History of The Property
Julia Margaret Cameron bought two adjacent cottages in Freshwater Bay from a local fisherman called Jacob Long in 1860. In order to make the house look more beautiful to her friends returning from the beach, they were linked by a central tower in the Gothic style current at the time. The structure dominates the skyline from Freshwater Bay and gives a focus to the surrounding area.
The lodge took its name from the family's coffee (later tea) plantation in Dimbula, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
Dimbola Lodge served as both her home and her studio. It was here that the greatest of Julia Margaret Cameron's photographs were made.
After the Camerons returned to Ceylon the property was again divided into two parts. These were later renamed Dimbola, which became a private residence and holiday flats, and Cameron House which eventually became unoccupied and under the threat of demolition by developers. The Julia Margaret Cameron Trust acquired both properties in 1993 and it is now open to the public as a photographic museum and exhibition space.
In 2006, a statue tribute to Jimi Hendrix was erected here, looking out towards Afton Down from the site of Dimbola Lodge.
Read more about this topic: Dimbola Lodge
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