(Continued...) Antony frequently quarrelled with his mother, but they made peace in 1976, a year before her death. Antony subsequently wrote a book ‘The Lives of Lee Miller’, about her. Halfway through his research, in 1984, his father died. Collecting data for the book made him discover what a truly incredible figure Miller had been in her lifetime. “I wrote a book,” he says, “and I gave myself a mother.” It is largely through his work that she has become the internationally recognised figure she is today. “It’s funny,” says Antony, as we wind up our conversation. “People know about Farley Farm’s importance all over the world. About the cultural importance of Roland and Lee. But we hardly seem to be recognised on our own doorstep.”

As part of the Chiddingly Festival Farley Farmhouse is opening its doors to the public, for 50 minute guided tours. You will be able to see the key rooms on the ground floor of the house, filled with artworks by Roland Penrose and many of the farmhouse’s famous guests and photographs by Lee Miller, David Scherman and Man Ray, as well as the sculpture-filled garden, designed by Penrose. In association with these dates Farleys Yard Trust presents the International Mini Print Exhibition in Farleys Yard Barn, featuring 600 original artists’ prints from all over the world. More on that next week. AL