A Visit to Salisbury Cathedral

Approaching the Salisbury Cathedral, the magnificent spire seems to pierce the blue canopy above, reaching for the heavens.  It is Britain’s highest at 404 feet,  and certainly the most graceful.  The Cathedral’s website is here.
 
Officially named the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is more than 750 years old, completed in 1258, after just 38 years of construction, almost a miracle in the day. The rapidity of completion also ensured that Salisbury Cathedral is basically one style, the Early English Gothic; many cathedrals had several generations of builders involved, bringing evolving styles to their construction.

The West Front

The tower and spire were added somewhat after the main structure was finish.  Visitors may climb the 330-plus steps into the tower to the base of the spire, which gives an excellent view of the interior construction of medieval days.

Interior of the spire

Though art and religious historians have tried to explain to the contemporary visitor just what a cathedral was, its symbolic role and its functions as a religious and community center, it is difficult for us to grasp just what these amazing buildings meant in medieval society.

The novel Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett provides a fictional account of the building of a great cathedral, roughly based on Salisbury.  It was presented as a television miniseries in 2010, and it is well worth watching.

In addition to the book and tv versions, an expanded and amplified interactive editions is available for download to your iPad or other mobile device. For a preview, click here.

Novelist Susan Howatch also set a series of novels in the cathedral community of Starbridge, also modeled on Salisbury, though in the 20th century.  There are six novels in the series, beginning with Glittering Images.

Salisbury Cathedral, with the largest cathedral close (precinct) in England and also the largest cloister, is a major tourist attraction in Wiltshire, competing with the nearby stone circles at Stonehenge and Avebury, Old Sarum, stately homes such as Wilton House and Bowood, the Safari Park at Longleat, and extensive gardens such as at Stourhead.  In addition to the building and its art, one of four existing copies of the Magna Carta is on exhibit in the Cathedral’s Chapter House.

The Magna Carta was signed in 1215 by King John; it provides a foundation for democratic values in removing absolute power from kings and providing for liberty under the law.

The Chapter House, from the South
The Central Pillar and fan vaulting of the Chapter House

John Constable, brilliant painter — particularly of landscapes — painted Salisbury Cathedral many times.  Versions exist in many of Britain’s major museums as well as in several in the U.S.

Salisbury Cathedral from Lower Marsh Close, 1820
Artist: John Constable (1776-1837), Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Copyright © 2012 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Salisbury Cathedral from the southwest
Aerial View
The Nave — from the altar
In addition to the Magna Carta, the Cathedral’s architecture and art works, the chapels and tombs, monuments and carvings, you will also find the oldest clock in Europe.
another view of the nave
We are accustomed to seeing the stonework in old churches elaborately carved but merely gray, monochromatic stone.  However, originally most of these walls and ceilings were elaborately painted.  At Salisbury, many of these ancient decorations have been restored or replaced.

 

   

Many of the windows date from the Victorian era; others are much older.
The beautifully carved choir

Mompesson House in the Close, run the by National Trust
Featured as the London home of Mrs. Jennings in the Ang Lee-Emma Thompson 1995 film of  Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility

Across the Water Meadows
Most pictures from the Cathedral Website or by my sister-in-law, Patricia Biggers

Royal Albert Hall, Since 1871

Royal Albert Hall,

On my very first trip to London — so long ago I dare not reveal the year — I attended a concert at this venerable institution.  Being a student and nearly penniless as were my companions, we sat way up at the top in the cheapest seats. Sad to say I don’t remember anything about the music we heard, but I will never forget the view of the vast auditorium packed with cheering fans. For what, I couldn’t say, though I assume it was one of the Proms.

Prince Albert, by F. X. Winterhalter

Prince Albert (of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 1819-1861) carved out a place in British history both as the Prince Consort who assisted his wife Queen Victoria in many ways, and as a promoter of science and technology developments.  He was the mover and shaker behind the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the development of South Kensington, which came to be known as Albertopolis, into a center of education, scientific and cultural development.

map showing the institutions of South Kensington/Albertopolis
For a fuller exploration of the architecture of the area, consult the Royal Institute of British Architects here.

Many now-great institutions grew here on the site of an agricultural oasis up to the mid-19th century:  the Natural History Museum…

Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road
… the Science Museum,
Science Museum, Exhibition Road 
  
… the Imperial College London, the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal College of Art, and the Royal College of Music. The Victoria and Albert Museum, sprawling repository of great works of the decorative arts is the eastern most part of the neighborhood.
Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road
Victoria and Albert Museum Entry

Northern most of the complex is the Albert Memorial, recently renovated, in Kensington Gardens opposite Royal Albert Hall. Sir George Gilbert Scott designed the Gothic structure, dedicated by Queen Victoria in 1872.

Albert Memorial
Prince Albert
Getting back to Royal Albert Hall, it was begun in 1867 and dedicated by Queen Victoria in 1871.  The design was conceived by Henry Cole, who was inspired by ancient Roman amphitheatres; the details were worked out by two Royal Engineers, Captain Francis Fowle and General Henry D. Scott.  The vast central auditorium is elliptical in shape, about 185 feet wide and 219 feet long; it can be rec
onfigured for many types of events both with traditional staging and in the round. 
Take a Virtual Tour of Royal Albert Hall here.
Funds for building the Hall came partially from profits of the 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. Prince Albert suggested that the area of South Kensington be filled with institutions to promote education and progress, but he died before the scheme was completed.

For a full timeline of the construction of the Hall and many of the events held there, click here.

Among the many stray facts about the Hall is the number of red bricks used: 6,000,000.  Originally it was lit by gas, which was replaced by full electric lighting in 1888.  Only minor damage to Royal Albert Hall occurred in Word War II; it was said that the German pilots, as they did for St. Paul’s Cathedral, left it alone because its distinctive appearance served as a landmark for their bombing runs. Refurbishment took place in 1996-2004, with the addition of many modern conveniences, upgrading the restaurant facilities and other amenities.

massed choirs in the RAH
Royal Albert Hall was purposely designed to adapt to all sorts of events, concerts, conferences, speeches, meetings, ceremonies, exhibitions, sporting events (tennis, wrestling, boxing) and even the circus.  Classical, opera, jazz, folk, rock and pop concerts have included the most famous performers in the world. Verdi, Wagner and Elgar all conducted their works at the RAH.  The list of stars who have play the Hall would illuminate not only the vast dome but the entire sky above.
Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary, 2011
Royal Albert Hall is held in trust for the nation of Great Britain but it operates entirely on its own earned funding.  Many educational programs are operated in collaboration with schools and other institutions.  Even if the hall is “dark” when you visit, you can book a tour.
The annual 8-week program of BBC Proms will run through Saturday, September 8, 2012.  For more info in the Proms, click here.
Rock on, RAH!

From the August 1801 Annual Register

Like many writers who dote on the late Georgian period, I have a selection of publications called Annual Registers, which are something like almanacks.  They contain a wide variety of articles, from serious accounts of international diplomacy to gossip and on-dits about unusual incidents.  Here are three items from The Annual Register, or A View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the Year 1801, from the Chronicle for  August p.47-48:

“1st  As the Marquis of Abercorn was driving the Marchioness and Lady Catharine Hamilton in a curricle, near Stanmore, the horses took fright, and set off at full speed;

Curricle

… in the attempt to pull them up, the reins snapped. The Marquis, embarrassed by the shrieks of the ladies, and unsteady in his seat, jumped into the road and broke his right thigh and left leg.

John James Hamilton, 1st Marquis of Abercorn (1756-1818)

The ladies kept their seats until the coachman, who was outrider, saw a convenient place, when, by forcing the horses towards the ditch, he contrived to have them thrown out upon the bank without injury. The horses again set off.

Lady Anne Jane Gore, Marchioness of Abercorn, 3rd wife of the 1st Marquis (d. 1827)
ca. 1800, New Orleans Museum of Art

The curate of Edgware coming along the road, made an attempt to stop them, but unfortunately lost the cap of his knee by a blow of the pole. A surgeon set the Marquis’s limb upon the spot.”

Royal Mail Coach, 1800

“At the Maidstone Assizes, on Thursday last, James and John Austin, brothers, were put to the bar on a charge of robbing the mail…from both of which they obtained a large booty, notes to a great amount having been paid previous to the discovery of those by whom the robbery had been perpetrated….It was proved that this bundle of notes consisted of the paper of different country banks, which had been stolen from the mails, and thus there was no doubt of the connection of this prisoner with the robbery….After all the various proofs of these facts had been minutely gone through, the jury brought in a verdict, acquitting the prisoner John, but finding James guilty. 
 
 

A Highwayman Re-enactor, near Belvoir Castle

 
 
The judge immediately pronounced sentence of death on the prisoner, adjudging him to be hanged in chains near the place where the robbery was committed….he confessed he was concerned in the robbery…at the same time confessed having stolen many letters and parcels while he was post-boy at Lamberhurst in Kent….”
 
 
 

Thames Wherry

 
 
“August 5th  As a party of ladies and gentlemen were amusing themselves in a wherry on the Thames near Shepperton, a salmon leaped from the river and fell into the boat.  In the struggle to seize the fish, the wherry was precipitated down the stream, and was at length overturned; but, the place was fortunately so shallow, that none of the parties were drowned, though they were immersed head over ears in the water.  Mr. Smith, who saw the accident, induced the party to accompany him to his hospitable mansion where a change of clothes was procured for the unfortunate party,  but the lady of Mr. Maintone, who was far advance in pregnancy, was seized with violent convulsions, in consequence of the fright, and expired before morning.”
 

Mourning Symbols

Fashion Museums in Britain

Red Silk Robe a l’Anglaise, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1760’s

Victoria here, taking some time off of Pinterest for a change…and ruminating on the wonderful fashion museums which have so carefully preserved the clothing and accessories of bygone eras.  The U.K. is replete with wonderful museums, almost all of which have some fashions, in even the smallest of local collections. The grandaddy of them all is, of course, The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which modestly calls itself, The world’s greatest museum of art and design.” The website is here.

I suppose no one who has visited the sprawling site on Cromwell Road would quarrel with the designation, for it is truly superhuman to cover its many displays even in multiple visits.I can hardly drag myself out of the fantastic gift shop when I get there!

Would you be disappointed if I did not include a link to that wonderful shop?  Be forewarned — they are excellent at shipping.  Click here — if you dare.

The Costume Collection has been recently redone and has re-opened with an exhibition of ball gowns from the 1950s to the present. It will be on display through January 2013, along with selections from the permanent collection of historic fashions.

I love the Georgian, Regency and Victorian gowns usually on view.  Due to their fragility, the items are frequently rotated from storage to display and back.

V and A: White Dress with scalloped hem, ca. 1830
British, cotton muslin with wool embroidery, silk, satin and wadded rouleaux

V and A: Evening Dress, 1807-11  British,
machine made silk net, embroidered with chenille thread, with silk ribbon, hand sewn; over red petticoat

Among the V and A’s fashion exhibits

Also in London, Kensington Palace stores, conserves and exhibits Historic Royal Fashions.  Recently, the collection of Royal Wedding Gowns was restored. Beginning this fall, some of the storage areas, formerly Princess Margaret’s Apartment 1A, will be renovated for Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and his Duchess, the former Catherine Middleton.

Parts of Kensington Palace formerly housed Diana, Princess of Wales, and is the home in which Prince William grew up.  Other members of the extended royal family also have quarters there.

Here is an article that tells more about the Palace, the renovations and the Royals.  For more details, click here.

Parts of Kensington Palace include the State Rooms of William and Mary, the childhood rooms of Queen Victoria, and the Royal Fashions.   I have not seen an announcement of the final plans for the fashions, but one assumes that  Historic Royal Palaces, which administers Kensington Palace a well as other former Royal residences in the London area (e.g. Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace) will take advantage of sharing the complex with the popular young Royals to attract visitors to their displays.

Queen Victoria’s Wedding Gown, Kensington Palace
The Assembly Rooms, Ba
th

In Bath, The Fashion Museum is located in the Assembly Rooms, which are administered by the National Trust.  The Fashion Museum has more than 30,000 items from1600 to the present. The website is here.

a view of storage at the Fashion Museum
display at the Fashion Museum
Gown of plain-weave white cotton, ca. 1813, with striped wool shawl
 Bath Fashion Museum
Lilac cotton sateen corset lined with cream cotton
1880-85, Bath Fashion Museum
Shoes of many eras carefully preserved, Bath Fashion Museum
Another excellent Fashion Museum shows many items owned and preserved the the National Trust at Killerton House, a Regency-era country villa in Devon. The website is here.
Killerton, NT
Croquet Dress, 1863-65, silk taffeta with glass buttons
Killerton House Fashion Collection
Man’s Waistcoat, 1750, silk, satin, metal
Killerton House Fashion Collection

Also at Killerton are many attractive rooms and an extensive garden to explore.  As always, NT has a selection of tasty delights at the tea-room not to mention the temptations of the NT gift shop.

Manchester City Galleries

I have never visited Manchester (something I need to remedy), but the Manchester City Galleries website (here) has an extensive on-line fashion collection.  Here are a couple of examples of their holdings.

Man’s Court Suit, 1775-85
Tennis Dress, 1880’s

Bodice, 1650-1660, Dorset, UK

For a list of museums with fashion and costume collections, click here.  And if you are a resident of the US, there are many outstanding fashion collections here too.  Do you have any recommendations for good fashion collections on either side of the pond?

The Kyoto Fashion Institute seems to be an amazing place, or at least its website and publications are excellent.  They organize many exhibitions, some of which are shown in venues outside Japan.    Click here.

London 2012: Olympic Equestrians

Victoria here, writing about two of my favorite subjects: London (or, rather, make that Greenwich) and horses.

I’m hoping that, like 2008, I will be able to watch some of the Olympic Equestrian events between July 27 and August 12.  Six sets of medals will be awarded, for individual and team accomplishments in three categories: Eventing, Dressage, and Show Jumping.  All three call for the very highest talents, training, and cooperation among horses and riders, and with the Pentathlon, they are the only Olympic sports that involves human-animal collaboration.

The venue for the Equestrian events is Greenwich Park
 on the grounds between the Queen’s House and the Greenwich Observatory, a spectacular setting just downriver from London.  This newly laid out — and temporary — facility was home to an Olympic Test Event last summer. 
2011

An even better view (below) shows rider Karin Donckers of Belgium in the dressage competition in 2011. Does it get any more spectacular than this, London lovers?  There were some protesters, but the powers-that-be promise to return the site to its usual lawn and tree-studded parkland.

In 2008, the Olympic Equestrian  events were held far from Beijing in Hong Kong, so the competitors are pleased to be more centrally located this year.  In 2012, as in 2008, medals will be awarded in six categories, as below, listing the winners in 2008:

In Eventing, Germany won gold, Australia won silver and Great Britain bronze. For the individual medals in Eventing, riders from Germany, the USA, and Great Britain won the gold, silver and bronze medals respectively.

Zara Phillips, 2012 Team GB in Eventing
In Dressage, the team winners were Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, while the winning individual riders were from the Netherlands, Germany for both silver and bronze.
Nicola Wilson, 2012 Team GB in Dressage
The 2008 winners in Show (or Stadium) Jumping were USA, Canada, and Norway; in the individual events, winning riders were from Canada, Sweden, and the USA. Below, Team USA with their 2008 gold medals. 
2008 Beijing (Hong Kong venue) Olympics

The Equestrian events are clustered as follows:

Eventing: Saturday 28 – Tuesday 31 July
Dressage: Thursday 2 – Thursday 9 August
Jumping: Saturday 4 – Wednesday 8 August

Eventing competitions — often called Horse Trials —  are three-day series of activities which include dressage, stadium jumping and a 5.7 kilometre cross-country course.  All three phases with the same horse and rider require a very high level of training and partnership.  2012 Team  GB members in Eventing are: William Fox-Pitt, Nicola Wilson, Mary King, Zara Phillips, and Kristina Cook. Cook won the 2008 individual bronze medal in Eventing.

Tina Cook 2012 Team GB in Eventing
William Fox-Pitt, 2012 Team GB in Eventing
Dressage movements are based on refined versions of abilities needed by war horses in combat situations.  Like the preliminary rounds of figure ska
ting or gymnastic competitions, a series of prescribed movements are performed and scored, followed by a free-style, though formal, sequence choreographed carefully and set to music. Such refined natural movements as the piaffe, passage and pirouette must be executed.  Both horse and rider need intense concentration, intimate control, and perfect harmony.
Carl Hester, 2012 Team GB in Dressage
Laura Bechtolsheimer, 2012 Team GB in Dressage
Charlotte Dujardin, 2012 Team GB in Dressage

Olympic Factoid:  At the 2012 Olympics, watch for the dressage appearance of Japan’s team member Hiroshi Hoketsu who is competing at age 71, oldest  team member in the London games.  This is, however, not the all-time oldest of Olympic competitors. Several competitors in the past in shooting competitions have been older. 
Hiroshi Hoketsu, 2012 Team Japan in Dressage

Olympic Factoid:  In the long-term medal race in Equestrian events, Germany leads with 28 gold medals, Sweden has 17 golds, France 12, USA 11, and Great Britain 6.
Olympic Factoid:  Ian Millar of Team Canada is expected to compete in a record 10th Olympics in Show Jumping.  In 2008, when he won the silver medal in Show Jumping, at 61, he was the oldest medal winner of the Beijing Olympics.

Alan Millar, 2012 Team Canada in Show Jumping

Olympic Factoid: Elizabeth “Beezie” Madden of Team USA was born in Milwaukee, WI, where I live.  You needed to know that, right???  Beezie won a bronze medal in individual Show Jumping in 2008 and was a member of both gold-medal Teams USA in 2004 and 2008.

The main website for the 2012 Olympics in London is:
For more information on the Equestrian Team GB:
NBC claims that all 32 sports, all 302 events will be shown on line and most on television, via NBC and its associated networks: MSNBC, CNBC and more.
Full details at:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/index.html

Specific Equestrian coverage at: