Category: Tours

Tripping the Light Fantastic at the Brighton Pavilion

Victoria here, about to get out my Roget’s to look for synonyms for fantastic and over-the-top…for I am about to write of this incredible building.

The Royal Pavilion, Brighton
 
The Wellington Tour, planned by Kristine, Patty Suchy, and me, will visit the Pavilion on September 9, 2014. For the rest of the itinerary and all the Tour details, go to:
 
We’d love to have you join us for this and other intriguing sites.
 
So what can one say about such a structure?  In its earliest incarnation, it was a simple farmhouse in the fishing village of Brighthelmstone on the Sussex coast.  In the late 18th century, the popularity of seaside spas was growing. Fashionable London came to drink the sea water and bathe in it as well.  As soon as George, Prince of Wales, later Prince Regent and eventually George IV (1762-1830) came to stay, Brighton became a center of Society.
 
 
  Prince George had a very high opinion of himself and his superior good taste.  Au contraire!  He did have taste alright, and much of it was excellent, but when it was bad, it was very, very bad. In the tradition of the Hanoverian royal family, our George and his father George III, were usually at odds in regard to almost every aspect of their lives: the King did not approve, and the more George could irritate his father, apparently the more he did it, primarily by buying and remodeling buildings, furnishing them expensively, and otherwise overspending his allowance and piling up debts. 
 
Maria Fitzherbert
 

Not to mention Prince George’s secret and illegal marriage to Maria Fitzherbert, about which his father may have known.  But this is not the place to discuss the many amours and several marriages of the Prince.  We’ve blogged about these topics before.  You might try the Forgotten Queen here or George IV’s ill-fated marriage, here.

The Marine Pavilion, Brighton; as it appeared about 1790

In the late 1780’s Henry Holland, an architect who had done considerable work on the Prince’s London residence, Carlton House, began transforming the farmhouse into the attractive house above. But it was not quite grandiose enough for the Prince, and before long, he chose architect John Nash, whose ideas matched the Prince’s in exaggerated scope and pomposity, to further alter the Pavilion.   

We told the story of Sezincote, the house that inspired the Prince’s fantasies,  here.

The Sezincote website is here.

The exterior of the Pavilion is almost beyond description, definitely not pure Hindoo or Chinese, or any other of its supposed stimuli, but a sort of wedding-cake confection with a style all its own: domes, minarets, etc. etc.  One thing is for sure: you can’t ignore the Prince’s pleasure palace when you drive down the Old Steine toward the sea in Brighton.
      BTW, I believe the Steine or Steyne is pronounced Steen.

Aerial View

For the official website, click here.  In recent years, the gardens have been restored to their original splendor, or perhaps even more so.  Is that possible? Out-Georging George?  In interiors are as outré as the exterior.

 Banqueting Room, from  John Nash‘s Views of the Royal Pavilion (1826).

In the hopes that you will be able to join us at the Brighton Pavilion on the Wellington Tour next September, I will include some other views of the chinoiserie interiors, as a temptation.  Pictures will never quite do justice to the feast for the eye, however.

Music Room
 
The Long Gallery
 
The Banqueting Room
 
Chandelier Detail
 
The Great Kitchen
 
The Great Kitchen was designed with a high ceiling, for dispersal of heat and fumes, incorporated all the latest features for the creation of great banquets.  For a time, it was the “kingdom” of the great chef, Antonin Carême (1784-1833), the first celebrity chef.  Our pal, actor and author Ian Kelly, wrote a biography of Carême. For more information, click here.
 
 
 

The Brighton Pavilion is now owned and operated by the City of Brighton.  I suppose, after seeing the pictures above, it won’t be a surprise that Queen Victoria did not find the place to her liking.  She sold it to Brighton in 1850, though she kept many of the furnishings for use at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.  Over the years, the Pavilion has been restored and developed into a popular tourist site.  Some of the furnishing have been loaned back to the Pavilion by HM The Queen.

Now here is the question, what did the Duke of Wellington think of it?  The Duke was a loyal servant of the crown and he followed George IV’s desires regarding the disposition of his personal effects after the King died.  But one can hardly imagine that the structure appealed to the Duke’s tastes any more than it did to Victoria’s. Fortunately, we have an account of the Duke’s reaction upon first seeing the Pavilion from the letters of Princess Lieven:

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 enjoyed noting the kind of remark and the kind of surprise that the whole household evokes in a newcomer. 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.”

In any case, the Duke had to spend a great deal of time in Brighton due to Royal summons, and we hope you will enjoy touring it with us.

The Magnificent Waterloo Chamber: The Wellington Tour

Victoria here, inviting you to join Kristine and me on The Wellington Tour, 4-14 September, 2014.  For details on our planned itinerary, costs and other info, click here.  Among the features of the tour is a visit to Windsor Castle and especially to its Waterloo Chamber.

Windsor Castle from the Thames
 
The Waterloo Chamber was constructed within the Castle to commemorate the victory of the Allied Armies over the French in the Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815.  Architect Sir Jeffry Wyattville (1766 – 1840) created the Chamber in 1824 out of several existing rooms. Parliament designated £300,000 for the project. Like most of King George IV’s inspirations, it ran well over budget, eventually costing about £1,000,000.  Wyattville also remodeled many other areas of Windsor Castle for George IV, William IV, and Queen Victoria; he was buried in the Castle’s St. George’s Chapel in 1840.
 

 Watercolour of the Waterloo Chamber in 1844 by Joseph Nash
 
 
Waterloo Chamber, currently
 
For a virtual tour of the entire Waterloo Chamber, click here.
 
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Commander of the Victorious Allied Armies
 
The walls of the Waterloo Chamber are  filled with large portraits of the leaders of the Allied efforts.  Most of them are painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence  (1769-1830), the Regency era’s favorite artist.  Many were reproduced several times by his studio for numerous placements in other palaces, stately homes and distinguished galleries.
 
Prussian General Gebhardt von Blücher
Wellington’s Comrade-in-arms at Waterloo
Sir Thomas Lawrence 1816
 
The Prince Regent (later George IV) commissioned Lawrence to paint all the Allied Sovereigns, military leaders, and statesmen.  Lawrence traveled around Europe to complete the portraits.
 
Austrian Field Marshal Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwartzenberg,
 

 
Alexander I, Emperor of Russia (1777-1825)
painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1818
 
According to the Royal Collection Website, “While working on the portrait Lawrence altered the position of the legs, much to the consternation of the Tzar and those courtiers attending the portrait sitting, especially when for a while the sitter was shown with four legs.”  Obviously, this condition was  corrected!
 
Pope Pius VII, 1819-20
 
The portrait of Pope Pius VII (1742-1823), painted in Rome, is widely agreed to be Lawrence’s masterpiece, both incisive and sympathetic.
 
While heads of state and leading generals were depicted full length, politicians and statesmen were honored with 3/4 length portraits, perhaps putting them in their place? 
 
  Viscount Castlereagh
Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1830
 
Robert Stewart (1769-1822), Viscount Castlereagh, later second Marquess of Londonderry, served as Secretary of State for War 1805-09, and  Foreign Secretary 1812-1822
 
 
Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool
 
Robert Banks Jenkinson (1770-1828), 2nd Earl of Liverpool was Prime Minister from 1812 to 1827, and also preceded the Duke of Wellington as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, about which more soon!!
 
In the words of the Windsor Castle guidebook, “Most of the twenty eight portraits were delivered after his [Lawrence’s] death on 7 January 1830. By this time work was already begun of the space of the Waterloo Chamber created by covering a courtyard at Windsor Castle with a huge sky-lit vault; the room was completed during the reign of William IV (1830-7)…the arrangement which survives to this day: full-length portraits of warriors hang high, over the two end balconies and around the walls; at ground level full-length portraits of monarchs alternate with half-lengths of diplomats and statesmen.”
 
 
 
 
The limewood carvings on the walls were removed from the former Royal Chapel before it was demolished in the 1820s.  The carvings date from the 1680’s, the work of renowned artist Grinling Gibbons.  According to the Castle Guidebook, “The Indian carpet was woven for this room by the inmates of Agra prison for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, finally reaching Windsor in 1894. Thought to be the largest seamless carpet in existence, it weighs two tonnes. During the 1992 fire it took 50 soldiers to roll it up and move it to safety.”
 
  Which brings up a sorrowful subject, the terrible fire of eleven years ago.
 
20 November, 1992
 
Extensive damage resulted from the fire though the Waterloo Chamber was only slightly damaged, due to the thickness of the walls.  Other areas were destroyed and eventually repaired.  To pay for the
£36.5 million repairs, the Queen opened  the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace to the Public, but only when she is in residence elsewhere.
 
When you tour Windsor Castle with Kristine and me, you will see the renovated areas and where the fire burned.  And we will view the Waterloo Chamber — and all the State rooms, most of them still very much as they were when redone for George IV by Sir Jeffry Wyattville.
 
Again to access more information on the Wellington Tour, go to
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
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Visit Basildon Park with Kristine and Victoria…September 2014

We are busy investigating every aspect and all the details of our upcoming tour — which we hope YOU will join!  The details are here.
 
 
 
Victoria here, remembering her previous visit to Basildon Park and reprising a blog post from December, 2010 . . . And while you read it, think about how it will feel as you approach the great house…enter the halls and view the sumptuous rooms.  You will love every moment of it…and especially the fascinating story of the couple who turned it from a sad wreck of a place into a brilliant National Trust stately home.

from Sunday, December 26, 2010:

Basildon Park Rebirths

Basildon Park is in Berkshire overlooking the lovely Thames Valley, built in the 1770’s in the strict Palladian style by architect John Carr of York.

Basildon Park was abandoned about 1910 and stripped of its furnishings even including flooring, fireplace surrounds and woodwork. It was used to house troops or prisoners in both world wars. Some rooms were removed and reconstructed in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City (ballroom, below).

Basildon Park stood mostly empty and deteriorating until 1952 when Lord and Lady Iliffe, a newspaper tycoon and his wife, rescued the house. Lady Iliffe writes, “To say it was derelict is hardly good enough: no window was left intact, and most were repaired with cardboard or plywood; there was a large puddle on the Library floor, coming from the bedroom above, where a fire had just been stopped in time; walls were covered with signatures and graffiti from various occupants….It was appallingly cold and damp. And yet, there was still an atmosphere of former elegance, and a feeling of great solidity. Carr’s house was still there, damaged but basically unchanged.”

Views of the outside show the Bath stone construction. The Palladian window in the Garden Front  is in the Octagon Room.

The Iliffes were fortunate enough to find genuine Carr fireplaces and woodwork removed from other houses, mostly in Yorkshire. Carr employed meticulous craftsmen and used standard measurements so that the pieces were virtually interchangeable.

Again, Lady Iliffe: “Carr was such a precise architect that his mahogany doors from Panton (in Lincolnshire) fitted exactly in the sockets of the missing Basildon ones.” Thus Basildon is both authentic and a recreation in one.

Lady Iliffe collaborated with leading designers of the English Country House style of decorating to fit out the house with a combination of antiques and

contemporary pieces, including the inevitable floral chintzes that simply drip with that country house charm. Right, the Octagon Room interior.

Upstairs the generously sized rooms were adapted to alternating bedrooms and huge bathrooms. It is a bit of a shock to see one of the perfectly proportioned rooms with its decorative plaster ceiling and elaborate woodwork and marble fireplace decked out with nothing more than the finest 1950’s plumbing fixtures.

Basildon Park was built between 1776 and 1782 by Sir Francis Sykes, created a baronet in 1781. His roots were in Yorkshire and he chose Carr of York to build his house, a classical Palladian villa with a main block of rooms joined to pavilions on either side. The Sykes fortune was made during his service in India. Right is the view of the countryside.

In 1838, the Sykes family sold the house to James Morrison (d. 1857), a Liberal MP who had turned his London haberdashery business into an international concern. By the way, when he was a shopman at Todd and Co., he married his employer’s daughter, and eventually took over the firm. Morrison engaged architect John Papworth to design handkerchiefs for his company and later to remodel Basildon. Morrison had acquired a fine collection of paintings and was one of the founding fathers of the National Gallery in London. Papworth worked at Basildon from 1837 to 1842, making some changes to the Octagon Room and other interior designs, all in keeping with the original spirit of Carr’s house. Morrison’s daughter Miss Ellen Morrison was the last resident before Basildon Park fell into disuse.

Basildon Park was used to house soldiers during World War II, as were many country houses, and certainly suffered occasional, if not constant, abuse.
The Iliffes were collectors of the work of the distinguished English artist Graham Sutherland, whose gigantic tapestry adorns the modernist reconstruction of the Coventry Cathedral. (The 14th century cathedral was destroyed in 1940 by German bombs; a modern cathedral was built and filled

with works of contemporary art.) A number of Sutherland’s paintings and many studies for the tapestry he designed hang at Basildon. The Iliffe family  presented the house to the National Trust in 1978.

Basildon Park has often served as a set for costume dramas for the BBC and other producers. Here is a scene from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice, where Basildon enacted the role of Netherfield Park.
This picture shows how carefully designed temporary baseboards can hide 21th century electrical outlets or cable connections.

To Basildon Park in Berkshire now in the capable hands of the National Trust, we wish as many more rebirths as necessary to keep out the damp and bring in the tourists.

 Remember, Gentle Reader, you can join Kristine and Victoria and experience this fabulous mansion yourself.  Please check out all the details at THE WELLINGTON TOUR website.

 
 
 
More detailed reports on Tour Sites to come soon…
 

Joining us on The Wellington Tour

Victoria here. As our previous posts have explained. Kristine and I have been gorging ourselves on tour books, maps, websites and playing with Pinterest (here) to plan a once-in-a-lifetime tour schedule for ourselves.  And FOR YOU!! So look at the website, read the fine print, and SIGN UP!

1st Duke of Wellington

With the help of Novel Explorations’ Patty Suchy, travel maven extraordinaire, we have put together an exciting — and do-able itinerary.  We plan to spend lots of time at each site, with knowledgeable guides and browsing time, all designed to maximize our enjoyment. 

Which brings up the ever-popular subject of gift shops.  Oooooh, do we love gift shops and bookstores.  And the best part is that you rarely have to carry off your purchases.  You can either have them shipped, or make a list and order from home on their websites. Or, if you want to be thoroughly briefed on sites we’ll visit, you can order the guide books before we embark.
 
 
 

I have to admit that I buy a lot of postcards.  Not necessarily to send to anyone, but to be sure that my photo albums have perfect views of each spot we visit. Postcards have the advantage of being inexpensive and easy to carry.

 One of my favorite purchases made at the Buckingham Palace Queen’s Gallery gift shop was a dozen carrier bags with the palace logo.  Some of my friends still love to tell about the comments they get from people in the grocery stores who see them carrying out their Buckingham Palace bags filled with carrots, bread, and peanut butter. Seems some folks expect them to be filled with caviar and truffles.

With two exceptions, I have visited all of our destinations, at least once. And I can’t wait to go back.  Who could ever get enough of Walmer Castle, its gardens and lovely view of the Channel from comfy chairs on the ramparts?  And prepare to be dazzled — and amused — by the extremes of the Brighton Pavilion.  It stands as a perfect representation of the excesses of the Prince Regent, later George IV. 

One of the most interesting things I remember from my previous visit to Basildon Park is the story of its restoration.  Major elements of the doors, windows and fireplace surrounds had been removed or damaged in the years it was given over to the war effort — and left derelict for a time. Though the house was over one hundred years old, fittings from demolished houses also designed by Carr of York, were perfectly adaptable, many fitting precisely.  In this day of so little standardization (have you ever tried using an unfamiliar mobile phone?), such precision is unusual.  But Carr did it in the mid 18th century.

Stratfield Saye, the country home of the 1st Duke of Wellington, greets you with a great statue. 

And inside, in the Hall, are the tattered battle flags of the French regiments Wellington conquered at
Waterloo almost 200 years ago. The stables still house that huge funeral car that carried the body of Wellington to his final resting place in St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1852.

The two places I have not visited will be a real treat.  Frogmore House in Windsor Park is rarely open. We will explore more about this “private hideaway” for the Royals in a future blog post.  We are lucky to be allowed in!  Like at Stratfield Saye, you can see how real people enjoyed their privacy and leisure in the comfortable rooms, quite a contrast to the Pavilion.

And of course, I am already salivating over the chance to see Highclere Castle, aka Downton Abbey.  To me, the best part of that series are the settings and costumes.  I love some of the actors, others not so much.  And darn it, too many characters have died off.  Plus, let’s face it, melodrama reigns.  Anyone for soap opera????  But who can resist that great house — or castle or abbey?

You are cordially invited to join us September 4-14, 2014!
Find Complete Itinerary and Details of the Wellington Tour Here

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The Wellington Tour – Tea, Anyone?

Once Victoria and I had hammered out the itinerary for The Wellington Tour, we handed it over to Patty Suchy of Novel Explorations and asked her to work her travel agent magic as far as pricing and logistics were concerned. Before long, it was time for Victoria and I to call Patty and learn how she’d made out with the plans.

Patty:  Hello?

Victoria: Hey, Patty, it’s Kristine and Vicky.

Patty:  Well hello! You’re together?

Victoria: Yes, we’re together and ready to hear how you made out.

Patty:  I’ve got to tell you, this hasn’t been easy. You two picked several spots that are terribly difficult to get into.

Kristine: What do you mean, difficult to get into? Are you referring to Stratfield Saye, which seems as though it’s only open one day a year?

Patty: Yes, and Frogmore House, which is also rarely open. Not to mention Highclere Castle.

Victoria:  What about Highclere Castle?

Patty: It seems that since the all the Downton Abbey hoopla reached a fever pitch, they’ve been inundated with visitor and tour requests. They’ve had to limit visiting times and then there’s having to work around the shooting schedule for the show itself. They’re having to restrict admissions and they’re already booked up for months ahead of time. It’s very difficult.

Kristine: Are you saying we can’t get in?

Patty: No. I’m telling you that I’m still working on getting all the stars to line up as far as opening days for several of the places you want to include. The rest of the tour is no problem, but these three places are tricky. I’m still waiting to hear back from the people at Highclere.

Kristine: I was thinking it might be nice to have tea while we’re there.

Patty: Tea? You can have all the tea you like. They have tea rooms on site. Tea shouldn’t be problem.

Victoria: No, we meant an afternoon tea in the house or gardens. You know, little sandwiches and cakes and things.

Patty: Well, I’ll ask when I speak to them, but a special, dedicated tea service for the tour group might be costly.

Kristine: We’ll just tack it on to the tour price. It’s something Vicky and I would like to do and I think everyone would really enjoy it. It’s one of those once in a lifetime things.

Patty: I agree, it would be fantastic. Alright then, I’ll ask when I speak to their representative. Do you have any idea on dates for the tour?

I looked at Victoria, who shrugged her shoulders in reply.

Kristine: Let’s try to shoot for sometime when it won’t be freezing cold.

Patty: I’ll keep that in mind, but remember that one of the tours you and I did together a few years ago was in June and we all froze.

Kristine: Who could forget? Why don’t you see how the opening times work out and we’ll talk again in a few days?

And so a few days went by, with Victoria and I waiting on pins and needles, before we called Patty again.

Patty:  Hello?

Kristine: Hey, it’s Kristine and Vicky.

Patty:  Well, I have to tell you, I’ve had a rough few days trying to work all of this out. It’s been a struggle.

Victoria: I can appreciate that and we do appreciate all you’ve done, Patty.

Kristine: What’s the bottom line?

Patty: Bottom line is we keep Frogmore, Stratfield Saye and Highclere Castle on the itinerary.

Kristine: You’re a star!

Patty: But there isn’t going to be a Downton Abbey tea.

Victoria: There’s isn’t?

Patty: No. It’s just too expensive.

Kristine: How expensive?

Patty: Over a thousand dollars.

Kristine: So? What’s that, like fifty dollars added to the tour price per person?

Patty: That is the per person price.

Victoria: What’s the per person price?

Patty: Nearly a thousand dollars. Per person. Not in total.

Kristine: Are you telling me they’re charging at least twenty thousand dollars for afternoon tea? Who’s serving it, Bates and Mr. Carson themselves?

Patty: Mr. Bates can’t serve tea. He’s got a gimpy leg.

Victoria: For twenty thousand dollars, I’d better be seated next to Maggie Smith.

Patty: There are always the tea rooms.

Kristine: I suppose. More importantly, what did you hear from Stratfield Saye?

Victoria: Maybe we can have tea there with the Duke of Wellington. He’d probably charge less than twenty thousand dollars.

Patty: We can get into Stratfield Saye. Not a problem. However, in order to get into all of these places on the same tour, we’d have to schedule the Tour for September.”

Victoria and I looked at one another, trying to work out the pitfalls of a September Tour. We couldn’t come up with any.

Victoria: What’s wrong with September?

Patty: Nothing’s wrong with September. It’s really an excellent time to visit England. It just means that you two wouldn’t have a choice of the other months.

Kristine: You got anything planned for next September?

Victoria: Not that I can think of at the moment. And if I did, I’d rearrange it.

Kristine: We have no problem with September.

Patty: Good. I’ve blocked the tour out for the fourth through the fourteenth.

Victoria: Sounds good.

Patty: Okay. Now that we have our dates, I’ll work on firming up all the details.

We hung up and it wasn’t till much later that I realized the last day of the Tour would coincide with the last day of the Duke of Wellington’s life – September 14, 1852.

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