Greetings card: Garden Cottage, Beedon painted by M.S.Elwes – home of William Woodley

Description

A greetings card of William Woodley’s home (now called Garden Cottage) at Worlds End, Beedon (RG20 8SB).  Painted by watercolourist Mary Somerville Elwes.

Potted History of Garden Cottage

It was once ‘The Boot’ pub before the Lockinge Estate purchased this property in the middle of the nineteeth century.

Apart from being a quintiessentical English garden cottage, it was the home apiary of William Woodley – a bee farmer, showman and writer. At one time, Mr Woodley operated Britain’s largest bee-farm with two apiaries – one being in his backyard! He was a champion at the showbench, winning top prizes for the glazed sections of honeycomb, and a prolific writer for the beekeeping press.

The out-building at the rear of the house (in the painting) was actually a ‘motorhouse’ (garage), purpose built for Mr Woodley’s ‘runaround’ car – Benz Velo.  His actual car is still on display in the National Motor Museum.  We have a greetings card on sale of Mr Woodley driving his Benz Velo.

After William Woodley’s death in 1923, his daughter Elizabeth Goodman purchased the cottage from the Lockinge Estate.  However, the Garden Cottage left the family’s ownership in 1931 when it was sold.   I believe at some point after the war, Mary Elwes made this watercolour painting of the house.

Mary Somerville Elwes (M.S. Elwes)

Mary Somerville Elwes (M.S. Elwes) is buried at Chieveley church graveyard, and her headstone has the inscription, ‘the eldest daughter of ‘The Ven. E.L and E.F. Elwes’.  She came from an ecclesiastic family, was an avid traveller, and volunteered as a nurse in the First World War.  Miss Elwes was an anti-war campaigner, and visited various parts of the world making and selling her watercolour paintings.  She returned to Britain after the Second World War, and for a time lived in Newbury with her sister.  Mary Elwes died in 1961.

This card might be of interest to…

• someone connected to Beedon or West Berkshire
• a watercolour enthusiast
• someone passionate about the English countryside.

More information about this greeetings card

• This greetings card is approximately 155mm by 155mm
• Comes with a lavender coloured envelope
• The card is blank inside
• The card and envelope are wrapped in cellophane
• Weighs approximately 20 grams