Tours – Page 10 – Number One London

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON TOUR – VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS – PART 6

THE ROYAL PAVILION, BRIGHTON

The Brighton Pavilion was built as the Prince Regent’s seaside retreat and with it’s exotic appearance and over-the-top architecture, the fanciful structure has brought many to open-mouthed astonishment, including the Duke of Wellington. Thankfully, Princess Lieven took the time to record the Duke’s reaction to his first visit to the Prince’s pleasure palace:

Brighton, January 26, 1822

I wish you were here to laugh. You cannot imagine how astonished the Duke of Wellington is. He had not been here before, and I thoroughly enjoy noting the kind of remark and the kind of surprise that the whole household evokes in a new-comer. I do not believe that, since the days of Heliogabalus, there have been such magnificence and such luxury. There is something effeminate in it which is disgusting. One spends the evening half-lying on cushions; the lights are dazzling; there are perfumes, music, liquers – “Devil take me, I think I must have got into bad company.” You can guess who said that, and the tone in which it was said. Here is one single detail about the establishment. To light the three rooms, used when the family is alone, costs 150 guineas an evening; when the apartment is fully opened up, it is double that.

What were your impressions of the Pavilion? If you haven’t been to the Pavilion yet, or if you’d like to virtually visit once again,here are a few videos that will be of interest.

You can join Lucy Worsley on a tour of the Pavilion from the series The Regency Brand here.

Take another tour of the Pavilion, complete with historic recipes, with the Royal Upstairs Downstairs team here.

Watch a short video about George IV’s secret tunnel at the Pavilion here.

Did you know that the Pavilion’s kitchens were transformed into an operating theatre during WWI?

You can find more about the Brighton Pavilion on the website is here.

COMPLETE ITINERARY AND DETAILS FOR THE

DUKE OF WELLINGTON TOUR HERE

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON TOUR – VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS – PART FIVE

Walmer Castle, Kent

On Monday, September 8th, 2014, we will journey by private bus from London through the countryside of Kent to the coast of the British Channel at Walmer Castle.

Walmer Castle

Walmer Castle was built by Henry VIII to fortify the Kentish Coast against the invasion. The Duke lived – and died – here, his residence as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, an appointment that dates back to the 12^th century. In much more recent times, Winston Churchill was the Lord Warden; and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was Lord Warden from 1978-2002 (We’ll get to see the rose garden she planted at Walmer). Here is lovely video of the Castle and Gardens, accompanied by Bach..

In November, 1842, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, with their first two children, Vicky, the Princess Royal, and Bertie, later King Edward VII, visited Walmer Castle. One of the ladies in waiting,

Lady Lyttleton wrote of the Castle in her Correspondence:

“This is much what I expected. A Big round tower, with odd additions stuck on. Immense thick walls, and a heap of comical rooms of the odd shapes necessary as parts of a round house built close upon the shingly beach…It seems needless to go out for air, doors and windows all chatter and sing at once, and hardly keep out the dark storm of wind and rain which is howling round. All this outward rudeness mixes very oddly with the numbers of smart servants and courtly whispers and very tolerably got-up imitation of the palace mummeries we have contrived indoors…”

Lady Lyttelton by John Jackson

Lady Lyttelton (1787-1870) was the daughter of the 2nd Earl Spencer and his Countess, nee Lavinia Bingham; Lady Sarah was thus the niece of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. In 1813, Lady Sarah married William Henry Lyttelton (1782–1837) who became the 3^rd Baron Lyttleton in 1828; they had three sons and two daughters. Baron Lyttleton died in 1837, and soon afterwards, Lady Lyttleton became a lady in waiting to the new Queen Victoria.

As a brief aside, the Lyttelton family resided at 17 St. James’s Place, now part of the Stafford Hotel, which we’ll be viewing as part of the St. James’s Walking Tour we’ve scheduled during the London portion of the Tour.

Stafford Hotel, St. James’s, London

The Lyttleton, fine dining room in the Stafford

Lady Lyttleton’s further comments on Walmer Castle are included in this video, from the BBC series Royal Upstairs Downstairs. Antiques expert Tim Wonnacott and chef Rosemary Shrager visit twenty of the houses visited by Queen Victoria to see what she saw and taste what she ate. In this 29-minute episode, they are at Walmer Castle.

You can see three more posts from this blog about Walmer Castle.

Victoria visits in 2011 here.

Wellington’s life at Walmer here.

The Death of Wellington at Walmer here.

You’ll find the complete itinerary and details for

The Duke of Wellington Tour here

The Duke of Wellington Tour – Video Highlights – Part Four – St. James's Street

ST. JAMES’S STREET, LONDON

Kristine and Victoria have a very special day planned for Sunday, September 7th – a walking tour of the St. James’s area of London. Below you’ll find highlights of just a few of the places we’ll be visiting as we take a meandering walk, during which you’ll hear tales about gentlemen’s clubs and famed personalities who frequented the area. Hear tales of bawdy houses, royal chapels, and courtesans. Explore hidden alleys and tucked away streets. Discover their connections to duels, downfalls, and dandies before we quench our thirst at some of London’s most historic and atmospheric pubs. The day also includes time to stop for snacks, lunch, and a bit of shopping.

We’ll leave our hotel, the Grosvenor, at Victoria Station and walk up to Buckingham Palace

From there, we’ll take a peek into St. James’s and Green Park before turning down The Mall to pass Clarence House and take a short cut up to St. James’s Palace and St. James’s Street. Click here to watch a video of a stroll down the Street .

Arriving at St. James’s Street, we’ll steep ourselves in Georgian and Regency history as we stroll past the shopfronts of such venerable institutions as Lock’s Hatters and Berry Brothers and Rudd. We’ll pass the iconic and fabled gentlemen’s clubs – Brooks’s Club, Boodles and, of course, White’s, where we’ll stroll by the famous bow window, where Brummell held court.

At the top of the Street, we’ll arrive at Piccadilly, where we’ll have plenty of time to see the Royal Academy (formerly Burlington House) and explore Hatchard’s Bookstore (above) and Fortnum and Mason. We’ll stop for tea at Richoux Tea Rooms, a favourite haunt of Victoria and Kristine’s.

Afterwards, we’ll cross the street in order to see the Burlington Arcade, the longest covered shopping street in the world. The Burlington Arcade (above) was built from designs by Ware for Lord George Cavendish in 1815, and is ‘famous,’ as Leigh Hunt tells us, ‘for small shops and tall beadles.’ What’s a beadle, you ask? Click here to find out. For more on Piccadilly and it’s environs, see my prior post here. More soon!

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For complete itinerary and details of The Duke of Wellington Tour, click here.

The Duke of Wellington Tour – Video Highlights – Part Three

THE GRENADIER PUB, LONDON

After our visit to Horse Guards, we’ll be rounding out the day with a private dinner at The Grenadier Pub, one of London’s historic pubs. This is another stop I try to make whenever I’m in London and I’ve been there with, among others, Victoria, my daughter, Brooke, with authors Diane Gaston, Sue Ellen Welfonder, and Carrie Bebris and even by myself.

The Grenadier is a tad hard to find first time out, tucked away as it is behind Wilton Crescent on Wilton Row, or Wilton Mews, in Belgravia. You can see how it’s situated on the street at right in the photo of the Row below.

Here’s the Row on a map of London.

It’s within walking distance of Apsley House and legend has it that the Pub was used as a mess by soldiers in the Duke of Wellington’s regiment, although a pub in some form has stood on the spot since 1720.

Supposedly, there’s a blocked up entrance to a tunnel in the basement of the Pub that connects it to Apsley House. Keeping in mind that Wellington rarely fraternized with his soldiers – apart from his ADC’s and a very few fellow officers – and that Wellington regularly traveled round London on horseback, in full view of all and sundry and wasn’t the least concerned about hiding his movements – I put the story of the tunnel on the side of legend, rather than fact.

The Grenadier’s military connection is not in doubt. Until 1834, Old Barrack Yard, the remnants of which run along the side of the Grenadier Pub, once formed the access road to Knightsbridge Foot Barracks, located on the site now occupied by St. Paul’s Church, Wilton Place. When the Guards moved to their current home at Wellington Barracks in Birdcage Walk, the land was donated by the owner, the Duke of Westminster, to the Diocese of London.

Today, the Grenadier is awash in historic military decor and Napoleonic atmosphere, with much of the memorabilia focused upon Guards history.

In addition, the Wellington connection is reinforced at the Grenadier through portraits of the Duke, like the one below over the fireplace, as well as the story that the mounting block outside the side entrance of the Pub (below, left) was placed there for Wellington’s use. Which begs the question – did he use the block in order to mount his horse before riding it down the basement stairs and then home through the tunnel?

Bringing the history of the Grenadier closer to the present, legend also has it that The Grenadier was a regular haunt for Burt Bacharach in the 60’s and that he wrote the score for What’s New Pussycat when he stayed across the road in 10 Wilton Row. Madonna and Prince William are reputed to frequent the Pub, which is said to serve the best “secret recipe” Bloody Mary’s in London.

You’ll agree that The Grenadier was a “must do” for the Duke of Wellington Tour and Victoria and I look forward to the private dinner our tour group is slated to enjoy here. Not to mention the cocktails . . . . .

. . . . . . . And the ghost. The Grenadier is commonly known as one of the most haunted places in London, so I could hardly keep it a secret. The Pub is sup
posedly haunted by the ghost of a soldier who was beaten to death for cheating at cards in the Pub. If you’re interested in learning more about the haunted history of the Pub, here’s a video about it from the television series Great British Ghosts, which also happens to have some great footage of the interior of the Pub, its decor and atmosphere. Not mention the cellars.

Personally, I’ve never seen a ghost inside the Grenadier. Rather, I saw them (yes, plural) around the corner in Old Barrack Yard, above. You can read all about my ghostly encounter in a prior post here.

Oh, one more thing . . . . . . . I should mention that ghost sightings are most frequent in the month of September.

COMPLETE ITINERARY AND DETAILS FOR

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON TOUR IN SEPTEMBER 2014

CAN BE FOUND HERE.

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The Duke of Wellington Tour – Video Highlights – Part Two

Part Two of our video tour of the sites we’ll be visiting during The Duke of Wellington Tour in September continues with more on our London stops. We hope you will sign up and come along to share our adventures. After leaving the Tower of London, its on to the Horse Guards and the Household Cavalry Museum.

From the Household Cavalry website:

Perhaps Horse Guards most illustrious tenant, the great Duke of Wellington, the Victor of Waterloo, had two stints at Horse Guards as Commander in Chief, a year from 1827-28 and the last ten years of his life from 1842. His office, formerly the Court Martial Room, is now the office of the Major-General Commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District. A print shows Wellington receiving visitors at the very same desk which is still in use today, and the decor of the room unchanged. The Duke also had quarters at Horse Guards and what is now an office was once his bedroom with the bed situated under the arch. He had an ensuite closet and a private stairway to the stables below, now blocked off, its entrance used as a cupboard.

We’ve blogged about the Duke of Wellington’s connections to Horse Guards previously and you will find one of those posts by clicking here. You can read about Victoria’s previous visit to the Museum here, and one of Kristine’s visit to the site here.

You can take a peek inside the Museum here and you can read more about the history of the Household Cavalry here.

For a look at day in the life of a soldier in the Household Cavalry and the training and preparation involved, click here. And here’s the link to a stirring video of the Household Cavalry’s musical ride at Earls Court in 2012.

Click here to read the story of Sefton, one of the Cavalry’s most famous horses who survived an IRA bombing. And on the flip side, you can click here to see video of the naughty Fenton, who led Guards on a merry chase down Whitehall during the wedding of William and Kate. Watch with the sound on so that you can hear a Guard repeatedly calling Fenton – to no avail. All came right in the end, however – Fenton was finally cornered at the Wellington Arch.