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| 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.
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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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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.
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The 18th century continental bed in a Guest Room
displays a handmade quilt from Wales. |
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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. |
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Pepe Messel in her attic studio.
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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. |
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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.
