Surreal Sussex

Good evening. Above the Aga in the kitchen of Farleys House in East Sussex is a small hand-painted tile, showing an abstract face with a yellow nose. Look closer and you may notice something familiar about the composition and colours. The tile is an original Picasso and the housekeeper apparently used to scrub it with Vim.
It’s colourful details such as this which make a visit to Farleys so memorable. The Guardian’s deputy travel editor Jane Dunford recently took a tour of the former home of Lee Miller (American model, muse, fashion photographer turned second world war correspondent for Vogue) and her husband, Roland Penrose (surrealist painter and co-founder of London’s Institute of Contemporary Art). The visitor’s book reads like a “who’s who of the 20th century art world” with luminaries such as Picasso, Man Ray, Max Ernst and Joan Miró among the famous visitors.
Jane was lucky enough to meet Lee Miller’s son, Antony Penrose, who shared recollections of his unconventional childhood growing up in the house, which now offers regular tours to the public and has vividly retained the imprint of his glamorous parents and their colourful guests. In September a film about the life of Lee Miller will be released, starring and produced by Kate Winslet, which will no doubt attract more visitors to this special place.
Just a couple of miles away from Farleys is Charleston, the farmhouse which was once home to Bloomsbury Group artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, who unleashed their creativity on every available surface, from flower pots to fireplaces. Walking around the house is a curiously intimate experience, a far cry from the sterile environment of a gallery. Another reason to visit this enchanting corner of England.