Her friends rally round, but she suffers a stroke and dies after a swift decline. We see how the surviving women face up to the challenge of finding a new home. The Ladies of the House is a pacy read, packed with amusing anecdotes and incidents. The narrative offers a female perspective on the twentieth century as well as an entertaining and unusual take on the experience of ageing. In addition to exploring the popular theme of female friendship, the novel also engages with contemporary issues around housing that are very relevant to a modern readership, with older people increasingly opting to live in shared accommodation or to share their homes with others in order to pool their resources and benefit from mutual support.
J, Parliament Lodges, Islamabad. Village Ghyal tehsil Shakargarh District Narowal. H, Parliament Lodges, Islamabad. F, Parliament Lodges, Islamabad. House No. E, Parliament Lodges, Islamabad. Marri House, Berani, Sanghar. Islampur Mohallah Ward No. Badrashi Khel, Manki Sharif, Nowshera.
Village Mashogagar, Kohat Road Peshawar. G, Parliament Lodges, Islamabad. Suite No. Hostel, Islamabad. H Parliament Lodges, Islamabad. Eleanor Butler's voluminous diary describes a domestic idyll and offers us vivid insights into their life together.
She writes on Monday 4 October "Cold Wett day. Staid in our library the Entire day. Reading — writing, and sharing a delicious day. And on Thursday 22 September 'Up at Seven. Dark Morning, all the Mountains enveloped in mist.
Thick Rain. A fire in the Library, delightfully comfortable, Breakfasted at half past Eight. From nine 'till one writing. My Beloved drawing Pembroke Castle — from one to three read to her — after dinner Went hastily around the gardens. Rain'd without interruption the entire day — from Four 'till Ten reading to my Sally — She drawing — from ten 'till Eleven Sat over the Fire Conversing with My beloved.
A Silent, happy Day. The public were captivated by their unconventional, romantic way of life. They received many distinguished visitors, including the Duke of Wellington and William Wordsworth, and acquired a celebrity-like status which meant that there was a popular demand for prints of them.
There are three examples in the British Museum's collection — reproduced here — which reflect their appearance towards the end of their lives. The ladies disliked having their portraits taken and this one is based on sketches made secretly by Mary Parker during a visit in Most visitors commented on the ladies' conservative manner of dressing. Unusually, Eleanor wears the order of Saint Louis, an order of chivalry founded by the French king awarded to exceptional officers.
Although the Ladies of Llangollen's fame was extraordinary, romantic female friendships were common in 18th-century Europe. Women often spent a great deal of time in each other's company and developed strong, intense relationships. Female friends frequently wrote to one another using passionate, romantic language that can suggest a sexual relationship to modern readers.
Some of the relationships reflected in correspondence were no doubt sexual, others may simply have reflected the conventions of friendship. It's impossible to find conclusive proof whether the relationship between Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby was sexual or not, but there's abundant evidence that it was loving.
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