The House That Berry Built
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Founder | Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer) |
| Products | Book |
The House That Berry Built is a 1945 comedic semi-autobiographical novel authored by English writer Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), featuring his well-known 'Berry' characters. The story fictionalizes the process of building the author's residence Cockade located in Eaux-Bonnes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France.
Plot
In 1937, Berry and his companions, unable to sustain their aristocratic way of life in England, decide to hand over their ancestral Hampshire estate, White Ladies, to the government for use by the Foreign Secretary. Yearning for the lost era of social gatherings and refined leisure, they relocate to Pau in southern France, where they enjoy picnics on the slopes of the Ossau Valley. Opting to settle nearby, they purchase land situated between the thermal spa town of Lally and the village of Besse and construct a large house named Gracedieu.
Although a minor subplot involving a family murder inquiry is woven into the narrative, the main focus remains on the building of Gracedieu, exploring financial aspects, construction hazards, challenges posed by mountain weather, and negotiations with the local builder.
In an earlier work, Adèle and Co. (1931), Jill was depicted as married to Piers, Duke of Padua, with twins. Here, she calmly reveals that "It was awful... when Piers and my babies were killed. They went down in a plane together."[1] With Boy's former wife Adèle having permanently returned to America,[2] Boy and Jill are free to develop a romantic relationship and marry near the conclusion of the novel.
Once the extended family moves into their finished home, escalating tensions preceding World War II make it evident that they cannot stay.
A subsequent memoir, As Berry and I Were Saying, narrates Berry and Co's postwar effort to return to Gracedieu, describing how after "eight soul-searing months," they found remaining in France untenable.
Background
The novel draws heavily from the real-life construction of Cockade, Mercer's own six-bedroom house completed in 1939 near Eaux-Bonnes, south of Pau. Named after its distinctive hilltop projection resembling a hackle on a hat, this property reflected Mercer's personal and artistic dedication.
Mercer and his wife briefly enjoyed their new home until World War II compelled them to leave abruptly in 1940. Their escape route took them through Franco's Spain to Portugal, followed by passage to South Africa. After the war ended, they returned momentarily but soon settled permanently elsewhere, building Sacradown in Umtali, Southern Rhodesia, completed in 1948.[3]
Critical reception
AJ Smithers' 1982 biography considers The House That Berry Built as exemplifying Dornford Yates at his most creative and articulate phase.