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HISTORY AT SOUTHSIDE
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The Entrance Hall
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The Dining Room
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The Staircase Hall
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Described by connoisseurs as an unforgettable experience, Southside House provides an enchantingly eccentric backdrop to the lives and loves of generations of the Pennington Mellor Munthe families. Maintained in traditional style without intrusive refurbishment and crowded with the family possessions of centuries, Southside offers a wealth of fascinating family stories. Southside has associations with Queen Natalie of Serbia and her son Alexander, and the family also have mementos from the Duke of Wharton, Lady Hamilton and others. Southside was re- built in the William and Mary style, and behind the long façade are the old rooms, still with much of the furniture which the Penningtons brought here, and a superb collection of art and historical objects reflecting the centuries of ownership. John Pennington’s great granddaughter Hilda, married Axel Munthe, the charismatic Swedish Doctor whose most famousbook,The Story of St Michele, briefly outsold the bible and remains amongst the ten best sellers of the 20th century. Dr Munthe recalled that when he sat in the gardens, discussing forthcoming publication with his publisher John Murray of The Story of San Michele, the publisher told him that his own ancestor was supposed to have talked with Lord Byron in the same gardens. These were developed by Hilda, his wife, a passionate gardener herself, into a fascinating series of sculptural rooms linked by water and mysterious pathways. The preservation of the house was left to Hilda, and her youngest son, Malcom, who had led a life of extraordinary adventure during the Second World War. A member of the S.O.E, Major Munthe had worked behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Scandanavia, and had taken part in the Allied landings at Anzio. Suffering from war wounds, the reclusive Major eventually retreated to the safe haven of Southside, which he painstakingly restored, and transformed to a stage on which his perceptions of family history were presented. He devoted the same energy to preserving Hellens, the family´s country home in Herefordshire. (also open to the public: www.hellensmanor.com) Malcolm Munthe’s surviving children continue to cherish Southside House and Hellens through the Pennington-Mellor-Munthe Charity Trust. Both houses serve their communities, with concerts, lectures, workshops, and literary evenings as well as guided tours. |
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Southside House, 3-4 Woodhayes Rd, Wimbledon Common, London SW19 4RJ
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T: 020 8946 7643
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