Fairfield House
Memories of Fairfield
Haile Selassie I wrote of the time at Fairfield in the second volume of his autobiography, My Life and Ethiopia's Progress. Here is an extract:
"Many people used to visit Us at Our home called Fairfield. The house had many rooms and was chilly. The view through its front windows always reminded Us of the hills of Harer. We never went to the theater or any other place of entertainment. Our only recreation was the time We spent chatting with Our children. We stayed awake late in the night reading books and writing the history of Our life. The books We read mostly included diplomatic histories and the biographies of patriotic leaders such as Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln and... [works] about the Christian church.
Our life in Bath was very hard. We had financial problems.
"Many people used to visit Us at Our home called Fairfield. The house had many rooms and was chilly. The view through its front windows always reminded Us of the hills of Harer. We never went to the theater or any other place of entertainment. Our only recreation was the time We spent chatting with Our children. We stayed awake late in the night reading books and writing the history of Our life. The books We read mostly included diplomatic histories and the biographies of patriotic leaders such as Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln and... [works] about the Christian church.
Our life in Bath was very hard. We had financial problems.
The media had reported that We had taken enough money when We left Our country, but it was completely untrue. The fact that We were in serious financial trouble in those days was an obvious fact. Hoping that We would soon return to Our country with the help of the League of Nations, We took an amount We thought was sufficient for a certain period of time, and even that was soon finished as We used it to help the exiles.
When We were in Addis Abeba, We had the practice of rising early in the morning at 5:00 A. M. to go to church for prayer. Since there was no Orthodox Church or chapel at Fairfield, where We could go and pray to God, the practice was discontinued, although in a time of stress, We should have strengthened Our habit of prayer ... Accordingly, the monks sent to Us from Jerusalem, Abba Gebre Iyesus, Abba Gebre Mariam, Abba Haile Bruke and Abba Marcos [Agazh Yellew], arrived in Bath on Miazia 21 [April 28], with the Tabot of the Saviour of the World. The tabot was taken to the prepared gallery on Sunday, Miazia 24 [May 1], and it was consecrated on Easter day according to Our country's customs. From that time on, We practiced Our church's rituals... in accordance with Our Tradition."
When We were in Addis Abeba, We had the practice of rising early in the morning at 5:00 A. M. to go to church for prayer. Since there was no Orthodox Church or chapel at Fairfield, where We could go and pray to God, the practice was discontinued, although in a time of stress, We should have strengthened Our habit of prayer ... Accordingly, the monks sent to Us from Jerusalem, Abba Gebre Iyesus, Abba Gebre Mariam, Abba Haile Bruke and Abba Marcos [Agazh Yellew], arrived in Bath on Miazia 21 [April 28], with the Tabot of the Saviour of the World. The tabot was taken to the prepared gallery on Sunday, Miazia 24 [May 1], and it was consecrated on Easter day according to Our country's customs. From that time on, We practiced Our church's rituals... in accordance with Our Tradition."
Here are some memories of life at Fairfield shared by Bath residents in Dr Shawn Sober's Footsteps of the Emperor: