Dame Louisa Aldrich-Blake / by Lord Riddell.

  • George Riddell, 1st Baron Riddell
Date:
[1926]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dame Louisa Aldrich-Blake / by Lord Riddell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The Rev. Aldrich-Blake began his married life at Chingford Rectory, Essex, in 1862. Here Louisa was born on 5th August, 1865, her elder brother Frederic having preceded her by two years. Later in the year the Reverend Frederic migrated to the tiny parish of Welsh Bicknor, Herefordshire, where he remained until his death some forty years later. Here the rest of his children, Mrs. Jeakes, Mrs. Micklethwait, Miss Margaret Aldrich-Blake and Mr. Robert Aldrich-Blake were born. He built a new Rectory overlooking the lovely Wye Valley and there brought up his family. The household would have formed a good subject for one of Anthony Trollope’s novels—the rather stern Rector—his gentle wife—the open-air life— the high ideals—the mixture of Conservatism and enterprise—the yearly visit to London—the Rector’s loyalty to Morley’s Hotel, Trafalgar Square—his unfailing devotion to museums, picture galleries and “ Our Boys,” which, as it ran for 1,300 nights, enabled him to take his children to witness it so often that the small Louisa came to think it was the only theatrical piece.