Listen to the track:
đ” The Lady of Thorn (we thank you )
Mrs Sebag-Montefiore’s legacy
Verse 1
She came to Thorn in twenty-three,
A widow with a will to be.
Built up the house, tore down the dome,
Planted her roots and called it home.
Verse 2
The Jersey cows were sleek and fine,
Down by the garden’s boundary line.
A milking parlour set in stone,
And every inch she made her own.
Chorus
Raise a glass to the Lady of Thorn,
Fields she saved and land she swore.
The cliffs still stand because she cared
A legacy she boldly shared.
Verse 3
The broad-leaf trees along the lane,
The glasshouse shining after rain.
She threw her doors wide to the crowd,
With Kipling laughing long and loud.
Verse 4
But sorrow came and lingered long,
Both sons were gone before too strong.
She held her ground with fire and grace,
And kept the light in Wembury’s place.
Chorus
Raise a glass to the Lady of Thorn,
Fields she saved and land she swore.
The cliffs still stand because she cared
A legacy she boldly shared.
Bridge
She said: “This land must not be sold,
To steel or glass or plans too bold.”
She struck the deal, and gave it free
The cliffs beside the Yealm and sea.
Verse 5
The woods, the fishpond, old Barton too,
Were passed along as time came through.
She died at just a half-life done,
But look around, her work lives on.
Final Chorus
Raise a glass to the Lady of Thorn,
Fields she saved and land she swore.
The cliffs still stand because she cared
A legacy she boldly shared.
Raise a glass to the Lady of Thorn,
Who walked this land in heels, not scorn.
The coast we love, the path, the air
She’s part of all that’s living there.