Of All Faiths & None
by Andrew Tweeddale
"Of All Faiths & None is a stunning tale of faith, duty, and the brutality of war." Reedsy - Issue #183 – September 16, 2022
"the imagery displayed within these pages, the emersion that you find yourself in, and the exquisite pain of hopelessness and longing that you feel; this book will have you crying, laughing, and valuing the world you have now." Jacquelynn Kennedy - Reedsy Discovery
"I recommend this impassioned historical romance novel for the author’s ability to highlight the tragedies of war... [it] is perfect for fans of historical fiction." Literary Titan
Links to Purchase:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/of-all-faiths-and-none/andrew-tweeddale/9781739612207
https://www.amazon.com/All-Faiths-None-Andrew-Tweeddale-ebook/dp/B0B7X4XV7N
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/of-all-faiths-none-andrew-tweeddale/1141953407
https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Of-All-Faiths--None-by-Andrew-Tweeddale/9781739612207
Precis
Of All Faiths & None begins in 1910 as the famous architect, Edwin Lutyens, receives a letter from Sir Julius Drewe for the commission of a castle on Dartmoor – Castle Drogo. The design of the castle marks a departure in style for Lutyens and represents Britain in a state of flux. Edwin Lutyens’ fourteen-year-old daughter, Celia Lutyens, is enamoured with the project, romantically dreaming of heroes and of living in a castle. Sir Julius, a vain, self-made millionaire, sees the castle as an enduring legacy for his sons, Adrian, Christian and Basil.
Of All Faiths & None is at its heart a romance telling two love stories in parallel. The first story revolves around Christian Drewe, Rose Braithwaite, a nurse, and Peter Hall, an engineer who worked on Castle Drogo but was dismissed by Sir Julius Drewe. It starts in 1914 when Christian Drewe returns from Austria where he has been working as an artist and meets Rose Braithwaite. The second story arches across the whole of the novel and is between Celia Lutyens and Adrian Drewe. It commences with a young girl's infatuation that over the next six years develops into a much deeper love of equals.
Against the backdrop of an unrelenting war the relationships between the characters develop and are then shattered.
About the Real Characters and Castle Drogo
Of All Faiths & None is an historical fiction / romance novel. It is set between 1910 and 1917. While many of the characters in the novel are wholly fictitious there are some that are based on real people. However, the story that is told is one of fiction and a creation of the author. In the section below I have included photographs of actual people who appear as characters in the book and a short accompanying narrative.
Castle Drogo
Castle Drogo was commissioned in 1910 and construction started in 1911. In the novel, Lutyens invites Sir Julius Drewe to view a mock-up of the castle. This was something that occurred and the photograph shows the mock-up of the barbican and the outer walls, which were later omitted, as well as the castle.
The castle was finally completed in 1930 and was about one-third of Lutyens' original design. It has been described as "one of his [Lutyens] finest buildings." After Sir Julius' death on 10 November 1931, his wife Frances and Basil Drewe continued to live in Castle Drogo. During World War II part of the castle was occupied by "The Waifs and Strays Society". There were probably about 30 - 50 children living at the castle at any one time, looked after by a Matron who was a trained nurse. Castle Drogo was finally given to the National Trust in 1974 by Anthony Drewe, Basil Drewe's son, and Dr Christopher Drewe, Basil's grandson.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti was born on 11 May 1895 and died on 17 February 1986. He was a philosopher, speaker and writer. He was born in South India and his father obtained a job in the Theosophical Society where he was taken to live. The Theosophical Society, believed that he would become a 'vehicle' for the World Teacher and it was claimed that he had a perfect aura. He was looked after by Lady Emily Lutyens when he came to London to be educated. In later life he disavowed the idea that he would become the World Teacher and gave back the money that had been donated.
Krishnamurti once said: “You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.”
Edwin Landseer Lutyens
It was said about Edwin Lutyens that: "Never since the days of Sheridan and Goldsmith has a man of genius been so widely beloved… Lutyens possessed the faculty of making everybody feel much younger. He adopted an identical attitude of bubbling friendliness whether he was talking to a Queen Dowager or a cigarette girl, a Cardinal or a schoolboy." The correspondence between Edwin Lutyens and his wife is a full of warmth and wit and in Of All Faiths & None I wanted to recreate that feeling with anecdotes and stories.
Adrian Drewe
Towards the end of the war, at 6am on the 12th July 1917, Major Adrian Drewe was killed at Vlamertinghe near Ypres. He was 26 years old. In Of All Faiths & None Adrian does not have a sister but only two brothers. He did in fact have two sisters, Mary and Frances. Mary wrote: "…after my brother’s Adrian’s death…the joy of life went out of life as far as my father and mother were concerned and things were very much quieter".
Adrian's mother, Lady Frances Drewe, created a memorial room at Wadhurst Hall for her son. When the family moved to Castle Drogo in 1930, Lady Frances recreated the memorial room. The room contains some of Adrian's personal possessions, school photographs and college trophies along with a portrait showing him in military uniform and a bronze figure of Winged Victory.
Sir Julius Drewe
The real Sir Julius Charles Hendicott Drewe appears from anecdotal evidence to have been a much nicer character than that portrayed in the novel. He was the son of an evangelical clergyman. At Wadhurst Hall, Sir Julius taught Sunday-school to the senior boys. In 1931 he died and was buried in the churchyard at Drewsteignton. There is a simple but modern looking memorial that is dedicated to him,which was designed by Edwin Lutyens.
Lady Emily Lutyens
Lady Emily Lutyens had numerous causes. These included the state regulation of prostitution. She was also a visitor to the local lock hospital (a hospital for the transmission of sexual diseases), a member of the Moral Education League, and a supporter of women's suffrage. From 1910 she became an obsessive follower of theosophy and a believer that Krishnamurti would become the World Teacher. She was also an vegetarian and her granddaughter remembered: "Never a meat-eater, Emily became a doctrinaire vegetarian, subsisting on nut cutlets disguised as lamb with a piece of macaroni wrapped in a paper frill instead of a bone".
In later life Emily Lutyens became a prolific writer, publishing numerous books.
See the blog for other information about Lady Emily Lutyens
Barbara Lutyens
Miss Barbara Lutyens, known as Barbie, was the eldest daughter of Edwin and Emily Lutyens. She was married to Captain David Euan Wallace. The photograph was taken while she was working as a nurse at Lady Lytton's war hospital in 1918. In Of All Faiths & None neither Barbara nor her sister Ursula appear but are instead replaced by the wholly fictitious character of Celia Lutyens.
Basil Drewe O.B.E., M.C., Q.C.
Basil Drewe was in real life the second son of Sir Julius and Lady Drewe. He therefore succeeded to Castle Drogo on the death of Sir Julius. Basil served as a Wing-Commander, R.A.F. 1939-45. He received an O.B.E. in 1943.
Basil studied jurisprudence at Christ Church, Oxford and was called to the bar in 1917. He became Kings Counsel in 1945. Basil had a brilliant career as an intellectual property lawyer. He was Master of the Bench of Inner Temple in 1952. Basil died on 9 June 1974. In Of All Faiths & None Basil is the third child and younger than the real Basil Drewe. The events that occur to him in the novel are wholly fictitious.
Lady Frances Drewe
Lady Frances Drewe was born in 1871 and died in 1954. She had five children: Adrian, Basil, Cedric, Mary and Frances. Her grandchildren called her 'Ama'. The Castle Drogo, National Trust Facebook page contains a beautiful picture of Lady Frances with her husband, her four children and grandchildren - sadly by this time Adrian had been killed in the war.
Gertrude Jekyll
Gertrude Jekyll was the grand dame of English horticulturalists. She was born in 1843 and died in 1932. She was affectionately referred to as 'Bumps' by Edwin Lutyens 'the mother of all bulbs'.
Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens met by chance in 1889 following an introduction by Harry Mangles, for whom Lutyens had designed a cottage. This resulted in a close cooperation between Lutyens and Jekyll for many years. The two led the Arts and Crafts Movement and the style that they created is still admired 100 years on. One of Lutyens earliest commissions was the design of Munstead Wood, Gertrude Jekyll's own home, which features in the novel.
Of All Faiths & None
An Award Winning Novel
Of All Faiths & None has been submitted for numerous awards and prizes and has won the following Awards
The Outstanding Creator Award
The Outstanding Creator Awards are given to new pieces of writing that show outstanding talent. 'Of All Faiths & None' won in the categories of Historical Fiction, Romance, and Military Fiction and earned a 3rd place in the overall category of Fiction
Literary Titan Silver Book Award
In October 2022 'Of All Faiths & None' received a Silver Book Award from Literary Titan.
The Literary Titan Silver Award is "bestowed on books that expertly deliver complex and thought-provoking concepts. The ease with which ideas are conveyed is a reflection of the author’s talent in exercising fluent, powerful, and appropriate language."
Paris Book Festival
in September 2022 'Of All Faiths & None' received an honourable mention at the 2022 Paris Book Festival and has been listed on the Table of Honor; a new book marketing portal spotlighting the best of international book festivals.
Table of Honor (thetableofhonor.com)
Impact Book Award
In October 2022 'Of All Faiths & None' won the Historical Fiction category of the Impact Book Awards.
Credits
Photograph of Barbara Lutyens
Copyright: Copyright (c) Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10731692
Photograph of Basil Drewe
Courtesy of Bellido & Bently (eds), Intellectual Property- Oral History Project (www.iporalhistory.co.uk).
Photograph of Edwin Lutyens Photo © National Portrait Gallery and the painting of Gertrude Jekyll. Licenced under Creative Commons Licence CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Unported). - Sir William Nicholson 'Gertrude Jekyll' 1920. Photo © National Portrait Gallery https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp02411/gertrude-jekyll
Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery