Kristine Hughes's Blog, page 37

THE 2017 COUNTRY HOUSE TOUR: ACT TWO

Number One London’s 2017 Country House Tour included visits to nine country houses, beginning with Wentworth Woodhouse, followed by Kedleston Hall, one of Britain’s finest houses. The estate of the Curzon family since the 12th century, the present hall was built in the mid-18th century. The original architects, James Paine and Matthew Brettingham, laid out … Continue reading "THE 2017 COUNTRY HOUSE TOUR: ACT TWO"

THE 2017 COUNTRY HOUSE TOUR: IMMERSED IN DELIGHT

by Victoria Hinshaw This is how I felt for almost the entire 2017 Number One London Country House Tour. I love visiting English Stately Homes and this Tour offered a stellar variety of periods, architectural styles, and decorative arts. Plus, our group was remarkably compatible and full of historical curiosity. We had great food, accommodating … Continue reading "THE 2017 COUNTRY HOUSE TOUR: IMMERSED IN DELIGHT"

THE DARKER SIDE OF 19TH CENTURY LONDON – THE GREAT STINK

by Kristine Hughes Patrone If you’d been watching Season 2, Episode 4 of the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria, you would have seen Prince Albert addressing the problem of the outdated, and stinking, drains at Buckingham Palace. In reality, the problem of outdated and overburdened drains extended far beyond the Palace and permeated through the entire city … Continue reading "THE DARKER SIDE OF 19TH CENTURY LONDON – THE GREAT STINK"

MR. JONES, I BELIEVE?

George Jones was a Keeper of the Royal Academy and a British painter who specialized in military subjects, himself having been a military man who served with the army of occupation in Paris after the Battle of Waterloo. Afterwards, Jones went on to exhibit five paintings of the Battle at the Royal Academy and six … Continue reading "MR. JONES, I BELIEVE?"

BOXED IN AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL

by Kristine Hughes Patrone   “Opposite the Albert Memorial is the Royal Albert Hall, an immense oval brick building in Italian renaissance style, ornamented with a terra cotta frieze, executed by Minton & Co., and designed by eminent English artists. The exterior measurement of the Hall is 272 by 238 ft, and the interior 219 ft by 185 ft.  The total cost of the building was £200,000, of … Continue reading "BOXED IN AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL"

BONING WELLINGTON BOOTS

  The Duke of Wellington was 75 when the image above was taken in 1844 by Antoine Claudet, court photographer to Queen Victoria and Emperor Napoleon III. By this time, the Duke’s lumbago, which he had periodically suffered from for decades, was a constant bane, as was the rheumatism in his neck, which caused him … Continue reading "BONING WELLINGTON BOOTS"

LOST COUNTRY HOUSES

If you’re a regular visitor to this blog, you’ll know that I spend an inordinate amount of time researching anything and everything to do with the Duke of Wellington. Often, this research leads me down unexpected paths, as happened when I found myself stumbling upon Lady Nunburnholme and her home, Warter Hall, on the Lost … Continue reading "LOST COUNTRY HOUSES"

THE VERY PINEAPPLE OF POLITENESS

This is an oil painting of a pineapple grown in Sir Matthew Decker’s garden in Richmond, Surrey. The painting by Theodorus Netscher, made in 1720, is a celebration of the successful cultivation in England of a pineapple plant that actually produced fruit. During the 18th century, a pineapple cost the equivalent of £5,000 today. They … Continue reading "THE VERY PINEAPPLE OF POLITENESS"

THE LONDON POST OFFICE 1850 – Part Three

In this series, we turn to the words of Mr. Charles Dickens which appeared in the March 30, 1850 edition of the publication he edited, Household Words. The following article is chock full of details about how the Post Office operated in Victorian London and also about the mail and other items it processed on … Continue reading "THE LONDON POST OFFICE 1850 – Part Three"

THE LONDON POST OFFICE 1850 – Part Two

In this series, we turn to the words of Mr. Charles Dickens which appeared in the March 30, 1850 edition of the publication he edited, Household Words. The following article is chock full of details about how the Post Office operated in Victorian London and also about the mail and other items it processed on … Continue reading "THE LONDON POST OFFICE 1850 – Part Two"