House & Family History: Virginia and Leonard Woolf became a part of Charleston history in the early 20th century when Virginia's sister, the painter Vanessa Bell, was searching for a country house. Vanessa leased Charleston farmhouse in 1916 and moved here with the artist Duncan Grant, the writer David Garnett, her two sons, and various animals. The house came to be the central place for the artists and intellectuals of the Bloomsbury Group, whose members, including E.M. Forster, John Maynard Keynes, Roger Fry, Lytton Strachey, and Dora Carrington, met here for much of the first part of the 20th century. The group's artists decorated the walls, furniture, and ceramics with their designs in the style of Italian fresco painting, which became the signature look of Charleston. When Duncan Grant died in 1978, The Charleston Trust was formed to salvage and restore the house and open it to the public.

Country Life: CLX. 350, 1976. CLXVI. 1994 [Paintings and decorations], 1979.

House Listed: Grade II*

Park Listed: Grade II*

Past Seat / Home of: Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, 20th century.

Current Ownership Type: Preservation Organization

Primary Current Ownership Use: Visitor Attraction

Ownership Details: Owned and operated by The Charleston Trust

House Open to Public: Yes

Phone: 01323-811-626

Fax: 01323-811-628

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.charleston.org.uk/

Historic Houses Member: No