In April 2014 Folkington Manor staged Jessica Douglas Home's play, 'Violet', based on the life and loves of Violet Gordon Woodhouse, one of the 20th century's most fascinating women. An exotic musician of genius who first recorded the harpsichord, Violet lived in scandalous menage a cinq and her salon was a magnet to artists like Picasso, Diaghilev, the Sitwells, Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot.
Harriet Walter, who most recently appeared in Downton Abbey, played the part of Violet alongside her husband, well-known American actor Guy Paul. The harpsichord was played by the internationally renowned musician, Maggie Cole.