| Description | Barbara Steveni and John Latham purchased a barn in Buckfastleigh, Devon in 1966. These photographs show the barn before and after restoration; Wonwell Beach, South Devon and photographs of the Latham's children:
1. Left side of the barn, Buckfastleigh, Devon, before restoration, c 1966
2. Right side of the barn, Buckfastleigh, Devon, before restoration, c 1966
3. View of the barn, Buckfastleigh, Devon, after restoration, c 1967
4. View of Wonwell Beach, late 1960s
5. JP and Noa Latham reading in the garden of their home in Portland Road, London, c 1968-9
6. JP Latham playing badminton with tennis table bats with Noa Latham, [undated, late 1960s]
7. Noa Latham playing badminton with tennis table bats with JP Latham, [undated, late 1960s]
8. Xenia Latham on a seesaw, in silhouette, nd
JP Latham notes that the barn was bought 'with the £1250 gifted by John’s parents to be spent on the children. Lizzy Piper had spotted it was for sale and told Barbara it might be interesting to check out. With that gift, there was just enough money to fix the most damaged parts, making good the upper flooring and redoing some of the windows... The barn features a great deal in John’s and Barbara’s life stories, with many artists (such as Rolf and Ros Sachsse, Carlyle Reedy, Marie Yates, David Toop, Ian Munroe) staying. John did a great deal of maintenance in early years, suspending the upstairs wooden ceiling on orange bailing twine. Barbara based herself here for breaks from London, most often with family and especially being closer to her hugely important friends – Lizzy Piper who lived in Totnes, and Antonia and Leo Davy, who lived near a small village called Morewenstow in Cornwall. JP and his family welcomed Barbara to come and stay with them in the barn for holidays especially in Barbara’s latter years. [Wonwell Beach was] A favourite space for Barbara which she described as ‘mythic’'. |