Upon completion of the garden tour, Marjorie Tudor safely placed us in the hands of Winslow Tudor, son of Marjorie and Seth and grandson to Tasha...The afternoon became cool and overcast, but as we stepped into Corgi Cottage the warmth and magic of this house enveloped us...
On this Autumn day the fire places were lit, carefully placed maple leaves, mums and bright orange pumpkins adorned the home...it is a wonderful New England house, a design chosen by Tasha and built by hand by Seth Tudor, Tasha's eldest son...the rooms are small with low hung ceilings, dimly lit, and as Tasha once remarked "it is like a chipmunk's nest".
Tasha's presence is keenly felt...we respectfully tour Corgi Cottage, no room is off limits...Of interest to me, Tasha's kitchen with it's old hand pump and wood burning cook stove... Tasha's famous tin kitchen sits in front of the kitchen fireplace. In the downstairs bedroom Tasha's reading glasses remain on her pillow..it is a warm and cozy room who's windows look out onto the gardens. As we ascend a very narrow stairway leading to the second floor we come to the loom room and adjoining attic bedrooms... Corgi Cottage remains as Tasha would have left it, you have the distinct feeling that she has just stepped out into her garden, perhaps to pick a bouquet of flowers for afternoon tea...Tasha was an avid collector, Corgi Cottage is filled with many beautiful items, those she collected and those passed down through her family . Tasha's art table is located in the winter kitchen by a north facing window...her paints and brushes remain...There is so much to see and take in...
Corgi Cottage remains vacant...family members tend to it's care... Winslow is slowly making headway bringing Tasha's gardens back to life...If you stop and listen carefully, the faint voices of Tasha's menagerie can be heard...her beloved Corgis, cats, parrots, finches, chickens, roosters, goats...they are all there... If you have the opportunity to take the Corgi Cottage Home and Garden tour I encourage you to do so...I have been fortunate to take the tour twice, both in the spring and fall. I so enjoyed both tours, one is not preferred over the other but simply different...Finally, the Tudor's are a very gracious family, their loss is still raw ... Tasha's presence is clearly dearly missed.
Upon return to the rookery...the three groups were reunited where we enjoyed warm mulled cider served in Tasha's blue and white Canton china cups, stuffed eggs, chicken salad sandwiches, cider donuts...No matter the weather it was a lovely and most magical way to spend a day...Thank you Tudor family...I hope to return yet again...
