'... your exquisite map of Benthall. Its detail and accuracy are remarkable. It records, in a way that has never been done in all the house's
300 years and more of history, its scale, its relationship with the church and the farm and especially with the garden. It is already,
therefore, a historic document of great importance.'

 

'But it is so much more than that. Its beauty and its charm are easily equal to its veracity. There is something about its gentle
asymmetry, its combination of imposing views and humbler details, which express as much about the nature of the place as the
individual paintings which it comprises. The view of the front of the house from the corner of the church plot is a familiar one, but with
a completely fresh feel: something to do with the clever way in which you have framed the house with the drive and the trees'

 

'The church and the farm are also a vital part of the house, and have a charm of their own which is clearly worthy of the same inclusive
approach which you have adopted but which nobody has ever done before. The three fireplaces link the interior of the house to its
outward appearance and somehow add to the sense of honesty, confirming that what lies inside is consistent with its façade'

 

'And throughout all your remarkable creation, there is a gentleness of touch, a sense of respect without awe, pride without hubris, ...'

 

'In some way I think your map will not just record a moment in the history of the house, but will influence its future ...'

 

Edward Benthall