Edward James turned a Lutyens villa into a crazy gem, electrified by the works of Salvador Dalí
Was Monkton House in Sussex a glorious surrealist conceit, or a hideous nightmare Alterations were made in the 1930s for of a house? Both! It was as peculiar as can be, yet Edward James by Kit Nicholson and Hugh Casson, with help from Salvador Dalí at the same time it was beautifully ugly! Forty years ago, battles were fought to save it and open it to the public. But, only one. And, of all miracles, it was in the home counties. At the height of the battle to save it, the notable architectural historian Gavin Stamp wrote, ‘Had this ensemble not been broken up, Britain could now boast the finest collection of surrealist art in the world.’Oh woe! A thousand woes! Monkton had a chequered history. It had been originally built and elaborately clad in brick by Sir Edwin Lutyens for the Americans Mr and MrsWillie James in 1902, as...
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