Category: Travels With Victoria

On all my trips to London, I have meant to visit Holland Park, and I finally made it.  Today Holland Park is in the center of town. When it was in its heyday as the gathering place  for the grand Whigs in the late 18th and early 19th centuries it was a country house, beyond the boundaries of London and Westminster.

Above is the Jacobean House as it appeared in a drawing of 1812 when it was already 200 years old. First built in 1605 for Sir Walter Cope, it was known as Cope Castle, and occupied 600 acres of land in Kensington about two miles west of London. The house was inherited by Cope’s son-in-law, Henry Rich, first Earl Holland, who lost his head to the forces of Parliament in the Civil War. His family regained the estate, now known as Holland House, at the Restoration.

 Several generations later, it became the property of Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland (1705-1774), who lived there with his wife Caroline Lennox (1723-1774), daughter of the 2nd Duke of Richmond.  They had eloped due to the political emnity of the father and prospective son-in-law, as well as considerations of difference the in ages of the couple. Nevertheless, it was a happy marriage, though marred by the tendency of their sons toward dissolute lives.

Their story is told in the book The Aristocrats by Stella Tillyard, an account of the lives of the Lennox sisters, later produced for television.  Among Caroline’s children was the renowned late 18th century politician and stateman Charles James Fox, whose life is full of fascinating contradictions. He was the arch rival of Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger.

Whig politican Charles James Fox (1749 -1806)

Henry Vassall Fox, 3rd Baron Holland (1773-1840), was traveling in Naples, Italy, when he met Elizabeth Vassall, Lady Webster, wife of Sir Godfrey Webster, 4th Baronet.  Baron Holland and Lady Webster fell in love, though she already had borne five children to Webster (3 of whom survived infancy).  Webster sought and obtained a divorce on the grounds of adultery, a shocking and rare situation in those days. His estranged wife already had a child with Holland, a son, Charles Richard Fox, who later became a general in the British Army. A few days after the divorce, Baron Holland married Elizabeth;  They had 3 more children who lived to adulthood. 

Lord and Lady Holland lived at Holland House, and for forty-plus years, they presided over a brilliant social and political salon, despite the fact she had been divorced and was not received at court. All the influential Whigs, including the Prince of Wales, and leading government ministers came to Holland House.

Henry Edward Fox, 4th Baron Holland, and his wife had no male offspring and thus the Holland title became extinct.  The house passed to the Fox-Strangways family, Earls of Ilchester, who also entertained political and social leaders there into the 20th century. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth attended a ball at Holland House just a few days before it was destroyed.

Searching the library in the bombed out Holland House

Though there is not much of the house remaining, the park is lovely, home to roaming peacocks among other wildlife. There are also fields for team sports and gently winding walks, often crowded with joggers and strollers.

Exiting the park to the north, the residential area is lovely, with large mansions in white stucco dominating the streets.

I couldn’t decide which side of the street I wanted to choose, so I have delayed the decision!  I think either one would do!!

Next post: Recollections of Lord and Lady Holland by Charles Greville
Next on Travels with Victoria:  The Gardens of Westminster Abbey

Saturday, June 11, 2011, was not only the Trooping of the Colour (see my post of 7/30/11).  It was the first day of the Open Squares weekend.  Being an unabashed Nosey Parker, I love this time when many of the private squares and parks in London are opened to the public.

Garden at Carlton House Terrace

While the Queen was reviewing her troops on the parade ground at Horse Guards, I wandered to a few of the gardens in the vicinity of St. James.

Marlborough House, St. James You can take an excellent virtual tour of the interior and exterior of the house here. Marlborough House is now the home of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth  Foundation. In learning more about Marlborough House, I found it was associated with a large number of remarkable people, particularly women. The house was built on land leased from the crown adjoining St. James Palace for Sarah Churchill, 1st Duchess of Marlborough, who was a close friend of and adviser to Queen Anne. Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744)  National Portrait Gallery Sarah chose as architect Sir Christopher Wren. She disliked Sir John Vanbrugh who was building Blenheim, the magnificent baroque country house in Oxfordshire which was to be a gift of a grateful nation to the 1st Duke of Marlborough for his victory in the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. The Original Marlborough House  Sarah wanted a plain and convenient house, without florid embellishments; in her own words, “…unlike anything at Blenheim.” She laid the foundation cornerstone in 1709, but she quarreled with and later dismissed Wren. The feisty duchess took over the supervision of Marlborough House’s completion.  Like her disputes with the Blenheim builders, the economical and thrifty Sarah refused to give in to excessive costs and overcharging. Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723)

Wren’s original design was dramatically altered in 1770 when a third floor and additional wings were added.

 The Marlborough family occupied the house until 1817 when the property reverted to the Crown. Marlborough House was being prepared to be the London home of Princess Charlotte and her husband Prince Leopold with their expected child when the Princess died in childbirth in November, 1817, putting the entire country into mourning.

Charlotte and Leopold, c. 1816

Leopold did occupy Marlborough House and lived there until he became King of Belgium in 1831. He was not only the widower of Princess Charlotte; he was the brother of the Duchess of Kent and uncle to Princess Victoria.  Marlborough House was next presented to Queen Adelaide, consort of William IV, for her use.

Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Queen of England (1792-1849)

Adelaide, the first dowager queen for almost 150 years,  did not spend a great deal of time at Marlborough House. She was viewed with suspicion by the Duchess of Kent and other advisors to the young Queen Victoria, and thus spent more time in the country wandering from one rented house to another.

Years later, a collection of artifacts from the Great Exposition of 1851 was displayed to the public in Marlborough House, making it a museum of arts and science. It’s success led to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert deciding to build permanent displays on a grand scale, which became the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington.

After a period of time when it was used as a national art school, the building was remodeled as a home for the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII (1841-1910), and his wife Alexandra of Denmark. Further additions were made before the couple moved in.  Their active social life led to the fame of the Marlborough House Set, a circle of fashionable aristocrats as well as a few who were not very aristocratic at all.  But no doubt amusing!

Anita Leslie’s 1973 book about this Eawardian group makes fascinating reading. George V was born here in 1903.  After Queen Victoria died, Bertie (having lived for decades as Prince of Wales)  reigned only only nine years as Edward VII.  Another dowager queen, Alexandra moved back to Marlborough House, where she lived until her death in 1925.

Queen Alexandra

To return to my visit to the Marlborough House Garden, I enjoyed a cup of tea and sat on a damp bench — the weather was cool and occasionally it tried to rain, but I believe that is not allowed on the day of Trooping the Colour, so it always blew away in a short time.

The Garden brochure says, “The garden has been largely maintained in its original formal 18th-century layout, with a number of large, plain expanses of lawn, intersected by gravel pathways.” Flowers and hedges were restricted to the boundaries, but at the eastern end, there is a shrubbery with a woodland path where I found the pet cemetery.

A row of little headstones marks the final resting point for some of Alexandra’s most beloved pets.

On several of the stones there were pictures of the little dogs, which looked like King Charles spaniels, with their mistress.

As I walked around the garden, I realized that the bands I heard were right outside the wall as the troops returned to Buckingham Palace from Trooping the Colour.  A little cluster of us peered over the wall and watched the parade.

A final view of Marlborough House.

Memorial to Queen Alexandra just outside Marlborough House where she lived much of her life. It was designed by Sir Alfred Gilbert and dedicated in 1932 by George V, Queen Alexandra’s son.

First to patrol the processional route were the police who stood every few yards with their automatic machine guns near the red-coated guards.  The difference is that the soldiers, in their bearskin hats, had to remain at attention, or parade rest, while the police were far more casual.

The Irish Guards can be identified by the blue plumes on their hats and by the arrangement of buttons on their tunics.

Band of the Irish Guards

I love the drummers in the mounted bands; the horse’s reins are attached to the stirrups so the rider can beat the time. See also the photo below.

The Queen and Prince Philip, in his uniform as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, ride in the carriage.

Behind the Queen’s Carriage are, l-r, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, in the uniform of Colonel of the Irish Guards; Prince Charles, Colonel of  the Welsh guards; the Duke of Kent, Colonel of the Scots Guards; and Anne, Princess Royal, Colonel of the Household Cavalry’s Blues and Royals.

Here’s a closer shot of the Queen’s escort  from the Daily Mail.

Finally, the Blues and Royals, in their blue tunics with red plumes, part of the Household Cavalry.

It was a magnificent parade; All the military and the Royals, along with hundreds of invited guests, were  massed at Horse Guards Parade where the ceremony went on for just over an hour.  While they were going through their paces, I left the crowd lining the Mall, most of whom were waiting for the return parade back to Buckingham Palace.  But —  not having a lot of Saturdays to spend in London — I decided not to wait but to explore further.  Next, Marlborough House.

As long as I have been interested in English Country Houses, I have yearned to visit Penshurst Place in Kent, near Tonbridge. It was definitely worth waiting for.  Their website is here.

On a warm sunny day in early June 2011, we were greeted by a local organic food fair outside the entrance. I wanted to browse, but I was far too eager to get to the house and gardens. From the looks of the crowd, however, they were doing a good business in eggs, meat, poultry, veggies and ciders.

When I took a course on English Country Houses at Oxford, one of the prime examples presented of the ancient fortified manor house was Penshurst Place.  Though many others still exist, the Baron’s Hall  (built 1341) is, according to the guidebook and my don (professor), “the best preserved example of 14th century domestic architecture in England.”

This is where the members of the household lived, ate, slept — and died. The fire pit in the center of the hall was vented through the roof, so it would have been smoky, as well as crowded, smelly, and noisy.  If danger threatened, many more people — farmers, shepherds, villagers — would crowd in for protection.  The Lord of the Manor and his family ate at the High Table on a raised dais, but probably withdrew to the Solar for most of their activities.

Cinque Ports, the enlarged house became the home of the Sidney family, various branches of which have owned it ever since.

Penshurst was the birthplace of Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586), one of those amazing examples of the Renaissance man: courtier, statesman, soldier, and poet, known for his honor and virtue.  There are hundreds of fascinating stories about the people who lived here, or wanted to: feuders, plotters of intrigue, scandalous characters, builders, and wastrels, as well as many government officials, country gentlemen and ladies who were sober and industrious — and everything in between the miscreants and the gallants. The interiors of the house are fascinating, showing features from many centuries and reflecting the history of the family — but again, there are no photos permitted. Why? Talk about cutting off your own nose, etc.  Below, looks like somebody scanned the Long Gallery photo from the guidebook.

And here’s another interior, of the Panelled Room, with its magnificent bed.

Below, the Nether Gallery, with its collection of arms and armor, from Country Life magazine.

Dudley, are many of the most famous names in English history: Sidney, of course; Dudleys, Perrys,  Shelleys, Spencers, and Churchills; Dukes of Northumberland; Lady Jane Grey; Earls of Leicester, Salisbury, Sunderland, and Bridgewater, and the Duke of Clarence, later King William IV. His daughter by the actress Dora Jordan, Lady Sophia FitzClarence, married Philip Sidney, 1st Lord L’Isle and
Dudley (1800-1856). 

There are many wings of the house which are not open to tourists, but I felt quite satisfied with seeing the oldest areas, which are impressively preserved. Bravo, Viscount D’Lisle!!

Travels with Victoria will journey to Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill, next.