Kristine Hughes's Blog, page 7

A VISIT TO NUMBER ONE LONDON (Apsley House)

  Back in 2014, Number One London Tours organized a Duke of Wellington Tour which, I’m pleased to recall, was a resounding success. Our first stop was, fittingly, Number One London, the town house of the 1st Duke of Wellington, also known as Apsley House.  We arrived before public hours in order to take a … Continue reading "A VISIT TO NUMBER ONE LONDON (Apsley House)"

HORWOOD’S MAP OF REGENCY LONDON

Do you know about Richard Horwood’s map of London? Completed in 1799, it was the most detailed map of the City to date, displaying the footprint of houses, public buildings and parks, even down to contemporary house numbers. A description of the map reads as follows – Richard Horwood’s PLAN of the Cities of LONDON and … Continue reading "HORWOOD’S MAP OF REGENCY LONDON"

QUELUZ PALACE

On a recent visit to Portugal, I visited 18th century Queluz Palace, located just outside Lisbon, as it’s on the itinerary of Number One London’s upcoming Peninsular War Tour – it’s the site of Junot’s signing the Convention of Sintra. The Palace was built as the summer retreat of Pedro of Braganza, brother of the king, … Continue reading "QUELUZ PALACE"

A STEP BACK IN TIME: INTERIORS OF THE ROYAL PAVILION AND CARLTON HOUSE

Anyone interested in Regency London will want to know about  the work of British photographer Ashley Hicks, the son of Lady Pamela Hicks and the legendary interior designer David Hicks, who was granted ten days to shoot the opulent drawing rooms, halls, and corridors of Buckingham Palace. His photos afterwards appeared in his lavish 2018 … Continue reading "A STEP BACK IN TIME: INTERIORS OF THE ROYAL PAVILION AND CARLTON HOUSE"

A Visit to Regency London

Victoria here, inviting you to come with me to Regency London! Do not forget to don your special eyeglasses, the ones that will eliminate all evidence of city development after 1820 or so, including Victorian remodeling, post-Blitz reconstruction, contemporary skyscrapers, autos and buses, and modern clothing. Substitute for horns, diesel engines and ever-present sirens the … Continue reading "A Visit to Regency London"

A FASHION FOR PORTRAITS

Victoria and I visited Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear exhibition at the V&A last year. Below, I’ve selected three of the most memorable portraits to share with you. In each, the sitters’ clothing and pose were chosen to impart a very definite statement and served to define how they would be perceived by the … Continue reading "A FASHION FOR PORTRAITS"

AH, LISBON

Vibrant, historic, unique, diverse – Lisbon. I’ve been twice in the last year, preparing for Number One London’s Peninsular War Tour in May, 2024. It’s a fabulous city, able to wow first time visitors with it’s river, hills, cobblestone streets, old town Alfama and an abundance of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. As to diversity, start … Continue reading "AH, LISBON"

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER IN REGENCY ENGLAND – Part Two

STEP ONE: BODY DISPOSAL – PART TWO Louisa Cornell This post is a continuation of the previous post on body disposal in Regency England, For perspective one might want to read through Part One of this series again. Burial Disposal Murderers likely buried their victims during the Regency for some of the same reasons murderers … Continue reading "HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER IN REGENCY ENGLAND – Part Two"

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER IN REGENCY ENGLAND – Part One

So you’ve committed a murder in Regency England. Now what? You could just leave the body there and run. But if you really want a chance at escaping the hangman’s noose you might want to dispose of the body. Let’s look at some possibilities.   STEP ONE: BODY DISPOSAL Louisa Cornell   Body disposal during … Continue reading "HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER IN REGENCY ENGLAND – Part One"

A Legacy of Needlework – Part Four – Keeping the Art Alive

Women have been turning their hands to needlework for centuries, both for pleasure and necessity. To be an accomplished needlewoman was one of the hallmarks of being a well bred lady and Englishwomen displayed their work on everything from clothing to linens to decorative objects such as rugs, firescreens and draperies. Depending on the age … Continue reading "A Legacy of Needlework – Part Four – Keeping the Art Alive"