Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon Page B
Authors: The Countess of Carnarvon
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elegant, dusky pink building with broad curved staircases sweeping up to the entrance, and magnificent gardens. It had a cool marble salon shaded with white blinds and decorated with aquarelles of the ancient sites. Outside there were lovingly watered lawns, hibiscus bushes and palms.
It was extremely luxurious but, naturally, the Carnarvons were adding even more extravagant pleasures to their stay. They took the central rooms, with balconies looking out over the river and towards the cliffs around Hatshepsut’s temple. Their view at Highclere was over the lush rolling hills of a landscape that symbolised the permanence of power. When they looked out in Luxor, they saw the desert that had engulfed the palaces of kings.
If they were inclined to worry about the impermanence of things as they took their aperitifs on the balcony, they could always distract themselves with an excellent dinner. They dined in a private room and had brought with them supplies of food and wines, brandies and Madeira from the Rothschild cellars were also shipped in. As always, they weregenerous with all this abundance. Almina enjoyed the social life more than the day’s activities, and the hotel was full of interesting people to invite to join them.
Domestic concerns and the small tensions of married life lurked in the background. Carnarvon was pleased to hear from Highclere that Henry [Porchy] had a new tutor who was ‘very satisfied with him, says he has exceptional quickness and a remarkable memory.’ The parental pride is touching, especially from a man who struggled to be at ease with or express affection to his son. ‘I should like him to be good at games,’ Carnarvon commented. Perhaps it was the wish of the frustrated sportsman in a failing body.
He was also concerned that Almina was bored and had been suffering some health problems. She was somewhat nervy, but he commented to Winifred that Luxor seemed to agree with her. ‘I am glad to say Almina is looking better … the air on the hills is so pure and champagne-like. I am afraid she will have to have a small operation on our return, scraping the womb. I consider it comes chiefly from nerves but I am not a very nervous person, so perhaps am not a good judge.’
That first dig must have been extremely trying for any casual observer. After six weeks of hard labour and dashed hopes, Carnarvon brought operations to a close. The sum total of artefacts recovered was a single case for a mummified cat, which Lord Carnarvon gave to Cairo Museum. He was not discouraged. As he assured Winifred, ‘this utter failure, instead of disheartening me had the effect of making me keener.’
In 1907, the Carnarvons were back, and this time the Earl was well aware that he had previously been palmedoff with a site that the authorities knew was a dud. With the help of Gaston Maspero, Carnarvon chose a site near a mosque en route to the temples at Deir el-Bahri. He had gathered in the local coffee shops that there were rumours of a tomb, and after two weeks of hard digging, his team found it. It proved to be an important Eighteenth Dynasty tomb, that of a King’s son: Teta-Ky. There was a principal decorated chapel more or less intact, niches in the courtyard contained
shabti
figures (small servant figurines) and eight more painted
shabtis
lined the corridors to the subterranean vaults. Carnarvon was incredibly excited – and hooked. He spent days taking photographs as a record of everything he found. He also donated a limestone offering table to the British Museum. Carnarvon knew that if he carried on in Egypt he would need professional help and interpretation. Gifts of antiquities were an excellent way of gaining attention. In the end Dr Wallis Budge of the British Museum became a close friend and frequent guest of the Carnarvons in London and at Highclere.
Gaston Maspero was still receiving disparaging letters from his inspector, Arthur Weigall in Luxor, concerning Lord Carnarvon’s excavations.
It was extremely luxurious but, naturally, the Carnarvons were adding even more extravagant pleasures to their stay. They took the central rooms, with balconies looking out over the river and towards the cliffs around Hatshepsut’s temple. Their view at Highclere was over the lush rolling hills of a landscape that symbolised the permanence of power. When they looked out in Luxor, they saw the desert that had engulfed the palaces of kings.
If they were inclined to worry about the impermanence of things as they took their aperitifs on the balcony, they could always distract themselves with an excellent dinner. They dined in a private room and had brought with them supplies of food and wines, brandies and Madeira from the Rothschild cellars were also shipped in. As always, they weregenerous with all this abundance. Almina enjoyed the social life more than the day’s activities, and the hotel was full of interesting people to invite to join them.
Domestic concerns and the small tensions of married life lurked in the background. Carnarvon was pleased to hear from Highclere that Henry [Porchy] had a new tutor who was ‘very satisfied with him, says he has exceptional quickness and a remarkable memory.’ The parental pride is touching, especially from a man who struggled to be at ease with or express affection to his son. ‘I should like him to be good at games,’ Carnarvon commented. Perhaps it was the wish of the frustrated sportsman in a failing body.
He was also concerned that Almina was bored and had been suffering some health problems. She was somewhat nervy, but he commented to Winifred that Luxor seemed to agree with her. ‘I am glad to say Almina is looking better … the air on the hills is so pure and champagne-like. I am afraid she will have to have a small operation on our return, scraping the womb. I consider it comes chiefly from nerves but I am not a very nervous person, so perhaps am not a good judge.’
That first dig must have been extremely trying for any casual observer. After six weeks of hard labour and dashed hopes, Carnarvon brought operations to a close. The sum total of artefacts recovered was a single case for a mummified cat, which Lord Carnarvon gave to Cairo Museum. He was not discouraged. As he assured Winifred, ‘this utter failure, instead of disheartening me had the effect of making me keener.’
In 1907, the Carnarvons were back, and this time the Earl was well aware that he had previously been palmedoff with a site that the authorities knew was a dud. With the help of Gaston Maspero, Carnarvon chose a site near a mosque en route to the temples at Deir el-Bahri. He had gathered in the local coffee shops that there were rumours of a tomb, and after two weeks of hard digging, his team found it. It proved to be an important Eighteenth Dynasty tomb, that of a King’s son: Teta-Ky. There was a principal decorated chapel more or less intact, niches in the courtyard contained
shabti
figures (small servant figurines) and eight more painted
shabtis
lined the corridors to the subterranean vaults. Carnarvon was incredibly excited – and hooked. He spent days taking photographs as a record of everything he found. He also donated a limestone offering table to the British Museum. Carnarvon knew that if he carried on in Egypt he would need professional help and interpretation. Gifts of antiquities were an excellent way of gaining attention. In the end Dr Wallis Budge of the British Museum became a close friend and frequent guest of the Carnarvons in London and at Highclere.
Gaston Maspero was still receiving disparaging letters from his inspector, Arthur Weigall in Luxor, concerning Lord Carnarvon’s excavations.
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