Grayson Perry got the chance to enjoy—and share—the fruits of his labours when he and his wife Philippa and daughter Flo were able to spend last weekend in Julie’s House before his memorial to the “fictional Essex everywoman” is block-rented to the winners of a heavily-subscribed ballot mounted by Living Architecture, Alain De Botton’s high-end holiday rental company that commissioned the house in the first place. To celebrate this interlude chez Julie, the Perrys hosted a Sunday tea for family, friends and those who had been closely involved in the project at his magnificent gesamtkunstwerk overlooking the River Stour Estuary at Wrabness.
The sun shone, spirits were high and it was a huge treat to guzzle Mrs P’s gluten-free lemon drizzle cake whilst inspecting the wonderfully detailed temple-cum-chalet designed by Perry in close collaboration with fellow Essex boy, Charles Holland of FAT Architecture, and bedecked with custom-made GP artworks all paying homage to the life and times of the late Julie, who met her untimely end in 2014 under the wheels of a delivery bike. These include three magisterial pots, a giant sculpture of Julie, a succession of huge tapestries (including a particularly imposing one of Julie and her second husband Rob, which disconcertingly covers an entire wall of one of the two small bedrooms) and the actual Honda C90 delivery scooter that brought about Julie’s demise which acts as an unorthodox chandelier, suspended from the ceiling of the chapel-like sitting room with its headlamps and sidelights gleaming.
Lucky tenants can also listen to Julie’s personal record collection—Elton John and Jethro Tull feature heavily—and read her favourite books. (But light-fingered future tenants take note: all works are securely bolted in place and discretely guarded by security cameras.) All in all, it was a grand day out.