Diz White

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Cotswolds Memoir Author writes History of Downton Abbey location

Downton Abbey (Highclere Castle)
Architectural History
By
Diz White

Author of

Cotswolds Memoir:

Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain
on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage
(Larrabee Libraries)

Available on Amazon

Cotswolds Memoir_DizWhite

Highclere Castle, Location for Downton Abbey- Daily Mail

Highclere Castle, Location for Downton Abbey

Highclere Castle – the location of the successful T.V. Series Downton Abbey has brought the Victorian and medieval mansions and stately homes of England back into worldwide focus.
The huge success of the T.V. series Downton Abbey which uses Highclere Castle as its location has sparked great interest in British architecture and put a spotlight onto these ancient mansions and stately homes. This interest, may, in fact, be instrumental in stopping the decline of these buildings whose numbers have been traveling on a slow downward trajectory since the First World War. The curiosity aroused by this incredibly popular series has promoted a thirst for knowledge about British architecture and history from around the world.

Highclere2Highclere Castle Today

Highclere Castle as it exists today was rebuilt between 1839 – 1842 for the third Earl of Carnarvon by Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the Houses of Parliament. The architectural style of this latest version of Highclere Castle is classed as Jacobethan and its fascia material is of stone from the town of Bath.
John Betjeman gave the name ‘Jacobethan’ to the style of architecture incorporating elements of both Elizabethan and Gothic characteristics. This English Renaissance style that was popular from 1550 to 1625 was revived in the 1820s and evolved into the Jacobethan style.

MentmoreMentmore in Buckinghamshire an example of Jacobethan architecture

This fashion subsequently became the hallmark of Victorian architecture and included features such as Tudor-style terra cotta bricks, arches and extended chimneys, elaborate carved brickwork, balustrades, pillars and parapets. Sandringham House in Norfolk, home of her Majesty the Queen represents a good example of this Jacobethan style.

Highclere Castle origins, like so many castles, mansions and stately homes in Britain, go back to medieval times and beyond. An Anglo-Saxon charter indicates that this site has been populated for almost 1400 years.

Architectural Plans for Highclere CastleArchitectural Plans for Highclere Castle

It was the custom of British architects, through the centuries, to build upon the foundations of earlier buildings and on occasion to incorporate parts of these buildings into the new structure. The Victorian architects followed this trend by erecting the current Highclere Castle on the exact site of an earlier mansion. This earlier building was constructed on the foundations of the medieval palace of the Bishops of Winchester who had retained possession of this large estate since the 8th Century. An even earlier building was recorded as existing on this site in the Domesday Book.
The Carnarvon family have owned and lived in Highclere since 1679.

earl of pembroke8th Earl of Pembroke

In 1692 Robert Sawyer left what was then a mansion named Highclere to his daughter Margaret, wife of the 8th Earl of Pembroke. Their son Robert Sawyer Herbert inherited Highclere and became the owner of this mansion. He created the garden rooms and assembled a collection of paintings. Robert Sawyer’s heir Henry Herbert was created 1st Earl of Carnarvon by King George III.

Earl of Carnarvon1st Earl of Carnarvon

This is the description (in part) of Highclere Castle given by the famous architectural historian Nicholas Pevsner and his co-writer David Lloyd.

The house is ashlar-faced, of three storeys with an additional storey in the accentuated parts. The windows are of the mullion-and-transom-cross type, with transoms higher up than in genuine Elizabethan houses. At the top is a strapwork balustrade. The front is much flatter than an Elizabethan front would be. There is in fact very little decoration – just ornamented pilasters in stressed places. ‘Ung Je Serviray’ carved above all the ground floor windows.

5th Earl of Carnarvon5th Earl of Carnarvon

During the Victorian era Highclere Castle became a nexus of social and political activity. A stream of socialites, politicians, technical innovators, aviators, soldiers, writers and Egyptologists populated the parties at the house. The 5th Earl of Carnarvon discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen with Howard Carter adding another exotic aspect to the rich history of the Carnarvon family and their Castle. An Egyptian exhibition is a feature of Highclere Castle today.

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During the First World War Highclere Castle was turned into a hospital by Amina the 5th Countess of Carnarvon and treated soldiers wounded in Flanders in September 1914. The Castle became a private home again in 1922. The Castle was used once more in the Second World War as a home for evacuated children from London.
Today the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon live for part of the year in the Castle and the remainder of the time in a nearby home.

Highclere Castle LibraryHighclere Castle Library

Only the ground floor rooms are in use at the present time and these include the Foyer, Saloon, Library (which contains almost 6000 books, some of which date back to the 16th Century), Music Room, Smoking Room, Drawing Room and Dining Room (in which hangs Van Dyck’s painting of Charles I)

charles-iCharles I by Van Dyck

There are 11 bedrooms on the first floor of Highclere Castle with approximately 60 bedrooms on the upper floors.

It is hoped that the success of Downton Abbey will help bring the public’s attention to the often sorry plight of Britain’s stately homes. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings is fighting to save historic and listed buildings from decay, demolition and destruction. Web site www.spab.org.uk

A portion of the proceeds of every copy of this author’s book COTSWOLDS MEMOIR: Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage is donated to Cotswold conservation institutions.

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Cotswold Cows in the Mist

Misty Cows 1

One early morning in the beautiful Cotswolds I made a cup of tea and took it into the conservatory where I was amazed to see a thick mist enveloping the field view. Instead of the usual couple of hundred yards of fields, trees and hedges I could see for only a few yards beyond the dry stone wall. As I sipped my hot tea the mist began to slowly swirl, making fantastic shapes as it curled around the edges of trees and gradually lifted a little off the ground. After a few more minutes a low moo heralded a cow, wreathed in mist, as it emerged in the field like a sepia painting in soft focus.

Misty Cows 2

Cotswold cows are among my favourite creatures and this one was enhanced even more by the soft focus treatment of this gently dissolving background.

 Misty Cows 3

As more cows joined the first one Randy my husband grabbed his camera and was able to capture their images before the mist was dissolved by the warm sun. Eventually the day evolved into a glorious scorcher – perfect for a picnic on the river.

But I’ll never forget those magical, early morning moments when my lovely Cotswold cows appeared to be part of a Turner painting.

Misty Cows 4

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Christmas COTSWOLDS LAMB Pie

Christmas PieFrom Diz White, the author of

COTSWOLDS MEMOIR: Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage

Available in E-Book and Paperback on Amazon

This pie is great for Christmas evening when everybody thinks they can never eat another thing and then surprise, get peckish just before bed-time. You could even serve it for Christmas dinner!

Delicious served hot or cold!

Follow this recipe and out of the oven comes the most scrumptious-looking country pie; looking like something you’d see on the table in Downton Abbey or the kind of thing Mrs Bridges would have cooked in Upstairs, Downstairs.

INGREDIENTS IN IMPERIAL MEASURE

(Ingredients in Metric measure are at the end of the recipe)

1 1/2lb Ground or Minced COTSWOLD Lamb

Cotswolds lamb is optional – other lamb is good to use. But Cotswolds lamb tastes so good.

2 Large Onions

4 Sticks of Celery

1 lb. Mushrooms

6 Cloves of Garlic

1 Egg whisked

1 Tin of chopped tomatoes or 4 fresh blanched tomatoes

½ Tin of tomato paste (optional)

1 Table spoon herbes de Provence

1 Teaspoon fresh chopped ginger (optional)

Pinch (large) of Cajun spices

1 Package ready-made puff pastry.

Recipe designed for a 9 Inch Pie Pan

Serves 6

This is my mother’s delicious recipe and I try and cook it the same way that she did.

Have the butcher take a shoulder of lamb and put it through the meat grinder. In England this is called minced lamb. In the United States it would be ground lamb. Get COTSWOLD lamb if you can.

Sauté the lamb in a skillet. When it is about half cooked take it off the heat and drain away any extra fat. Next, in a separate skillet, sauté onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery, tomatoes. Cook until all this is done about halfway through. Drain away any extra liquid. Now add seasoning and stir in well. The seasoning should include herbes de Provence, and other seasonings can be added to taste. e.g. Cajun spices, or a touch of curry powder. Or get creative with your own ideas about seasoning. I will sometimes add a tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger and ½ tin of tomato paste, but these are optional. Combine the ingredients of both skillets; stir well and aside to cool. Now prepare the pastry.

These days it is possible to buy ready-made puff pastry quite easily.

Roll out enough puff pastry and a line the pie dish with it. Next, roll out enough pastry for the top covering of the pie and cut it a good four inches larger than the pie dish. After filling the bottom with all the sautéed ingredients drape the overlarge pastry covering on top and pull the excess back into loops, rather like a curtain valance, before thumbing the top and bottom layers together.

Heart shapes and other decorations can be made with any left over pastry and placed on the top of the pie. Next, paint the top of the pie with a whisked egg. Put the pie in a pre-warmed oven and cook for about forty minutes or until the pastry is lightly browned.

Decorate with sprigs of holly with red berries or other Christmas decoration. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS IN METRIC MEASURE

675 grams Ground or Minced COTSWOLD Lamb

Cotswolds lamb is optional – other lamb is good to use. But Cotswolds lamb tastes so good.

2 Large Onions

4 Sticks of Celery

450 grams Mushrooms

6 Cloves of Garlic

1 Egg whisked

1 Tin of chopped tomatoes or 4 fresh blanched tomatoes

½ Tin of tomato paste (optional)

30 grams herbes de Provence

5 grams fresh chopped ginger (optional)

Pinch (large) Cajun spices

1 Package ready-made puff pastry.

Recipe designed for a 22 cm Pie Pan

Serves 6

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COTSWOLDS MEMOIR

Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain on a Quest to find a 17th Century Cottage

An English actress and comedy writer returns from Hollywood to her homeland to buy a cottage in the Cotswolds,the most beautiful part of Britain. Her exciting search turns into a laugh-out-loud, good life, foodie, meet the eccentric locals, cliff hanging, explore the idyllic Cotswolds fun read as she finds the sense of community lacking in her urban existence and decides ‘It doesn’t get much better than this!’

Cotswolds Memoir Cover-2

What the Press say about COTSWOLDS MEMOIR

‘Extremely entertaining, funny and beautifully written’
Katie Jarvis, Cotswold Life Magazine‘

“Diz White writes about the Cotswolds with such passion. Superb story telling.”
Debbie McGee, BBC Radio Berkshire

“Wakes us up to the joys on our doorstep”
Sue Bradley, Gloucestershire Echo

“A rip-roaring new book”
Tristan Cork, West Country Life Magazine

“It’s enchanting …very funny…..Diz White has written a book that paints a nostalgic and affectionate canvas.”
Steven Leigh Morris, Los Angeles Weekly

“More entertaining than Under the Tuscan Sun”
Bill Greenleaf, Greenleaf Literary Magazine

From the Author

It all started with a family reunion. I wanted my family to come to my home for our next yearly gathering and I wrote a description of the Cotswolds to persuade them all to join me there. My sister wrote back that she had enjoyed my letter so much that she thought I should write a book about this lovely place. So COTSWOLDS MEMOIR is from my heart and expresses all my joy at discovering this very special region.  Writing this book encompassed all my passions – I’m a nature lover, a foodie, a history buff, a hiker, a lookey loo (I can’t get enough of viewing old houses) and I collect people – the more quirkily amusing the better. This book also allows me to share a very important part of my life – making people laugh. My comedy writing background was put to good use, however, this time I could tell my personal stories – funny things that really happened to me rather than having to invent scenes. Also, this book chronicles all the real-life ups and downs of hunting for a home. Because I see life though the prism of comedy much of this roller coaster adventure was hilarious to me so I had a lot of fun. Also it was always my Mother’s dream to own a cottage and I have been fortunate enough to live out that dream for her. I am also very fortunate to have my wonderful husband Randall Montgomery in my life without whom my book would never have been completed. He helped me with all aspects of my book including the cover, taking all the photographs, the marketing and formatting. If that is not enough he also serenades me with lovely old songs from the 1930s while strumming on his Ukulele.

Before writing Cotswolds Memoir I had been commissioned to write Haunted Cotswolds and Haunted Cheltenham which got me started exploring this region and studying its history and architecture – my art degree from Central/St. Martin’s art school came in handy here.  Of course, on the way I got to participate in all the great activities that the good life of the Cotswolds has to offer including: hog roasts, fetes, Roman settlements, the Cotswold Way, world-renown gardens, boating on the Thames, a myriad of historic sites, Domesday churches, pubs, restaurants and tea shops, farmers markets and all that this halcyon region has to offer.

I really enjoy hearing from my readers so do find me if you read my book and want to chat – easily done by Googling my web site – and going to the email on there.

I hope you enjoy my book as it was a pure delight to write Cotswolds Memoir and to share how I found my little bit of heaven.

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About Diz

In addition to writing and acting for theatre, television, radio and film, British-born Diz White is also a book and magazine author.

Her latest book COTSWOLDS MEMOIR – Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage is published in both paperback and ebook (in all formats) and is available in the U.S.A. on Amazon.com and in Great Britain on Amazon.co.uk

Previously, Diz launched two books that were published in the U.K. by The History Press http://www.thehistorypress.co.uk with an extensive book and media tour. Diz also wrote a full-length article about her book which was published in the magazine Cotswold Life.

Diz also wrote HAUNTED COTSWOLDS which is part of the popular ‘Haunted’ series published by The History Press. Following this her second book in this series was published, entitled HAUNTED CHELTENHAM.

Both books are also published in the U.S.A. by Trafalgar Square Publishing (part of the IPG Group). Both books are also available on Amazon.

For a video interview about HAUNTED COTSWOLDS with Diz White go to The HUFFINGTON POST Web Site to see a video etitled: Chic Trek – Ghostly Travels in England.

Diz is also the author of THE COMEDY GROUP BOOK which was published by Smith and Kraus in the U.S.A. This career development book, which also incorporates comedic war stories of Diz’s journey as she created a comedy group, is available on Amazon.

Diz and her husband Randall Montgomery founded a Internet/Mobile Phone and Home Entertainment DVD production company under their corporate banner Larrabee Industries. See web site http://www.larrabeeindustries.com

Larrabee Industries produced – a home entertainment DVD that is adapted from Diz’s book HAUNTED COTSWOLDS and is entitled GHOSTS OF GREAT BRITAIN COLLECTION– Haunted Cotswolds. (This is the first in the series of seven) It is available on Amazon.com in the U.S.A. and on Quantum Leap in the U.K. Go HERE to see the trailer for her DVD.

In addition Larrabee Industries produced an Internet/Mobile Phone Entertainment series entitled FILM NOIR FOR DUMMIES that was written, co-produced and narrated by Diz in collaboration with her husband. It has been licensed by Nokia Smart Phones and is in other markets. Check out episode one: Peter Mache and the Case of the Plaster Parrot.

Diz received the New York Critic’s Drama Desk Award for her starring in her play

Diz’s show EL GRANDE DE COCA-COLA is currently in production at the Ruskin Theatre in Santa Monica. HBO televised EL GRANDE DE COCA-COLA as a comedy special after it was picked up at the Edinburgh Festival and produced Off-Broadway in New York. This show had previously been launched by the comedy group she founded in England under the auspices of an Arts Council Grant and played at the Hampstead Theatre Club, Greenwich Theatre and The Edinburgh Theatre.

After a very successful two year run Off-Broadway run in New York, EL GRANDE DE COCA-COLA was produced in many parts of the world after it was published by Samuel French Play scripts. Along with her other plays it has been performed in first run, amateur and stock productions in over twenty six countries.

BULLSHOT , the movie, in which Diz starred, along with Billy Connolly and Mel Smith, and also co-wrote, was released on DVD in the U.K. BULLSHOT the movie was produced by the late ex-Beatle George Harrison’s HandMade Films and was adapted from the play that Diz conceived and co-wrote entitled BULLSHOT CRUMMOND. The movie BULLSHOT was directed by Dick Clement and co-produced by Ian La Frenais.

BULLSHOT the movie has been released as a DVD in the U.S.A. by Image Entertainment and will also be included in a HandMade DVD Box Set that Image is bringing out soon. The DVD of this movie is available on Amazon

The play BULLSHOT CRUMMOND is based on a spoof of the Bulldog Drummond novels and has had successful presentations in London, New York, San Francisco (where it ran for four years) and Los Angeles. Diz conceived of this play when she found a Bulldog Drummond novel in an antique bookstore in the Portobello Road in London. She ‘saw’ that a play could come from this book if it was given a ‘Noir B movie’ treatment on stage, complete with movie-style drama stings of music and thirties-style shadows. BULLSHOT CRUMMOND is published by Samuel French Play Scripts and there have be have been numerous first run, amateur and stock productions of it licensed in dozens of countries around the world.

Subsequently, Showtime Network filmed BULLSHOT CRUMMOND as a comedy special and it was nominated for an Ace Cable Award.

Diz starred in the short movie TOO MUCH OREGANO (Feltham Films) which won for BEST SHORT in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

In her solo acting career Diz guest starred in STAR TREK -The Next Generation, COMEDY BREAK and THE (MIS) ADVENTURES OF FIONA PLUM (a U.S. pilot with British actress Kelly Brook). These shows were among numerous other guest appearances that Diz has made for television.

Diz has also starred in, written and performed voice over work in many other television and movie projects.

In addition to her on-camera acting for television and film Diz has also performed voice over, narration and animation work for numerous television and film productions.

She has performed voice over work for the film HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, which was nominated for an Oscar in 2011, and for TITANIC which won for best picture at the Oscars, also for SHREK, FROST NIXON, GLADIATOR, 101 and 102 DALMATIANS and BRUCE ALMIGHTY among many other films.

In television she has performed voice over work for ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, FRIENDS, BOSTON LEGAL, and J.A.G., among many other T.V. shows.

Diz is currently developing a new comedy play which has had two workshop productions to date at the Chandler Theatre in Hollywood and is also performing voice work as a regular in the Japanese Anime series HUNTIK.

She is also developing an IPAD App for COTSWOLDS MEMOIR – Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage which will combine the text of her travel tour memoir of the Cotswolds with footage shot by her DVD production company. Diz is starting work soon on an audio/Internet streaming version of COTSWOLDS MEMOIR and is also part way into writing a sequel of this book.

In addition Diz has completed a treatment based on COTSWOLDS MEMOIR and is currently developing it as a film.

Diz divides her time between Hollywood in the U.S.A. and the Cotswolds in England. (Contd. Below)

OTHER T.V. SHOWS AND DVDS that feature Diz White’s work (Partial list).

FOOTLIGHT FRENZY was produced as a play in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The play was adapted as a comedy special for SHOWTIME NETWORK.

Diz co-wrote and starred in both the play and the Showtime Comedy Special. FOOTLIGHT FRENZY is published by Samuel French Playscripts.

THE LOW MOAN SPECTACULAR was produced by ABC Network in the U.S.

Diz co-wrote and starred in this one hour sketch comedy special.

BEAUTIFUL DREAMER

Diz co-wrote and co-produced this half hour children’s home entertainment DVD