Kristine Hughes's Blog, page 5

THE ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS CARD

From  Christmas Cards & Their Chief Designers By Gleeson White (1894) The origin of the Christmas card is, fortunately for its future historians, not lost in the mists of antiquity, that popular hiding place for all sorts of origins; but as clearly fixed as Archbishop Usher’s date of Creation – B.C. 4004 – with more trustworthy … Continue reading "THE ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTMAS CARD"

FLORIZEL AND PERDITA MET ON 3 DECEMBER, 1779

by Victoria Hinshaw George Prince of Wales was only 17 years old when he attended a performance of Florizel and Perdita, a play adapted from Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale.  In the words of actress Mary Robinson’s biographer, Hester Davenport, the Prince “was looking for a woman to worship,” perhaps HAD been looking already, when he sat … Continue reading "FLORIZEL AND PERDITA MET ON 3 DECEMBER, 1779"

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD – BUT ONLY BY WAY OF THE CORPSE ROADS

LOUISA CORNELL Anyone who knows the Brits knows at least these two things. 1. No one does ceremony as well or for as many events as them. 2. No one assigns specific places to specific events as well as they do. What else might account for the existence of specific routes known as corpse roads … Continue reading "BRING OUT YOUR DEAD – BUT ONLY BY WAY OF THE CORPSE ROADS"

HENRY CYRIL PAGET, 5TH MARQUESS OF ANGELSEY

  Called The Mad Marquess or, less frequently, the Dancing Marquess, Henry Cyril Paget, 5th Marquess of Angelsey, could not have been more different from his illustrious ancestor, Henry William Paget, the 1st Marquess, if he’d tried. Whilst the 1st Marquess lost his leg at Waterloo, the 5th lost a fortune on a lavish, over-the-top … Continue reading "HENRY CYRIL PAGET, 5TH MARQUESS OF ANGELSEY"

THE DEATH OF PRINCESS CHARLOTTE

Had she lived, Charlotte would have been Queen of the United Kingdom. Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales was the only daughter of George IV, then Prince of Wales, and his wife and first cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, who loathed one another and who separated soon after Charlotte’s birth, never to live together, nor indeed be civil … Continue reading "THE DEATH OF PRINCESS CHARLOTTE"

A Haunting We Will Go – The Grenadier Pub

Tucked away down London’s exclusive Wilton Mews, on the corner of Old Barrack Yard, the patriotic Grenadier pub is painted red, white and blue and boasts a red sentry box that serves as a nod to the property’s military history. Reputedly, the Duke of Wellington’s Grenadier Guards used it as their mess. Inside it is … Continue reading "A Haunting We Will Go – The Grenadier Pub"

Is It Haunted? Of Course It Is – It’s England!

Generally, in England Halloween is not the celebrated holiday it is here in the United States. Of course, as happens all too frequently, it has crept Across the Pond and become more Americanized, but until recently there was simply no need to celebrate things that go bump in the night on one night of the … Continue reading "Is It Haunted? Of Course It Is – It’s England!"

Notes on Regency-Era Gentlemen’s Clubs by Marilyn Clay

  Throughout my reading and re-reading of Jane Austen’s letters, I found only one notation that may, or may not, be a reference to one of the many London Gentlemen’s Clubs in existence during the Regency period. As nearly as I could determine, the sentiment was penned in August 1814 in a letter to her … Continue reading "Notes on Regency-Era Gentlemen’s Clubs by Marilyn Clay"

The Bugle Horn – A Pub Above

There’s nothing more quintessentially British than an historic pub. Pubs, or public houses, were far more than simply places to have a drink. They were the hub of a town or village, a place where residents gathered in order to share local and national news, to discuss issues particular to their community or where they … Continue reading "The Bugle Horn – A Pub Above"

HAY-ON-WYE – BOOK LOVER’S HEAVEN

  Hay-on-Wye in Wales has been called “the used bookshop capital of Wales” or “the town of books,” but whatever you choose to call it, Hay is definitely a book lovers heaven. Hay has been a settlement since 1135, but it became a mecca for used books in 1961 when bibliophile Richard Booth opened his … Continue reading "HAY-ON-WYE – BOOK LOVER’S HEAVEN"