The Messels at Bradley Court

Bradley Court

Bradley Court, a 16th century limestone Tudor manor house on the outskirts of the beautiful Cotswold village of Wotten-under-edge, is home to Pepe and Thomas Messel and their son Hal.  Pepe is a painter and Thomas is a furniture designer.  He describes himself as an "haute couturier" with his firm making one-off pieces as well as limited editions through his own firm Thomas Messel as well as the firm Alidad.


In the garden of Bradley Court,
Alidad and Messel, far right, converse at the fountain,
while cabinetmaker Alan Pinnock and gardener Michael Price
carry a console table designed by Thomas Messel and Alidad
for Alidad's Velvet Furniture Collection.

Thomas Messel comes from a family strong in design.  His cousin Lord Snowden (Antony Armstrong-Jones) is a noted photographer (and one-time husband of the late Princess Margaret).  His uncle Oliver Messel was the celebrated designer of stage sets and houses in Mustique.  His grandparents created Nymans in the 1920s, giving a 19th century house the appearance of a fourteenth century manor house with spectacular gardens that now belongs to the National Trust.


The Hall at Bradley Court.

The hub of the house is the Hall with its panelling dragged in colors derived from the Cotswold limestone.  Chairs include the one that appeared in a photograph by Lord Snowdon that was used for the last Christmas card sent out jointly by the Prince and Princess of Wales.  A kilim rug covers the center table and antique velvet chenille curtains hang in the archway that divides the Hall from a sitting room they call the Book Room.


The Book Room at Bradley Court.

In the Book Room, a mirror the Messels found in Italy is topped with monkeys and an angel.  Thomas designed the file cabinet disguised as a bookcase and a pair of black and gold lyre-form tray tables.


The Drawing Room at Bradley Court.

The Drawing Room, dating from 1780, is used primarily in the summer.  As Pepe sometimes paints there because of the light from the full-length curtainless windows, Thomas designed a chiffonier that houses stereo equipment and a credenza that stores her canvases.


Hal Messel in the Drawing Room at Bradley Court.

Lord Snowdon was the one who introduced Thomas and Pepe to Bradley Court in 1981, soon after they were married.


A French cherrywood table extends from the dining room to the kitchen.
The walnut and parcel gilt heraldic chairs were designed by Thomas Messel.

Not only did he suggest taking down the wall between the Kitchen and the Pantry, Lord Snowdon attacked the partition with a hammer and chisel, leaving them few options other than complete demoltion.  The resulting space combines Kitchen, Dining Room, and Family Room with a television and a minibar in two of Thomas' cabinets.


The 18th century continental bed in a Guest Room
displays a handmade quilt from Wales.



The stair in the north tower dates from the Georgian period.
The bronze table with a red velvet top was designed by
Messel and Alidad.

Pepe Messel in her attic studio.
 

Thomas Messel often works in the Garden House
in the summer rather than in his attic Studio.
He painted the "x" chair in the foreground.

Bugle, their Norfolk terrier, on the lawn
of the Garden House.

All photos by Simon Upton are from an article written by Tristram Holland and produced by Cynthia Frank from the April, 2005, issue of House & Garden magazine.

Thomas Messel is the editor of the book Oliver Messel: In the Theatre of Design that documents his uncle's influence on interior design, architecture, and fashion.