Happy Valley set
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 Nyeri
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| Nyeri, Kenya in the Central Province was the center of the Happy Valley set (click to enlarge map) |
The Happy Valley set was a group of privileged British colonials living in the Happy Valley region of the Wanjohi Valley, [1] near the Aberdare mountain range, in the colonies of Kenya and Uganda during the 1920s - 1940s. The elite social group became notorious for stories of drug use and promiscuous sexual encounters. The elite antics of the Happy Valley set were highlighted in books and films such as White Mischief and The Happy Valley. The Wanjohi Valley is near Aberdare National Park,[1] east of the Great Rift Valley.[1]
The area around Naivasha, Kenya was one of the first to be settled by white people and one of the hunting grounds of the hedonistic Happy Valley set. [2] In fact Delamere Estates, originally owned by the eccentric Lord Delamere, surrounds the town.[2]
Some members of the Happy Valley set lived in Gilgil, Kenya, just north of Lake Naivasha.
The colonial town of Nyeri, Kenya, to the east of the Aberdare Range, was the center of Happy Valley settlers, [3] the group of British aristocrats and adventurers who later became infamous for decadent lifestyles and exploits in the 1930s and 1940s. The town has had the atmosphere of a sleepy English village, an impression fostered by the cool air and morning mists.[3]
Outside of Nyeri is the Outspan Hotel, a colonial landmark which became a place of pilgrimage for the World's scouts.[3] A small cottage on the hotel grounds was the final home of Baden-Powell and his wife, founder of the scouting movement, and he is buried outside Nyeri. The cottage has a small museum dedicated to Baden-Powell's life and memory.[3]
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[edit] Notables
Among the members of the Happy Valley set were: [4]
- Sir Jock Delves Broughton, Bt.;
- The Earl of Erroll;
- Alice de Janzé - cousin of J. Ogden Armour;
- Frederic de Janzé - husband of Alice de Janzé;
- Diana Caldwell, Lady Broughton;
- Hugh Dickenson;
- Jack Soames;
- Nina Soames;
- John Carberry, Baron Carberry - perhaps most wealthy of the group, owner of Seremai estate in Kenya;[4]
- Lady June Carberry, Baroness Carberry - wife of Baron Carberry;[4]
- Juanita Carberry - daughter of John Carberry, co-author of Child of the Happy Valley;[4]
- Hugh Cholmondeley, 4th Baron Delamere - Lord Delamere, who owned Delamere Estates surrounding Naivasha;
- Dickie Pembroke;
- Kiki Preston - American socialite; and
- Julian Lezzard.
Author Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) had also been a friend of Josslyn Hay.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c "Around the Aberdares - Home with Hostelbookers" (Aberdare Range), Rough Guides Ltd., Hostelbookers.com, 2006, webpage: HBookers-Kenya-Aberdares.
- ^ a b "Naivasha, Kenya" (tourist information), go2africa.com, 2006, webpage: Go2Africa-Naivasha.
- ^ a b c d "Cultural Safari" (concerning Aberdare & Happy Valley settlers), MagicalKenya.com, webpage: MK.
- ^ a b c d "Corpun - Book Reviews Page 4" (description), "CHILD OF THE HAPPY VALLEY: A Memoir" (memoir), CorPun, Colin Farrell, January 2004, webpage: CP-Carberry.
[edit] References
- Child of the Happy Valley: A Memoir (memoir), by Juanita Carberry with Nicola Tyrer, London, 193 pages, ISBN 0434007293.
