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A Brief History of British Eccentricity

Britain is famous for its eccentric characters. And some of the nation's best interiors reflect this collective trait wonderfully

Kate Burt 19 April 2016

Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and various magazines. I'm now excited to part of the editorial team at Houzz UK & Ireland, bringing the best of British and Irish design, interiors and architecture to Houzz.com.

Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and... More

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The British are known for their non-conformist style. National treasures include the likes of fashion icon Vivienne Westwood; cross-dressing ceramicist and Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry; fellow Turner Prize winners Gilbert & George, known for their identical attire and controversial artworks; and Zandra Rhodes, the pink-haired septuagenarian fashion designer whose safety-pinned 1970s creations earned her the title Princess of Punk. Britain is also home to a fondly regarded, long-standing registered political party called the Monster Raving Loonies. What are the origins of this typically British approach to life and style?

Read 11 secrets of British eccentric style

Eclectic Living Room Eclectic Living Room

“I certainly wouldn’t say the British have a monopoly on eccentricity,” says Ros Byam Shaw, author of the 2014 book, English Eccentric: A Celebration of Imaginative, Intriguing and Stylish Interiors (Ryland Peters & Small). “Every nation has its eccentrics – but maybe we have more than most. It’s a trait we celebrate rather than deride, and non-conformity is quite a British thing. We’re quite an accepting and tolerant society.”

While an eccentric interior could take multiple forms, this room illustrates a few trademark touches, such as an irreverent eclecticism, boldness with colour and a sense of humour. (That cow is wearing a hat.)

“There’s also a good national tradition of not liking to be told what to do, which perhaps goes back as far as the Reformation and the break from Rome,” says Byam Shaw, pictured here. “Maybe being an island also makes us feel more independent.”

Interior designer Evros Agathou of Avocado Sweets, says: “There’s eccentricity and originality in every culture, but I think Brits have a great tradition of challenging the status quo. Whether it’s fashion or music, there’s a real creativity and sense of humour in the UK that draws people in from all over the world.”

aegis interior design ltd

Vivienne Westwood is famous for continuing to illustrate British eccentricity through her bold designs, including the striking wallpaper in this personality-fuelled living room.

There’s also a long history of writing on the topic of the British national character trait. Edith Sitwell, whose own appearance was famously eccentric (she was fond of a brocade gown and a gold turban and, as she stood at over 180 centimetres tall, you couldn’t miss either) published The English Eccentrics in 1933, a compendium of “weird and wonderful men and women”. She also grew up in a home one might describe as eccentric. A sign at its entrance, put up by her father, requested: “I must ask anyone entering the house never to contradict me or differ from me in any way, as it interferes with the functioning of the gastric juices and prevents my sleeping at night.”

English Eccentrics and Eccentricities, by John Timbs, was published earlier still, in 1866. The compendium of quirky natives dates back to the 1700s. And last year, Great British Eccentrics by SD Tucker (Amberley Publishing) came out.

In 2008, the late Christopher Hitchens wrote a wonderful piece on British eccentricity in Vanity Fair, in which he explained why his homeland “often seems like one big Monty Python skit”. A tricky piece to edit down, one imagines, since British history is littered with Brits behaving madly.

Houzz Tour: A Medieval Palace Gets an Art Deco Update

Aristocratic socialites, Stephen and Virginia Courtauld, pictured here, were the aristocratic owners and renovators of Eltham Palace, just outside London, in the 1930s. Part of the cutting-edge Art Deco interior they created for their home, dubbed ‘The Party Palace’, was a furnished bedroom for their pet, a ring-tailed lemur called Mah-Jongg.

About a century earlier, fellow aristo, Jack Mytton, who fed his 1,000 dogs on steak and champagne and dressed his 60 cats in full livery, hosted a dinner party while riding his pet bear, Nell (much to the fear of guests and, eventually, the bear, who relieved Mytton of part of his leg during the stunt). Another 19th century member of the gentry, William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, the fifth duke of Portland, built underground apartments and 15 miles of tunnels under his North Nottinghamshire home, Welbeck Abbey, in order that he didn’t ever have to see anybody in person except his valet.

Take a tour of Eltham Palace

Image: © Historic England Bridgeman Images.

Chris Snook

Britain’s eccentrics are not just historical aristocrats. Byam Shaw’s book is packed with contemporary examples of eccentric British homes, from the Essex house where every wall is plastered with vintage political paraphernalia and whose home office Byam Shaw describes as “virtually a shrine to Hillary Clinton”, to the Suffolk cottage where antique toys teeter on every multi-coloured surface and the country kitchen dresser is painted with rainbow stripes.

And on Houzz, there are plenty of examples of this gloriously British approach to decor – such as the flat, pictured above, transformed into a gothic mansion with dark walls, purple carpet, faux croc skin wallpaper and eye-catching accessories including a full-size camouflage-painted suit of armour.

Chris Snook

Another memorable example is the 300-year-old rural Cotswolds property, above, that houses one of its owners’ beloved collection of dinosaur objects.

Take a tour of this personality-filled home

Amelia Hallsworth Photography

And, rather than filling a large blank wall in his living room with statement art, Tom Chalet, the owner of this eccentrically decorated one-bedroom east London flat, created a Barbie doll collage. Because, why not? Other decorative accessories include the giant teacup in the foreground, lots of Lego, a smattering of taxidermy and the odd train station sign. Being a collector appears to be something that many eccentric homeowners have in common.

“To me,” says Chalet, “decoration needs to be personal. I have memories attached to all of the ornaments you see here.”

See the rest of this flat

Also seen on Houzz is this Mona Lisa as Marge Simpson print, hung irreverently over a beautiful period fireplace. The interior design is the work of Lisa Mettis from London-based Born and Bred Studio. “A humorous work of art can really take the edge off a room,” Mettis says.

“In London especially, we have a unique buzz about us,” she says. “I think our style is often eccentric – it doesn’t take itself too seriously; there’s lots of personality and mixing up of eras and styles and we don’t have perhaps such a big emphasis on high-end designs – or at least we often like to mix them in with other styles, found objects and humour.”

Home Exposure

Stylist Sarah Bagner, aka Supermarket Sarah, pictured in her rented flat, can relate. Bagner’s 2012 book, WonderWalls: A Guide to Displaying Your Stuff, explores homes around the world with inventive ways of displaying unusual treasures. Her home displays classic British eccentric touches.

“I guess there is something about English eccentrics that is quite anti-design,” Bagner says. “Being British, but with Swedish parents, I think I can definitely feel the difference between Swedes and the English and think I fit somewhere between the two. Of course, I appreciate design, and this is my background, but I love the freedom that England, particularly London, gives you in terms of being who you want to be. I think the English are particularly good at not caring what other people think!”

TELL US
Who is your favourite eccentric – and do you think Brits are more eccentric than other nationalities? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

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Jen

Love all this. Just wish I was brave enough and stylish enough to pull it off like these examples. I do have only things I love around me and try not to blindly follow design fashions (copper geometric shapes for example) if I can help it.

1 Like 21 April 2016 at 11:53pm