Issue 40 winter 23 web - Flipbook - Page 101
Coronation of the Shah, the oilfields, and with colleagues
and friends, including Raymond Mortimer - ‘Tray’ Harold’s long-term lover, who went out and stayed with
him for quite a while and who travelled with him and Vita
with the Bakhtiari Tribe.
The atmosphere of the exhibition will be enhanced with
scents from spices and perfumes and music, along with
original film footage of sites in the region from the 1920s.
Nicci Obholzer, Senior House and Collections Officer at
Sissinghurst Castle Garden said: “Harold Nicolson was
born to a diplomat father in Tehran in 1886. He returned
there in the 1920s to work in the British embassy and Vita
visited him twice. Vita immediately published two richly
described travelogues of her trips there.
“A decade after Harold’s posting to Tehran, ‘Persia’
officially became ‘Iran’ in the languages of the world. A
new king, Reza Shah, tried to reframe Iran’s relationship
with the world. Vita and Harold experienced a diplomatic
lifestyle at a time when British influence was still significant but beginning to decline. Their responses reflect
these events.
“Both held a lifelong affection for the region and took
many vivid photographs of people and sites. These are
now a fascinating record of a country on the cusp of great
change.
“It is poignant to see some of the objects from her travels
that Vita gave to Virginia and to Harold which have been
reunited for the first time since they were given. We hope
visitors will enjoy finding out more about this period of
the lives of two of the 20th century’s most eloquent observers and the new discoveries we have made about
them that reflect the Sissinghurst we see today.”
For the exhibition research, the National Trust has
worked with Kings College London, University College
London, University of Cambridge and the Victoria &
Albert Museum.
Lindsay Allen, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at
King’s College London added: "We’ve made some exciting discoveries at Sissinghurst that show the impact on
Harold and Vita of their Iranian travels. The exhibition
is a wonderful opportunity to open a window on
British-Iranian encounters in the 1920s.”
‘A Persian Paradise’ opens at Sissinghurst on Saturday
14 October until 24 March and is generously supported
by The British Institute of Persian Studies and the Iran
Society. For further information visit
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sissinghurst
Opposite top, Turquoise cog dishes belonging to Vita (l) with the one
that she gave Virginia (r), reunited after nearly a century ©National
Trust Images James Beck.
Middle, Hall of the One Hundred Columns © National Trust
Richard Holttum.
Bottom, Vita at the plain of Malamir (now called Izeh), Iran ©
National Trust Richard.
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