Queen Victoria – In Memoriam

22 January 1901 – The death of Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria German: Alexandrina Viktoria; B. 24 May 1819), who was the Queen regnant of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death. Her reign as the Queen lasted 63 years and 7 months, longer than that of any other British monarch before or since, and her reign is the longest of any female monarch in history – Queen Elizabeth’s reign is coming up on 59 years.

God save the Queen!

Another interesting aspect of Victoria’s life was her role as a mother of nine and grandmother of dozens, In two generations. Her progeny ruled a huge chunk of Europe, not to mention the places where the sun never sets.

Right, the Princess Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901) was Queen Victoria’s first born. She married German Emperor Frederick III and  was the mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II and seven other children who married into a variety of Europoean royal families. This portrait was painted by Winterhalter in 1867 when she was Crown Princess of Prussia.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Edward Albert, Prince of Wales, and later Edward VII (1841–1910) was Victoria’s second child, the longed-for male heir to the throne. He spent most of his life waiting to become king but he reigned only nine years after his mother’s death in 1901.

He and his Queen, Alexandra of Denmark, had six children who also married royals.

Among the  descendents of Queen Victoria are the royal families of the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Spain. Among those families formerly on thrones, count the ex-royals of Greece, Russia and Romania, not to mention a passle of former principalities.

Artie-Facts

When in London recently,  I once again visited Mark Sullivan Antiques in Cecil Court. And once again, Mark told me that I’d just missed seeing the current Duke of Wellington by a few days. Sigh. Mark and I chatted for a bit about Florida and we finally got down to the business of Artie-Facts, also known as Wellington commemoratives or memorabilia. There was nothing on hand that was as earth shattering as the Staffordshire figurine I’d purchased from Mark in June (above), so I was just about to reluctantly pass on buying anything when Mark told me that he had a few pieces in the basement that he’d been saving for a dealer, but seeing as how I was regular customer and the dealer was not, he’d bring them up for me.
The first item was the tankard below, made by Lambeth Potteries.

The second item was this small bust of the Duke of Wellington

Reader, I purchased both. And, inspired by the display of commemoratives on show in the basement of Apsley House, I’ve grouped them all together with those pieces I already own in a lighted cabinet in the living room. You can read about my Wellington collection in a prior post here.  

Downton Abbey – The Series That Refuses to Die

This topic will simply not go away. Are you ready for the latest? ITV has just announced that Downton Abbey – Series Two has been commissioned. The new eight-part series is expected to be broadcast next Autumn.
Unbelievable, right? Can you think of anything more unlikely – or unlikable? Well hold on to your mob caps, Downton Abbey will then return for Christmas 2011. The Christmas special will continue where the second series ends. I promise you I’m not making this up.
Gareth Neame, Executive Producer and Managing Director of Carnival Films says, “The public’s reaction to the first series of Downton Abbey was gratifying. With a combined audience of 12.8 million people tuning into the last episode we are delighted ITV have decided to return with all the main characters of Downton at Christmas.”
If that’s not bad enough, Laura Mackie, Director of Drama, ITV said: “Julian has come up with a fantastic story that will give the audience the chance to enjoy the experience of the festive season at Downton Abbey. We’re delighted to have this as part of our Christmas schedule for December 2011.” I can’t be certain, but with Fellowes writing the script, it’s a good bet that the Christmas special might feature three ghosts. And a crippled youngster named Tim. Maybe even a kid who gets his tongue frozen to a pole. A lamp shaped like a woman’s leg would be too much to hope for.
Here’s something else that’s funny (ironic, not ha-ha), “Downton Abbey premiered on ITV1 on 26th September 2010 with an aggregate audience of 11.8 million and finished on 7th November with an aggregate audience of 12.8 million (ITV1+HD+Repeat+ITV Player) making episode seven the biggest audience for an episode of a new drama series on any channel since 2003.” I am still shaking my head over these numbers.
For an absolutely screamingly funny (ha-ha, not ironic) take on Part Two, read The 7 Reasons That Series Two of Downton Abbey Will Be Even Better here.
And to round out the bashing, you can read Rachel Cooke’s reasons for being bored with DA in the New Statesman here. She sums them up rather well. If nothing else, DA has/is/will be breaking new television ground as no other show has before – it will be the first time in history that some part of the millions of those who tune in will be doing so in order to watch a programme they loathe. But which, you have to admit, can’t help but to be screamingly funny.

In the interest of both turn-around and fairplay, you can read Julian Fellowes’s take on all the DA bashing here.

A Pictorial Stroll to Apsley House

Here we are together on another London stroll. This time, we’ll be taking in the views as we approach Apsley House whilst walking north on Grosvenor Place.

Our first glimpses of Apley House through the trees.

The Wellington Arch! And many double decker buses.

We’re getting closer.

The gate at Hyde Park Corner, Apsley House and a rare break in the traffic.

The Wellington Statue!

The gates at Hyde Park

Stepping inside the gates, the toll keeper’s cottage.

View from inside gates to the side of Apsley House. Wouldn’t we look marvelous standing on that balcony with a cocktail in our hand?

The Wellington Arch!

Walking round to the front of Apsley House.

The front of Apsley House.

Whoops! Almost forgot to point out the sign.

The steps leading up to the front door. Note the black dots going up each side of the steps. A carpet rail would be slid into these iron rings to hold a stair carpet in place during important events. Personally, I think our visit is an important event in itself, but I suppose since we’re on first name terms with Artie our visit is considered informal.

The front door!
Unfortunately, those are all the first hand photos you’ll see, as no photography is allowed inside. I was able to find a scant few photos online, so those will have to do. I can tell you that the two portraits below, both by Thomas Lawrence, hang within.  
Whilst the portrait above may be the most iconic image of the Duke, I’m also partial to the lesser known and seldom seen portrait below, painted circa 1820.

I feel that this painting captures the essence of the Duke as a man, rather than as a great soldier or statesman. He stands alone, in civilian dress and with no emblem of military might, in the semi-darkness ready to defend against whatever comes his way. At the same time, there is something in the way he protectively holds his arms to his chest that evokes an air of vulnerability, a trait not typically attributed to the Duke of Wellington.

Now we’ll move on to the Waterloo Chamber, below.

Above is the statue of Napoleon by Canova that was taken as a spoil of war and presented to the Duke of Wellington by George IV. I don’t suppose re-gifting was an option then . . . . . .

Above is only a tiny portion of the gold plate presented to the Duke by grateful nations and now on display at Apsley House. Below is the Portuguese Centrepiece, one of the most important examples of Neo-Classical silver ever made, which was always used during the Duke’s annual Waterloo Dinners.

If you’re a faithful reader of this blog, you’ll know that on one of my previous visits I set off the alarm when I touched the centerpiece, which at that time was covered in a layer of dust. I simply couldn’t believe it had been allowed to gather dust and so swiped my finger across it to be sure. I’m happy to report that it’s now gleaming and dust-free. So ends our stroll to Apsley House. I hope you’ve enjoyed as much as I.

Let's Play Telephone

We’re putting a new twist on the old game of “Telephone.” Instead of seeing how garbled a message becomes as it’s passed from ear to ear, we challenge you to create the message. Just think how the availability of the telephone could have changed lives – and history.
Enter our contest by creating a historical telephone call – it can be one sided or two, it can be funny, filled with pathos, earth shattering or just plain amusing. Place your entry by leaving it in the comment section below. Limit is 3 entries per person, each no more than 500 words. The contest is open for one week – until January 26th. On the 27th we’ll announce the winner, who will receive books (fiction and non), recent issues of Country Life Magazine and a Country Life wall calendar.
In order to get the ball rolling, here’s my own (ineligible) entry – a conversation between Wellington and Blucher:
“Hello? Hello? Blucher? It’s Wellington . . . I say, it’s the Duke of Wellington . . . I know there’s a lot of background noise on my end, old man, but I’m afraid that can’t be helped. Listen, where are you? What? I beg your pardon, I had my face buried in Copenhagen’s neck when I ducked just then. Can you hear me now? Where are you? Oh, for God’s sake man, turn on your GPS! . . . . . that’s the ticket. And Blucher? . . . . . Hurry!
Please Note: Only registered followers of this blog shall be eligible to win. You may register now by using the link in the right sidebar under “Those Who Call Number One London Home.”