A Lesson for American Tourists in London

The following account was taken from Letters on England, written by Joshua E. White (1816). The book contains a series of descriptive views of the areas he visited and his general observations. White was an American merchant who traveled to England in connection with business and left Savannah, Georgia bound for Liverpool in May of 1810. Eventually, Mr. White arrived in London, as do most visitors to England. Here is his account of his run-in with a disreputable hackney-coachman. And two prostitutes. And the law.

At Chiswick, on the bank of the Thames, I sometimes sought an asylum from the noise and confusion of London. My letters introduced me to the acquaintance of Mrs. Levett, (who resided here,) the young and beautiful widow of a gentleman who died in Georgia, in 1808. He had left his widow and two infant daughters in London; and after the melancholy tidings reached her, she sought a retreat with her respectable mother, Mrs. Wright, and her amiable sister, Miss Charlotte Wright, at the little village just mentioned. In this charming company I embraced every opportunity of spending a few hours. When tired of the noise of the city, I would visit this agreeable family, and I always met with a cordial and a kind reception. It will be for a long time to me a source of pleasure to reflect on the means which introduced me to the acquaintance of those females; and no period of my stay in England will be remembered with more fond delight than those hours I spent at Chiswick.

I cannot avoid noting an occurrence that took place after I had passed the day at Chiswick. Miss Wright had accompanied me with one of the little daughters of Mrs. Levett, up Chiswick lane into the main road from Windsor to London. Here I intended to take the first empty hackney coach I saw; but being engaged in conversation I permitted them to pass one after another, until night came, and I found myself on the high road, eight miles from my lodgings. It was very dark, but I did not apprehend any danger; for in my various walks through the city at almost all hours of the night, I was in no instance molested or insulted. I felt as much security as if I were in the midst of a hamlet. I walked on slowly, and having reached Leicester square a sudden and violent shower compelled me to increase my speed, and having reached the Strand, I saw a hackney-coach. I made a momentary stop, when I was addressed by a voice from within it, “do you want a coach?” I replied “yes;” and a man jumped from behind it, opened the door, and I took my seat.

There were two women and a young man seated in it. The former I very soon discovered to be common prostitutes, who were going to the Hay Market Theatre, and were desirous I should accompany them. I bade the coachman drive to my lodging in Aldersgate street, after he had put them down. They alighted at the Theatre, and I proceeded to the inn. Having arrived within a hundred yards of it, the coach was obliged to stop from having met with another, and there was no room to pass. I got out and proposed walking home.

Upon tendering the legal fare to the coachman, which was two shillings, he refused it, and demanded four shillings. This I positively objected to give him; and upon expostulating on the unreasonableness of his demand, he told me I “must pay for the ladies who were in the coach,” and observed one of them told him
“the gentleman in the coach will pay for us.” Irritated at this remark, and believing he intended a fraud, I determined to reject the fellow’s demand; and after again offering to pay the fare for myself, I was about to proceed on, when he stopped me. I raised my cane to strike him, but at that moment I recollected that personal revenge in this way would be immediately cognizable by the law, and prudence bade me forbear.

The noise had collected the people from the neighbourhood, and among them the constable of the ward; demanding the cause of the noise, I told him; and he advised me to make the coachman drive me to the inn door, or otherwise he would say I intended to leave him without paying his fare; when there he directed me to take the number of his coach. This advice I followed, and I related to the master of the inn the whole of the circumstances, and what I deemed an imposition. He pushed the coachman from the door, and advised me not to pay him any thing. Believing him entitled by law to two shillings, I paid him that sum.

This adventure was of service to me: first, it reminded me that I had no right to get into a coach that was previously occupied: secondly, by remaining in the coach after the other passengers were discharged, I. became liable for the whole amount of the fare: thirdly, it convinced me that the police of London is as well regulated as any city perhaps can be, which has within its limits nearly a million of people. Personal injuries dare not be inflicted with impunity; and unlike what was the state of the people in France before the late revolution, individual rights, so far at least as they regard exemption from violence and assault, are most carefully preserved and protected.

Upstairs, Downstairs a Triumph

Well, they’ve done it. They’ve brought back the beloved BBC series and managed to achieve just the right measure of nostalgia and new, delicious storylines that run both upstairs and down. I won’t give away any good bits nor run spoilers for those in the U.S. who won’t see the series until April. I must tell you, however, that Rose’s return to 165 Eaton Place is a tear-jerker thanks in parts to strains of the old theme song being played at appropriately poignant moments, whilst new grand dame Dame Eileen Atkins as Maud, Lady Holland, above, provides sly comedic overtones and spars deliciously with her daughter-in-law, Lady Agnes. UK reviewers are saying there’s too much comedy in this version, that it’s not as deep as the original, but really, they could never remake the original to anyone’s satisfaction, so why try? It’s every bit as good, IMHO, its got me hooked and how much soul searching/character development can you do in three episodes? You can read an article from the Telegraph about the new series here – it includes no spoilers. In short, the new Upstairs, Downstairs is, um, delicious and the only problem I can foresee is how they’re going to wrap everything up in three episodes. No doubt the downside to this new version is that it will leave us all wanting more. I’ve only to wait till tomorrow night for Espisode 2 and shall dutifully report on it here.

Did anyone else in the UK watch Upstairs, Downstairs tonight? Please leave your comments and let me know what you thought of it.

Heaven, I'm In Heaven . . .

We made it, we’re in London! Woo Hoo! No problems with the flight, arrived at our hotel around 11:30 a.m. and the room was ready. Unpacked and went to Victoria Station to get some money from the ATM, then on board the Hop On, Hop Off tour bus for a whirlwind trip round London. We crossed the Thames four times!? Wow, was Oxford Circus and Regent Street packed with people. Hamley’s was jammed. Harrod’s closed today – jinormous sale starts tomorrow. You can bet we won’t be there. We plan to do the alternate bus tour tomorrow, then the river cruise, then the Tower, then dinner at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, then the Ripper Walk with Donald Rumbleow. It’s cold here, but no worse than New Jersey.

Had dinner in the carvery here in the hotel – roast beef, Yorkshire pudd, gravy, veg and dessert – straight down the road to Gouts-ville, but who cares? Met a wonderful couple at the next table, got to talking about how I love UK telly, they love US telly, neither of us can access the other and so we’ve made a Devil’s Bargain to email each other links to our favorite shows. We’ll get around these restrictions or die trying. Speaking of which, Upstairs, Downstairs debuts here tonight, Antiques Roadshow is also on and they told me how to access the Royle Family Xmas special here (BBC Iplay, which you can’t access from the States, hence the Devils’ Pact). After dinner, Greg and I walked down the street to Buckingham Palace to see it lit up at night yes, Vicky, I did yell “Chuck!” even though I know he’s not there. One day . . .

There are gobs of William and Kate tat in the stores here already (yipppeee!) and I’m on the verge of tears every time I see a pub or currency exchange bureau. I know, crazy. Oh, btw, we were on the bus tour and I was telling Greg (or so I thought) about the In and Out Club in Piccadilly and the tour guide overheard me and asked, “How do you know about the In and Out Club/Melbourne House?” and so he turned off his mike and we started talking about the Melbournes and Palmerstons, about Artie’s having been at England’s first railroad fatality, about the Marble Arch, Lady Caro Lamb, etc etc etc . . . . . God, it’s good to be home. As you can see, the laptop is functioning fine, so I’ll be posting more about our trip tomorrow. Off to shower and watch Upstairs, Downstairs. I know I shouldn’t rub it in, but I promise to tell you all tomorrow. I can’t wait to see Rose . . . .

Upstairs, Downstairs – Original Cast Update

Back-stage group photo from the 50-years BAFTA celebration event from October 2007.


From left to right: Christopher Beeny (Edward), Jacqueline Tong (Daisy), Simon Williams (James), Pauline Collins (Sarah), John Alderton (Thomas), Jean Marsh (Rose/co-creator), Meg Wynn Owen (Hazel), Lesley-Anne Down (Georgina) and Jenny Tomasin (Ruby).

When the original Upstairs, Downstairs aired 40 years ago, the series about life in Edwardian England was watched avidly by 300 million viewers in 50 countries and won five Emmy Awards in the United States. With the beginning of the new series (see our previous post here) to be aired on BBC One and BBC HD on 26th, 27th and 28th December, we got to wondering about what had happened to the original cast members in the intervening years. So, as our Christmas Eve present to you, here’s what we’ve found –

David Langton – Richard Bellamy – After his success in “Upstairs, Downstairs,” Mr. Langton appeared on television as a Cabinet minister in “Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years” in 1981, as Prime Minister Lord Asquith in “Number 10” in 1983, and as Lord Mountbatten in the television film “Charles and Diana: A Royal Love Story” in 1982. Before “Upstairs, Downstairs,” the Scottish-born Mr. Langton spent most of his acting career in the theater, playing supporting roles in London’s West End, but he also did some film work. Movies in which he appeared included Richard Lester’s Beatles film, “A Hard Day’s Night,” in 1964, “The Pumpkin Eater” in 1964 and “The Whistle Blower,” with Michael Caine, in 1986. He died in 1994 at the age of 82.
Rachel Gurney – Lady Marjorie Bellamy – After the success of the first two series of Upstairs Downstairs, she decided to move on to other work. The show’s writers, who prided themselves on their inclusion of historical events in the narrative, duly wrote her out, and Lady Marjorie left for America on the maiden voyage of the Titanic.
After Upstairs Downstairs her television work continued alongside her successful stage career, which included roles in J B Priestley’s Dangerous Corner (1974) with Gerald Flood and Barbara Jefford, and Richard III (1989) in which she played the mother of Richard (Derek Jacobi). She was modest  modest to a fault – when a producer offered her a part she was inclined to shake her head sadly and murmur: “I’m not really right for it, you know. Why don’t you get Faith Brook?” Indeed she had to be persuaded to take the part of Lady Marjorie., a role which generated fan mail for Gurney until the end – she passed away in 2001 at age 81.

Hannah Gordon – Virginia Bellamy -Gordon was just 33 when she played Viscountess Virginia Bellamy, Richard’s second wife. Gordon has kept busy, with roles in television (Midsomer Murder), on the stage and she does a tremendous amount of voice work, everything from animated features such as “Watership Down” to BBC radio plays and a plethora of audiobooks. In 1983 Kordes of Germany bred a floribunda rose which they named Hannah Gordon in her honour.She also presented “Watercolour Challenge,” a daytime television programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 from 1998 until 2002. In the programme three amateur artists are given four hours to paint the same scene or landscape, often with widely different interpretations.

Simon Williams – Oh, James, James, James. We hated him, w
e felt terrible when he committed suicide. As the series heart-throb, Williams played arrogant Major James Bellamy, who was briefly sent to India after getting maid Sarah pregnant, who later married Hazel and then spent the final years of his life pining for his cousin Georgina. When the series ended, Williams went on to make a career of playing upper-class roles in many t.v. shows, including Dr. Charles Cartwright in “Don’t Wait Up” and most recently Sir Charles Merrick in “Holby City.” He also has a successful career writing thrillers and plays and is to guest on a forthcoming Season Four episode of Murdoch Mysteries, a period drama made for Canadian TV about a police detective working in Toronto at the turn of the century. In addition, once the sell-out production of Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay’s play Yes, Prime Minister ends its London run at the Gielgud Theatre on 15 January, Williams will join the cast to on a UK-wide tour as Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby, with Richard McCabe as Prime Minister Jim Hacker. Click here to read Williams’ behind-the-scenes article on making the original series and his own thoughts on James Bellamy.
Meg Wynn Owen – Hazel Bellamy. Originally Hazel Forrest and secretary to Major James Bellamy’s father Richard, she married the major after she comforted him over his mother’s death on the Titanic. Meg as since worked consistently in television and film. Recent film roles include character parts in Gosford Park, Love Actually and Pride and Prejudice. Most recently, Meg is playing the mother in the British sitcom Family Business.

Leslie-Ann Down – The undisputed beauty of the series, she played orphaned Georgina Worsley. Memorably, Miss Worsley accidentally killed a working class man after  borrowing the family car and driving down to the country while swilling champagne. The London-born star appeared in films The Pink Panther Strikes Again, A Little Night Music and Hanover Street opposite Harrison Ford and played Stephanie Rogers in Dallas in the early Nineties. Now iving in Los Angeles, she has played Jacqueline Payne Marone in the soap The Bold and the Beautiful since March 2003.

Nicola Pagett – Lady Elizabeth Kirbridge – Poor Elizabeth, she had no luck at all with men and finally moved to America to seek happiness. After leaving the series, Pagett went on to played the title role in a 1977 BBC adaptation of Anna Karenina, and she gave a memorable performance in David Nobbs’s TV series ‘A Bit of a Do’. She was in a variety of films including The Viking Queen and Oliver’s Story. Pagett also played a lead role in the 1994 to 1995 sitcom Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Nicola Pagett has suffered from manic depression, and chronicled her experiences with this in a 1998 book titled Diamonds Behind My Eyes. In 1995, while appearing in What The Butler Saw at the National Theatre, she began behaving erratically and was ultimately diagnosed as having acute manic depression. During this time she developed an obsession with Alastair Campbell, who used this obsession to distract attention from negative headlines about the New Labour Party Conference. She was later escorted from her home by four men to be confined in a closed psychiatric unit, but has since been able to control her illness with medication and self-awareness.

Gordon Jackson – Angus Hudson – The stern, bible quoting Mr. Hudson ran 165 Eaton Place with an iron hand, while at times his soft side w
as hard to conceal, as when he offered to marry Mrs. Bridges after she’d stolen a baby. Jackson was an accomplished actor who appered in several films including
“Mutiny on the Bounty”(1962), “The Great Escape”(1963), “The Ipcress File”(1965)and “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”(1969) before joining the series. Afterwards, he went in to star in the series “The Professionals.” Jackson died in 1990 at age 66. You can watch the news item about his passing here.

Angela Baddeley – Mrs. Bridges – Older sister to the actress Hermoine Baddeley, Angela made her stage debut at the age of 8 in 1912  at the Dalston Palace in London in a play called The Dawn of Happiness. She had a long career, but will always be remembered best as Mrs. Bridges, the cook at 165 Eaton Place (“Oh Ruby!”) Following the suicide of Emily, her first kitchen hand, Mrs. Bridges had a breakdown and kidnapped a child but with the help of the Bellamy’s she managed to escape punishment for it. In the series finale she married Mr Hudson after hints of a romance between the pair for years. Baddeley was set to reprise the role of Mrs Bridges in a spin-off from Upstairs, Downstairs which would have focused on Mr Hudson, Ruby and her running a boarding house by the sea. However, in February of 1976 she died in London of pneumonia at the age of 71. Her last role was on the London stage in the second cast of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. You can watch an interview with the actress here.

Jean Marsh – The co-creator of the series (with fellow actress Eileen Atkins), she played formidable parlourmaid Rose Buck. Marsh and Atkins also co-created the hit series House of Eliott. In the original series, Rose was always there as a shoulder to cry on for the rest of the staff, or as someone in whom to confide secrets, as Sarah did regarding her affair with James. Rose herself found no luck in love – her finace Gregory died on the battlefield and she lost all the money he left her in his will to James’s investments in the stock market. Since the series ended, Marsh has maintained a very busy career in the theatre and on TV- including a starring role in the US sitcom “9 to 5” (1982) and films such as “Return to Oz” (1985) and “Willow” (1988).

Marsh will again play Rose in the new version of U/D, but this time her position in the household will be housekeeper. Marsh can be seen on the left in this photo.

Christopher Beeney played Edward Barnes the footman, who later went on to marry housemaid Daisy Peel. When Edward returned from the Great War he was depicted as suffering from shell shock. Beeney was a regular on the UK’s first soap opera The Grove Family. He went on to star in the comedy In Loving Memory. In recent years has cameoed on Last of the Summer Wine.
John Alderton played Thomas Watkins the moustachioed chauffeur, a character Alderton himself described as “a conniving, thieving, chauvinistic baddie.” The series also featured his wife Pauline Collins. They went on to star together in the spin-off drama Thomas and Sarah. Before playing Watkins, he starred in the classic sitcom Please, Sir! and later appeared in the sitcom No Honestly and Wodehouse Playhouse. Alderton has also made appearances in James Herriot’s 1975 film It Shouldn’t Happen To A Vet and in the 2003 movie Calendar Girls. Most recently, Alderton  played Christopher Casby in the 2008 BBC adaptation of the Dickens classic Little Dorrit
Pauline Collins – The real life wife of John Alderton, Collins played maid Sarah Moffat, who became pregnant by Major James Bellamy before beginning a relationship with the chauffeur Thomas. Best known for Bafta-winning title role in 1989 film Shirley Valentine. After Shirley Valentine, Collins again starred alongside her husband in the popular ITV drama series Forever Green in which the couple escape the city with their children to start a new life in the country. It ran from 1989 to 1992 over 18 episodes. In 2005, she starred alongside Gillian Anderson in BBC’s version of Bleak House, playing Miss Fite.  Collins was awarded an OBE in 2001.

Jenny Tomasin played dim-witted and downtrodden scullery maid Ruby Finch, replacing Emily, a maid who committed suicide. After Upstairs, Downstairs ended, Tomasin joined the cast of Midland based soap Crossroads playing waitress Florence Baker, who was close friends with the infamous Benny Hawkins. The actress remained with the Motel soap until 1979. In the 1980s she made a memorable appearance in Doctor Who during Colin Baker’s tenure as the Doctor. Her character, Tasambeker, was exterminated by the Daleks. More recently Tomasin appeared in ITV soap Emmerdale before her character, Noreen Bell, was killed off.

You can watch most of the surviving cast members discussing the series and their roles in The Making of Upstairs, Downstairs beginning here.

Staying at the Palace – Maybe

Update 12/22 1:30 p.m. – I can’t find anything new being posted re: Heathrow on the web, nor on the t.v. news. So I’m going to go on the assumption that things are evening out, that flghts are making it in and out and that no news is good news. The news outlets apparently don’t publish stories on things getting back to normal, only on events at their worst. Using yet another cliche, while there’s good news, there’s also bad news – 20% chance of snow in London today and again on Saturday. It’s all still iffy in my mind, therefore I shall continue to pray, hope, keep my fingers crossed and sing voodoo chants while swinging a dead chicken round and round above my head. It would be much appreciated if you’d do the same.

Update 12/22 a.m. – Heathrow’s second runway is now operational. I just check the arrivals – all flights arriving from the U.S. have either landed or are expected. The only airline that consistently reads “contact carrier” is British Airways. We’re flying Continental. A ray of hope . . . . .

I wrote the post below a few weeks ago, when our trip to London looked certain. However, it’s now December 21st and I truly doubt we’ll be able to make it. We’re scheduled to fly into Heathrow. Go ahead, laugh. Done? Okay then, we’re flying to NJ on Thursday to spend Xmas with my mom and daughter and are supposed to then fly to London on Saturday night. As you may have heard, Heathrow is a refugee camp just now, flights both in and out are in the main cancelled and weekend flights look doubtful. More snow is predicted today for London. Sigh. Seeing as how Gatwick Airport is still running smoothly, I’ve been online to see if I could possibly book flights into that airport instead. The only flights from the NY metropolitan area that fly into Gatwick are connecting flights, with the least airtime being 11 hours. Sigh. So, I’m going to go to NJ and can only play it by ear from then on, checking with the airline and hoping (against hope) that we can make it out. If so, it looks as though it will truly be a Christmas miracle. Keep your fingers crossed for us, say a prayer and read the post below in the hopes that we actually see London.

Keeping my fingers crossed that neither snow or terrorists prevent our landing, my husband, Greg, and I fly out on the night of the 25th to London and will be staying at the Rubens at the Palace Hotel, whose entrance directly faces the gates to the Royal Mews. I suppose staying at a hotel within spitting distance of the palace has a certain cache, but in earlier times the area was not one to boast about.

We find the following overview of the area in London Illustrated with Bird’s Eye Views of the Principal Streets: “In Buckingham Palace Road we are in Pimlico, once noted for its Gardens for public entertainment, of which the chief was known as ‘ Jenny’s Whim.’ The District Post-office, and Buckingham Palace Hotel, one of the largest hotels in London, face the garden wall of Buckingham Palace. Farther west Arabella Bow turns off a little to the north, and the road is continued past Grosvenor Place to Hyde Park Corner. If, however, we pursue our way through Buckingham Palace Road but a little farther, we shall cross a main thoroughfare, the left or eastern side of which almost immediately becomes Victoria Street, Westminster—a, modern street of mansions divided into suites of chambers or flats, which has been recently constructed upon the site of Old Tothill Fields. The Tothill Fields Prison, built in 1834 upon the site of a Bridewell, said to have been erected in 1618, was demolished in 1884. It was of late used for women exclusively.”

The Library Restaurant

The Rubens Hotel was purpose built in 1911/12 to house debutantes making their first court appearances at Buckingham Palace and in 1985, thirteen people were arrested in connection with a suspected IRA mainland bombing campaign uncovered by police when a bomb was discovered in the Rubens Hotel, where civil dignitaries and mayors were expected to stay for three Buckingham Palace garden parties.

I’ve stayed at the Rubens before, when I was acting as tour guide during a Novel Explorations Tour. It’s marvelously English – uniformed male staff complete with top hats and gloves, a tuxedo clad pianist in the lounge in the evenings, afternoon teas and beef carved to order. Did I mention the full English breakfasts? And just a few streets away is Eaton Place, where Upstairs, Downstairs was set. You can bet I’ll be taking a stroll over there in order to take a snap for a future blog. Lucky for me, the new Upstairs, Downstairs series will be airing in the UK whilst I’m there and I’m hoping to be able to see at least one episode without having to wait until April, when it’s set to air in the States.

I’ll also be looking for fabulous prizes for future contests on this blog. And I’ll be showing my husband England – he’s never been, whilst I’ve been twice since meeting him four years ago. I’m a tad nervous, as it’s important that he comes to love London, and England, as much as I do. He’s already seriously agreed that we’ll get a place across the pond one day. He is not interested in British history at all. The only thing he knows about the Duke of Wellington is that he has to walk past his portraits a few times a day. He does like watching Foyle’s War, so perhaps there’s hope. And there’s the fact that my daughter, Brooke, who is also not into history, loves London. And England in general.

So I plan on doing all the rounds of tourist attractions with Greg – the Hop On, Hop Off double decker bus tour, the Tower, Madame Tussaud’s, Horse Guards to see the Guards mount up for the changing, Ronnie Scott’s jazz club, etc., etc. I’ve also got a few London Walks on the agenda (if it’s not absolutely freezing), as well as day trips to Bath and Leeds Castle. I mean, everyone’s got to see a real castle when in England, no? Of course, all of some of these outdoor plans may change depending on the weather and the threat of frostbite. There are a few things on the itinerary for me – Cecil Court, Hatchard’s, the antiques market at St. James’s Churchyard on the Tuesday, the Thomas Lawrence exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery and . . . . Apsley House, my place of pilgrimage whenever in London. Brooke actually groaned when I told her I was going to take Greg there, “You’re kidding me, right?” Wrong. Oh, and I suppose I’ll point out to Greg the spot where Brooke is going to scatter our ashes after he and I turn up our toes. I’m confident they will be scattered there because I’m leaving Brooke money
in my will in order to travel to London specifically for that purpose. And Brooke will do almost anything for a trip to London.

We fly out to New Jersey on the 23rd in order to spend Xmas with Brooke and my Mom, then Greg and I fly to London on the night of the 25th. With snow predicted for London at Xmas, I’m packing my warmest clothes and I’ll be bringing my laptop and hope to be able to log on from time to time during our visit – stay tuned for a few “blog postcards” in the near future.