a bit care of it and carefully fixing it's old wounds to prevent further bleeding and decay. It's not necessary to change the character of the house, just help it come back a bit to it's former glory with a gentle and wise hand and give it back it's dignity! Otherwise this is just sad and a bit depressing tbh....

  • @jinnymay3371

    @jinnymay3371

    5 ай бұрын

    I think that is why she said the only reason she would ever leave her house is out of love….. she can’t afford the new roof….. but would leave her lovely old home to someone who would be able to repair it properly and respectfully

  • @bluewren65

    @bluewren65

    2 ай бұрын

    I agree. She could love this house into an unliveable and irretrievable state. When you love, restore and maintain an old house you are adding to it's history rather than letting it become a victim of it.

  • @chattykathie7129
    @chattykathie71297 ай бұрын

    I love a house that tells all its stories, reveals its whole live. Perfect unchanged house. My dream untouched.

  • @michelleskeats2813
    @michelleskeats28133 ай бұрын

    I have walked past this house several times and it was a real honour to see inside. It's incredible.

  • @adobevista2789
    @adobevista278920 күн бұрын

    The previous owner saying, “Did you feel that?” Wow. Love that. Knowing when something is yours or meant to be yours is a wonderful moment. So glad this was experienced for the current owner.

  • @kletingmerah3069
    @kletingmerah30696 ай бұрын

    I love everything about this video! The cinematography, the house and especially the lady ❤❤

  • @user-il6nx6wl4r
    @user-il6nx6wl4r6 ай бұрын

    That was great to hear Sophie talk with so much love for the Old Manor House, I’ve known it since the mid sixties when as a family we moved to Crowland and my Granddad and another local pensioner had the use of the back walled veg garden, the owner was not living there at this time. And when one of my brothers got married he and his wife rented the downstairs front of the Manor for about two years. It’s had two or three owners over the passed sixty years and a lot of time empty , I always thought it would have made a very good small museum and library with meeting rooms, but like today in the seventy’s and eighty’s it was all down to cost. I hope that the next custodian has deep pockets and a love for Crowland, a historic small market town in South Lincolnshire that I call home ❤

  • @manibun727
    @manibun7275 ай бұрын

    This house made me nostalgic & reminded me of my grandma's house when she was still there. I have last heard her voice almost 19 years ago but she lives in my heart so gleefully and will do so for forever. Those old dusty kitchens, the plants, the area beneath the staircase, those big beautiful windows and rooms filled with sunlight.. everything reminded me of her even though Sophie's house is nothing like my grandma's. Please don't mind me scribbling here. I got really nostalgic.

  • @MrPhotodoc
    @MrPhotodoc6 ай бұрын

    She should absolutely consider a new roof. That's the first step.

  • @freedwomens

    @freedwomens

    6 ай бұрын

    she mentioned she does consider it, she doesn't have the money.

  • @cdb88
    @cdb885 ай бұрын

    Thank you for keeping it this way. I hate seeing so many of these beautiful homes renovated and lose all of their charm. So many lives lived here and who would want to lose that?

  • @marybethbasu8858
    @marybethbasu88586 ай бұрын

    Beautiful in a poetic way. I love old houses, but if the surfaces are crumbling, what about the danger of lead contamination, especially for children?

  • @GoodDaysandBeyond

    @GoodDaysandBeyond

    5 ай бұрын

    I don’t believe lead was in this paint that was more the 1900 s

  • @SamSamIDKWhereIam
    @SamSamIDKWhereIam6 ай бұрын

    This is quite easily the most beautiful home I have ever seen and the way it's described fits it so well.

  • @user-ou4jh2sf6e
    @user-ou4jh2sf6e6 ай бұрын

    Я не понимаю английский, но чувствую с какой любовью вы рассказываете о доме, значит у вас огромная душа. Спасибо .

  • @Caroline-jr6uo
    @Caroline-jr6uo6 ай бұрын

    This makes me very emotional 😢, its perfect imperfections ❤

  • @IMAInteriors
    @IMAInteriors10 ай бұрын

    What a warm soul :) I feel that old houses are like our grandparents... they provide us with a certain level of comfort and familiarity that we must honor and enjoy as it is, it really feels like an old member of the family that we should cherish. having said that I am only worried about spiders hahaha

  • @peterjensen1455

    @peterjensen1455

    7 ай бұрын

    Exceptionally well said…

  • @xmiaojp2070

    @xmiaojp2070

    7 ай бұрын

    Spiders 🕷️ are the guardians of the house.

  • @user-mm1qu7yb5h
    @user-mm1qu7yb5h4 ай бұрын

    JOE SAVED MY LIFE IN THIS HOUSE. ❤❤❤❤❤

  • @mackenzieroussos8863
    @mackenzieroussos886310 ай бұрын

    Stunning Sophie!! I have always wondered about this house after seeing glimpses on Instagram. I only wish we could see the kids tearing through!!! ❤

  • @EMSpdx
    @EMSpdx6 ай бұрын

    Love includes being able to have faith and to maintain, and while this house has faith it needs maintenance. I hope she is able to get a new roof and get the water issue sorted. 🙏

  • @elenabazu
    @elenabazu10 ай бұрын

    Beautiful house and inspiring words, love this.

  • @jovanacoca
    @jovanacoca6 ай бұрын

    I'm in love with your home and the soul you both have ❤

  • @g.y.p.s.y.
    @g.y.p.s.y.7 ай бұрын

    Beautiful house, hoping you get that new roof. Cheers

  • @yamilletrivas8041
    @yamilletrivas80414 ай бұрын

    I wish I had this space. This woman speaks poetry and I would love to be in this space with her!

  • @mrp21334
    @mrp213348 ай бұрын

    She’s so wow ❤ I wish her nothing but the best in life 😊

  • @flinpatricia6798
    @flinpatricia67985 ай бұрын

    👏l share your feelings for old houses …c’ est rassurant de voir qu’ il y a encore des personnes artistes, cérébrales, romantiques….

  • @cocobololocoloco
    @cocobololocoloco5 ай бұрын

    Wow, what a relation to a building....like she has merged with it spiritually.

  • @lynjubrail6646
    @lynjubrail66469 ай бұрын

    The house is so totally understood. How blessed.😊😊

  • @loujohnson1664
    @loujohnson16644 ай бұрын

    Thank God for people like Sophie who understand that the history of these houses is to often washed away and sanitized to look exactly like new homes that are just the fashion of the moment. I've watched far too many videos of house renos that totally destroy homes and the layers of history they possess.

  • @anneallen3566
    @anneallen35666 ай бұрын

    Exactly how I feel about my little cottage. She’s lovely.

  • @sweetattitude
    @sweetattitude6 ай бұрын

    I am so glad that she has left the house as is. I love people who love things for what they are and what they have become rather than what they could be. I wish I was wealthy then I would be able to pay for her to have a new roof, the only thing that really needs to be done to preserve the rest. I bet all the people who have lived there over the past 500 years of it's past are so pleased that she owns it now.

  • @t.s.507
    @t.s.50710 ай бұрын

    Your love shines through for this lovely home... I'm sure it will protect you.

  • @annagszasz5399
    @annagszasz53996 ай бұрын

    I understand what you are talking about. The house loves you.❤When you feel responsibility.

  • @chomama1628
    @chomama16286 ай бұрын

    Generations of history and love that no new house bring to the soul.

  • @janew4690
    @janew46904 ай бұрын

    I understand her feelings as I had a 1745 New England home and felt the same. I did have to move as my husband passed and it was too much work for me alone. Some houses are treasures and you just know they too love you as you love them.

  • @kitfrancis6645
    @kitfrancis66454 ай бұрын

    Now that gentlemen is a proper lady! I sincerely hope you find everything youre looking for and more. You radiate healthy energy.

  • @dear_darling
    @dear_darling9 ай бұрын

    "I would leave this house for love, but nothing else." Extraordinary!

  • @jspohl
    @jspohl3 ай бұрын

    She’s very sensitive to energy. 💖

  • @user-fx8ox6zz8f
    @user-fx8ox6zz8f7 ай бұрын

    Interesting and intriguing lady!!

  • @jimjimgl3
    @jimjimgl35 ай бұрын

    Yes to her. Yes to the house's style. No to the dust and mold.

  • @richardmaslanka3820
    @richardmaslanka38206 ай бұрын

    Don't think I'd leave this house even for love

  • @lamoinette23

    @lamoinette23

    5 ай бұрын

    Indeed

  • @timolake5273
    @timolake52737 ай бұрын

    I dream of a home like that

  • @carliwhitehead4581
    @carliwhitehead458110 ай бұрын

    So inspiring how she loves it exactly as it is.

  • @velvetindigonight
    @velvetindigonight7 ай бұрын

    What a place………. What a story……. What a pallette………. What a love…………….. Thank you Magical

  • @tsvetomilivanov7618
    @tsvetomilivanov76185 ай бұрын

    Beautiful in all ways possible. Time is the greatest artist.

  • @kayleighluebbert
    @kayleighluebbert6 ай бұрын

    This house is the love of my life 😍🫶🏽

  • @maryoleary2037
    @maryoleary20377 ай бұрын

    While I can appreciate the history of this house and the way you want to preserve it, I couldn't live amongst the decline of so many surfaces. I wouldn't want to change the house and certainly not modernize it, but I would want to fix some areas, if for nothing else, than to simplfy cleaning.

  • @ichig0tchi

    @ichig0tchi

    6 ай бұрын

    yeah look pretty on my screen but staying there i’d be paranoid of the mold and dirt

  • @LeCrenn

    @LeCrenn

    6 ай бұрын

    Amen. Wonky and flawed is wonderful, but water running down the walls is not. Keep the character, but old houses need upkeep.

  • @darlenechandler2403

    @darlenechandler2403

    6 ай бұрын

    @@LeCrennMold too

  • @bradpaul8576

    @bradpaul8576

    6 ай бұрын

    Yes, I am not sure it’s completely healthy to live with water running down the walls, and matter that rubs off on one’s clothes, makes me wonder what it is exactly that is so fragile that it rubs off? Mold?

  • @jinnymay3371

    @jinnymay3371

    5 ай бұрын

    I appreciate old houses as well…. They feel alive, very unlike the modern houses built in the last 50 years.

  • @raiseyourworld5324
    @raiseyourworld53246 ай бұрын

    A wonder full place. I just hope she is able to help the house not fall down as that would be a great loss, the decay needs to be managed.

  • @nell8170
    @nell81707 ай бұрын

    I too could love a place like this......she's definitely under it's spell!! TFS

  • @hereforit2347
    @hereforit23477 ай бұрын

    I wanted to see the house. We got almost nothing,

  • @jomurphy1654
    @jomurphy16542 ай бұрын

    Heart-stopping description of that threshold moment...I think that's because she has lived in that house before...

  • @johnfrancismaglinchey4192
    @johnfrancismaglinchey41922 ай бұрын

    I’m guessing that you’re surrounded with energy from the past,, it looks like the kind of house that hugs you every day

  • @michaelnicola5210
    @michaelnicola52104 ай бұрын

    Beautiful story, lovely home, charming owner.

  • @kerryfirehorse
    @kerryfirehorse6 ай бұрын

    I draw the line at water running down the walls authentically. Water damaged buildings are so unhealthy, and her children are breathing spores. Not so keen on all that scaffolding outside, probably holding walls up😮

  • @lisahinkofer2085
    @lisahinkofer20856 ай бұрын

    It’s a house of quiet shadows of the past. Many stories to tell are in the walls and floors. She longs to hold on to the history of this home. To many times we take an ancient home and strip it of its ancient beauty. It’s a sad thing to see. I understand why she has chosen to hold on to the house and it’s history

  • @susantaylor5068
    @susantaylor50686 ай бұрын

    Your love for this special house has filled me with love - to appreciate all we have - you’re spiritual and caring and your home “feels” that - it’s giving back to you with all the years it’s stood in its grounds. I hope you get a new roof 🙏 you’re a very special lady - thank you for sharing ❤

  • @tarahskinner923
    @tarahskinner9237 ай бұрын

    i soooooooooo love this! The place` spirit of the place` residual energy yes! Your lovely soul being so beautifully in tune! Thank you .... for sharing!

  • @user-mi6zd7oh8p
    @user-mi6zd7oh8p7 ай бұрын

    lovely

  • @melodymacken9788
    @melodymacken97884 ай бұрын

    Beautifully said.

  • @soniatriana9091
    @soniatriana90915 ай бұрын

    Such a PERFECT MATCH! An extraordinary house with an extraordinary soul/woman! They are well suited for each other! It definitely is a love match! What a lovely video!!

  • @melraine919
    @melraine9196 ай бұрын

    Splendid well done 👏🏼 👍🏼 Very enjoyable 🤗 From England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

  • @paperprincess1050
    @paperprincess10506 ай бұрын

    Marvelous

  • @elephantintheroom5678
    @elephantintheroom56783 ай бұрын

    Fix that poor collapsing ceiling before it is too late, woman!

  • @elizabeth2416
    @elizabeth24165 ай бұрын

    It looks like what it truly is, a stage. Our relationship to home is unconscious and complex But to live in a house that has had many lives, gives it another perspective, Each actor playing a part within the backdrop. No wonder she doesn't want to leave it.

  • @AC-id5ow
    @AC-id5ow6 ай бұрын

    Lovely atmospheric house.

  • @bonnyvondolores2647
    @bonnyvondolores26475 ай бұрын

    A special place for a specially involved human, sensitive to the history of lives lived, light and history…

  • @rickysGVA
    @rickysGVA6 ай бұрын

    It's beautifully filmed, but it looks hazardous, humid and cold.

  • @annajackson3882
    @annajackson388210 ай бұрын

    What a beautiful and interesting house! Loved this.

  • @prinprin3313
    @prinprin33136 ай бұрын

    extraordinary soul ! BEAUTIFUL OLD HOUSE!

  • @bobbyball1057
    @bobbyball10575 ай бұрын

    This was beautiful. What an amazing space. Happy Christmas everyone 😊

  • @MalgorzataKellner-tj8ve
    @MalgorzataKellner-tj8ve5 ай бұрын

    I love the house ! What a statement ! It’s make me speechless ! Thank you.

  • @maybaez
    @maybaez6 ай бұрын

    great great cinematography

  • @karateana7593
    @karateana75936 ай бұрын

    I love it so much, beautiful!

  • @debrap947
    @debrap9476 ай бұрын

    I love rustic and authentic but, is it reckless to the home and its history to leave it to decay and remain damaged? I would hate to see this home fall.

  • @chernyylebed2050

    @chernyylebed2050

    5 ай бұрын

    Then buy her ceramics and help financially

  • @pamelaroebuck1079
    @pamelaroebuck10797 ай бұрын

    Absolutely imperfect perfect.

  • @broomroom
    @broomroom3 ай бұрын

    Really touched by this one.

  • @nemanjavidojkovic8970
    @nemanjavidojkovic89704 ай бұрын

    She certainly have a role to play,an artist with her artistic styling ,house should be in a state of ould glory not in crumbling like it is now.

  • @michelouellette6451
    @michelouellette64513 ай бұрын

    So beautiful so natural !😌

  • @grammasgardenofideas5081
    @grammasgardenofideas50816 ай бұрын

    love love. love just as it is

  • @greeneyedmimibostian3013
    @greeneyedmimibostian30134 ай бұрын

    Splendid

  • @lauralatorre970
    @lauralatorre9703 ай бұрын

    I hope that my "like" will help for the roof restyling!

  • @KasiaB00
    @KasiaB00Ай бұрын

    Breathtakingly beautiful

  • @jeffreydaniels7519
    @jeffreydaniels75195 ай бұрын

    Enchanting

  • @isobelsmith6999
    @isobelsmith69996 ай бұрын

    Fascinating, lovely, and more than a little spooky 😮

  • @lailalivsdatter6660
    @lailalivsdatter66607 ай бұрын

    You are wonderful❤ I think you are right. About how to live in your house. And I think you do, what many of us don't do today.

  • @NicoleFontaine-ir9dd
    @NicoleFontaine-ir9dd6 ай бұрын

    I totally get it! Beautiful❤

  • @bluegypsy71
    @bluegypsy713 ай бұрын

    The real question: how the heck do you afford a relic of a house in the UK countryside by making tapestries?!😲

  • @sanelanikolic5749
    @sanelanikolic57497 ай бұрын

    so authentic :-)

  • @barrybr1
    @barrybr16 ай бұрын

    Wow!

  • @anttoronto3202
    @anttoronto32026 ай бұрын

    Wow!❤

  • @jamiegallier2106
    @jamiegallier21064 ай бұрын

    Authentic shabby chic.

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