Art historian and lecturer Barry Herbert’s interest in the Bloomsbury group of writers, artists and intellectuals began while he was studying at Leeds University.

It was there that he was taught by Professor Quentin Bell, son of artist Vanessa Bell and nephew of writer Virginia Woolf.

They were central figures in the Bloomsbury group, which was most active between the two world wars and also included essayist Lytton Strachey, economist John Maynard Keynes, and artist and critic Roger Fry.

Next week Mr Herbert will talk to Radlett Art Society about Charleston, the farmhouse in East Sussex bought by Vanessa Bell in 1916, and where she lived with her children and her lover, painter Duncan Grant.

The house became an outpost of the Bloomsbury scene in London, regularly hosting members of the group.

“The amazing thing about the farmhouse is the fact that they painted everything themselves — the furniture, the walls,” he says. “So in that sense it’s like a living time capsule.”

The talk will take place at The Radlett Centre, in Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, on Thursday September 11, at 7.30pm for an 8pm start.

Entry is free for members, or £4 for non-members. For more information call 01923 854567.

Charleston is open to visitors — for more information see charleston.org.uk