Pauline Spender-Clay

Pauline Spender-Clay (née Astor; 24 September 1880 – 5 April 1972) was an American-English socialite known for her hospitality; her gardening, especially the cultivation of lilies; and her portrait painted by John Singer Sargent.

[citation needed] On 20 October 1904, Pauline married Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert H. Spender-Clay, wealthy heir to the Bass Brewing Company,[6] and they settled at Ford Manor, Lingfield, where they became known for hosting parties.

A son of Ettie Grenfell described Pauline as 'the most fascinating creature alive, with those sad enormous brown eyes.

[citation needed] During World War I, Pauline served as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse, and opened up Ford Manor to convalescing American soldiers, as her sister-in-law Nancy Astor was doing at Cliveden.

[1] During World War II, Ford Manor was used as a nursery school for evacuees from London, and later as a hospital for Canadian soldiers.