Victoria's Vibes -- a blog

VISITING BASILDON PARK

3/13/2016

I've visited Basildon Park several times, and on my last visit in September 2014, I was delighted to find the National Trust now allows non-flash photographs and I went wild with snapping. Above and below, the East Front.
.

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 architect John Carr of York (1723–1807) 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.
Carr had previously worked with Robert Adam, and Adam's style clearly influenced the Palladian exterior as well as the decor of many rooms in the interior. The house as it stands today is the survivor of multiple owners, periods of abandonment, and occupation by soldiers and war prisoners in World Wars I and II. So it combines dazzling restorations of original features with comfortable furnishings and artwork from the 1950's when the house was acquired and restored by Lord and Lady Iliffe. Below, the Entrance Hall.

Above, L, the Library....R, the middle hall.

Piano Nobile (main floor) Key: The first floor. 1: The four service courts; 2: Portico and West front; 3: North Pavilion; 4: South Pavilion; 5: Entrance Hall; 6: Staircase Hall; 7: Octagon Drawing Room; 8: Dining Room; 9: Study; 10: Library; 11: Sutherland Room (formerly lady Iliffe's sitting room); 12: Kitchen (since 1952); 13: larder (?); 14: Green Drawing Room (formerly Breakfast or Small Dining Room).
Below, L, Dining Room fireplace; R, Dining Room Table

At the center back of the house is the Octagon Drawing Room. L, Pier Glass and Table; R, Venetian windows overlook the park and beyond to the Thames. The tv program Downton Abbey used the Octagon Drawing Room to serve as the drawing room of the Grantham House, the family's London residence. The dining room was also used in DA for ballroom scenes.
Below, another Pier Glass and Table; R, another view of the room.

Above, L, Green Drawing Room, originally the breakfast room; R, ceiling medallion in the Green Drawing Room.
Below, L, Going upstairs; R, the Crimson Bedroom
Lord and Lady Iliffe acquired this state bed form the sale at Ashburnham Place in 1953.

Above, L, a mahogany cheval glass; R, the Spode service on the washstand also comes from Ashburnham Place.
Below, two views of the collection in the Shell Room.

Above, L, upstairs sitting room; R, as befit a grand house of the 1950's,Basildon was equipped with luxurious bathrooms,
definitely not in the 18th century style.
Below, the kitchen reflect the 1950's as well.

Below, the gardens are lovely and the grounds lead down to the Thames, in the distance. Basildon is near London and well worth a visit. The website:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/basildon-park

0 Comments

VISITING FROGMORE HOUSE

11/26/2015

0 Comments

Frogmore House in Windsor Great Park, about a mile from Windsor Castle, was built in the 17th century and updated many times. It has provided a private retreat for the royals since the late 18th c. days of Queen Charlotte and George III. Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent (1786-1861), lived here as her country residence until her death.

historic prints from the royal collection

Mary Moser room: Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) invited prominent artist Mary Moser, RA (1744-1819), to decorate the room with her floral designs.

Park

mausoleum: Above, the Duchess of Kent; Below, Victoria and Albert

0 Comments

Enjoying Georgette Heyer, Doyenne of the Regency Romance

11/22/2015

2 Comments

Georgette Heyer wrote nearly sixty novels in various genres. She was known for her historical fiction, detective stories, and contemporary novels of her day. By far the most popular of her prodigious output where her historical romances set in the Regency Era in Britain. The first of these was Regency Buck, published in 1935. The story begins in 1811, the first "official year of the Regency of George, Prince of Wales, who ruled in the name of his father, George III, until the latter's death in 1820 when the Prince Regent became George the IV for the remaining decade of his life.

Ms. Heyer did extensive research into the manners and mores of the period from 1811 to 1820, its language, and its society customs and traditions. Pictured at the rights is one of the early covers of Regency Buck showing the Regent's flamboyant pavilion in Brighton, at which scenes are set portraying the entertainments hosted by the spendthrift Regent.

A favorite among Heyer's regencies is The Grand Sophy, almost always among the top three listed by her fans. For those who have not fallen in love with Heyer's Regencies, this one has all the fascinating characters and sparkling wit for which she is known.

2 Comments

MEMOIRS OF AUTHOR FANNY BURNEY OF BRUSSELS IN THE TIME OF WATERLOO, PART II

10/13/2015

0 Comments

Author Fanny Burney lived through the Battle of Waterloo in the nearby city of Brussels, where she had fled from Paris when Napoleon regained power in the spring of 1815, Burney's husband, General d'Arblay was a member of the guard of King Louis XVIII, who fled Paris with his retinue and waited for a time in Belgium.

We take up Burney’s account of Brussels again on the day of the Battle of Quatre Bras. “I was again awakened at about five o'clock in the morning Friday, 16th June, by the sound of a bugle in the March aux Bois: I started up and opened the window. But I only perceived some straggling soldiers, hurrying in different directions, and saw lights gleaming from some of the chambers in the neighbourhood: all again was soon still, and my own dwelling in profound silence, and therefore I concluded there had been some disturbance in exchanging sentinels at the various posts, which was already appeased: and I retired once more to my pillow, and remained till my usual hour…

(Later) “… my ears were alarmed by the sound of military music, and my eyes equally struck with the sight of a body of troops marching to its measured time. But I soon found that what I had supposed to be an occasionally passing troop, was a complete corps; infantry, cavalry artillery, bag and baggage, with all its officers in full uniform, and that uniform was black.... I learned it was the army of Brunswick. How much deeper yet had been my heartache had I foreknown that nearly all those brave men, thus marching on in gallant though dark array, with their valiant royal chief at their head, the nephew** of my own king, George III., were amongst the first destined victims to this dreadful contest, and that neither the chief, nor the greater part of his warlike associates, would within a few short hours, breathe again the vital air!...

“What a day of confusion and alarm did we all spend on the 17th!...That day, and June 18th, I passed in hearing the cannon! Good heaven! what indescribable horror to be so near the field of slaughter! such I call it, for the preparation to the ear by the tremendous sound was soon followed by its fullest effect, in the view of the wounded, the bleeding martyrs to the formidable contention that was soon to terminate the history of the war. And hardly more afflicting was this disabled return from the battle, than the sight of the continually pouring forth ready-armed and vigorous victims that marched past my windows to meet similar destruction.”

Above, the Wounded Arriving in Brussels

Many offers of escort out of Brussels were discussed and several attempted but none were successful. The military had confiscated all vehicles and barges destined for the roads and canals to Antwerp or Ostend.

Amidst reports on her conversations with those trying to escape, “I found upon again going my rounds for information, that though news was arriving incessantly from the scene of action, and with details always varying, Bonaparte was always advancing…Yet no clamour, no wrangling, nor even debate was intermixed with either question or answer; curiosity, though incessant, was serene; the faces were all monotony, though the tidings were all variety. I could attribute this only to the length of time during which the inhabitants had been habituated to change both of masters and measures, and to their finding that, upon an average, they neither lost nor gained by such successive revolutions…No love of liberty buoyed up resistance; no views of independence brightened their imagination; and they bore even suspense with the calm of apparent philosophy, and an exterior of placid indifference.”

These are just a few of her observations, but I have attempted to choose the most relevant ones. At last, we come to the day of the main battle.

“But what a day was the next — June 18th — the greatest, perhaps, in its result, in the annals of Great Britain!...” Despite the streets full of people, “when every other hour changed the current of expectation, no one could be inquisitive without the risk of passing for a spy, nor communicative without the hazard of being suspected as a traitor…”

Her friend Mr. Boyd “…feared all was lost-that Bonaparte was advancing-that his point was decidedly Brussels-and that the Duke of Wellington had sent orders that all the magazines, the artillery, and the warlike stores of every description, and all the wounded, the maimed, and the sick, should be immediately removed to Antwerp. For this purpose he had issued directions that every barge, every boat should be seized…”

“The dearth of any positive news from the field of battle, even in the heart of Brussels, at this crisis, when everything that was dear and valuable to either party was at stake, was at one instant nearly distracting in its torturing suspense to the wrung nerves, and at another insensibly blunted them into a kind of amalgamation with the Belgic philosophy. At certain houses, as well as at public offices, news, I doubt not, arrived; but no means were taken to -- promulgate it -- no gazettes, as in London, no bulletins, as in Paris, were cried about the streets; we were all left at once to our conjectures and our destinies.”

… “What a dreadful day did I pass! dreadful in the midst of its glory! for it was not during those operations that sent details partially to our ears that we could judge of the positive state of affairs, or build upon any permanency of success. Yet here I soon recovered from all alarm for personal safety, and lost the horrible apprehension of being in the midst of a city that was taken, sword in hand, by an enemy -- an apprehension that, while it lasted, robbed me of breath, chilled my blood, and gave me a shuddering ague that even now in fancy returns as I seek to commit it to paper.”

Eventually Burney heard an account from a witness to the battle; (Mr. Saumarez’s) “…narration was all triumphant and his account of the Duke of Wellington might almost have seemed an exaggerated panegyric if it had painted some warrior in a chivalresque romance. . . . I could not but be proud of this account: independent from its glory; my revived imagination hung the blessed laurels of peace. But though Hope was all alive, Ease and Serenity were not her companions: Mr. Saumarez could not disguise that there was still much to do, and consequently to apprehend; and he had never, he said, amongst the many he had viewed, seen a field of battle in such excessive disorder. Military carriages of all sorts, and multitudes of groups unemployed, occupied spaces that ought to have been left for manoeuvring or observation. I attribute this to the various nations who bore arms on that great day in their own manner; though the towering generalissimo of all cleared the ground, and dispersed what was unnecessary at every moment that was not absorbed by the fight.”

As she returned to her lodging, “Three or four shocking sights intervened during my passage, of officers of high rank, either English or Belge, and either dying or dead, extended upon biers, carried by soldiers. The view of their gay and costly attire, with the conviction of their suffering, or fatal state, joined to the profound silence of their bearers and attendants, was truly saddening ; and if my reflections were morally dejecting, what, oh what were my personal feelings and fears, in the utter uncertainty whether this victory were more than a passing triumph!”

Though confident of victory, no one knew at the moment that for all practical purposes, Napoleon’s reign was over and peace would soon be restored to Europe.

Finis

0 Comments

AFTER THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO...

9/14/2015

1 Comment

The above picture is a detail from the great glass apinting in the Gallery of the House of Lords in the Palace of Westminster. It depicts the victorious field marshals, Duke of Wellington and Prussian General von Blucher shaking hands after the fighting was over. The Prussians pursued the fleeing French army and the British and Allies stayed behind to rest, bury the dead, treat the wounded , and take up the chase again later.

This painting by Joseph William Mallord Turner was painted after he toured the battlefield and sketched the scene. It emphasizes the tragedy of so many deaths, so many lost forever. Below, the Duke of Wellington rides through the carnage back to his headquarters in the village of Waterloo where he would write his despatch to Lord Bathurst in London declaring victory. Later the Duke of Wellington said, “I hope to God I have fought my last battle…I am wretched even at the moment of victory, and I always say that next to a battle lost, the greatest misery is a battle gained.”

It was the first battle in which Napoleon faced Wellington, and for both men, indeed their last military battle. The Battle of Waterloo left 9,500 dead; 32,000 wounded.

This caricature expresses the views that Napoleon was principally to blame for the millions of dead in Europe during his years of power. He may have had sokme positive effects on French laws, but it is hard not to blame him for the dreadful number of casualties.

The Duke of Wellington showing the Prince Regent (later George IV) the battlefield of Waterloo by Benjamin Robert Haydon, c. 1844. Copyright: Stratfield Saye Preservation Trust. The Prince Regent had convinced himself he was present at the battle, and the Duke was often required to respond when George recalled his glorious participation. "So you say, Your Royal Highness," the Duke would have to reply.

1 Comment

A ROYAL DAY OUT

8/7/2015

0 Comments

On a sunny day last August, 2014, we had pre-booked tickets for a combined visit to the Royal Mews, the Queen's Gallery, and Buckingham Palace...that's about as Royal as it gets!

Above, the Gold State Coach, c. 1764; below l to r: The Irish State Coach, the Scottish State Coach, the Glass Coach

From the Mews, it is a short walk to the Queen's Gallery, where interesting exhibitions from the Royal Collection are always on show and open to the public. In this case, the subject was The First Georgians, marking the 300th anniversary of the House of Hanover ascending to the British Throne.

George I, King of Great Britain and Ireland, Elector of Hanover, came to London in 1714; he never learned to speak English. When he died in 17 he was succeeded by his son.

George II became King in 1727 and reigned until his death in 1760. He was succeeded by his grandson George III.

Crowds admire the paintings and objects from the Royal Collection dating from the time of the first two Georges. Next was the visit to Buckingham Palace. Of course no pictures were allowed inside.

Behind the Palace, many tents housed a huge tea room (most welcome indeed!) .and gift shops. Though we were not allowed to wander the gardens, we did follow the long path beside the wilderness and the lake to the exit. A wonderful, if exhausting, day.

I regret they do not allow pictures inside the Palace, but if you google Buckingham Palace interiors, you will find many views of the sumptuous rooms still similar to the styles favored by King George IV who was responsible for most of the remodeling of State Rooms in both the Palace and Windsor Castle.

0 Comments

REVERBERATIONS FROM WATERLOO

7/13/2015

0 Comments

The Battle of Waterloo was fought on June 18, 1815, the culmination of a short campaign by Napoleon into the Kingdom of the Netherlands to appose the Allied Army led by the Duke of Wellington and the Prussians, led by Marshal von Blucher. It ended in a rout of the French, as they fled south to cross back into France, pursued by the Prussians and the Allies. Although Wellington considered the battle a complete victory, neither the British nor the Prussians knew how long it would take to completely end the French threats to the peace established in 1814 when Napoleon was originally sent to exile on Elba.

Above left, painting in the Palace of Westminster by Daniel Maclise, the Meeting of Wellington and Blucher at La Belle Alliance, after the battle; right, the Battlefield by J.M.W.Turner. Below left, The Morning After the Battle, by John Heaviside Clark; right, Presenting the Eagles to the Prince Regent

Above left, French eagle, as it appeared at the top of captured battle flags. Right. jacket worn by Henry Percy. bloodstained o the battlefield, when he delivered the despatch to London. Percy got a chaise to the port of Ostend and embarked on the brig HMS Peruvian. Some accounts tell of the becalmed ship and the completion of the voyage by rowing – the Captain James White RN and Percy, with several other sailors, taking the oars themselves. From their landing at Broadstairs, Kent, about 3 pm on June 21, Percy hurried to London, changing horses at Canterbury, Sittingbourne, and Rochester. At first he could not find Lord Bathurst or Prime Minister Lord Liverpool. But with the French Eagles of the 45th and 105th sticking out of the windows of the carriage, they soon attracted a crowd, following them and cheering. Eventually he found the officials and together they carried the news and the Eagles to #14 (or #16 in some accounts) St. James’s Square, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Boehm who were hosting a grand party for the Prince Regent and his brother the Duke of York, C-in-C of the Army. Below left,
the Boehm residence, St. James Square, today the East India United Service Club. Right, Henry Percy (1785-1825). Colonel Percy retired in 1821 and became a member of the House of Commons in 1823; however, he died only a year later, age 40.

Above left, the monument to British Officers who fell at Waterloo in the Evere Cemetery in Brussels. Right, a lasting remnant of the Battle of Waterloo: Waterloo Teeth, removed by scavengers from dead bodies on the battlefield and sold to dentists who advertised them to customers for decades as superior for replacement dental plates.

0 Comments

WATERLOO: TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO THIS WEEK

6/15/2015

0 Comments

Photo credit: Visit Belgium © Alex Kouprianoff

June 18, 1815, the culmination of the Napoleonic Wars when the forces of the Anglo Allies and the Prussians under the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal von Blucher triumphed over the French Grand Armee of Napoleon Bonaparte. Within weeks, Napoleon had abdicated and was shipped off to the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena where he died six years later. The victorious armies of Wellington and Blucher occupied Paris, and the Bourbon King, Louis XVIII, was restored to his throne. The decisions of the Congress of Vienna, however reactionary one might now consider them, preserved a general peace in Europe, with a few exceptions, until the outbreak of another widespread conflict, WWI, in 1914.'

In honor of the Great Battle, a group of nine authors have compiled an anthology of romantic stories. Beaux, Ballrooms, and Battles is available as an e-book for $2.99 (click here) from all relevant platforms and from Amazon.com as a trade paperback for $14.99 (click here). Below, a description of my story, "Folie Bleue."

On the night of the 30th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, Aimée, Lady Prescott, reminisces about meeting her husband in Bruxelles on the eve of the fighting. She had avoided the dashing scarlet-clad British officers, but she could not resist the tempting smile and spellbinding charm of Captain Robert Prescott of the 16th Light Dragoons who— dangerously to Aimée— wore blue.

At the left, is an image of what my hero looks like. Actually, he is a member of the Blues and Royals on duty at Horse Guards in London, but as far as I am concerned, he is Robert Prescott. Dont you think he would appeal to any heroine worth writing about? Yum.

Here is a short except from my story:

“…Robert and I wandered off again, away from the discussions of unworthy royals. We headed across a little bridge to an island in the small lake. As we came off the bridge, the ground was wet and spongy. He placed his arm around my waist, and we continued in the marshy grass. His hand was warm and I wished he would never take it away. I hoped he would leave it there for—oh, the next hundred years?...

I looked back at our footprints in the dewy grass, set off by the sun glinting off our tracks. My shoes were soaked but their ruin was a small price to pay for the lasting image of our side-by-side steps. As I write about it, my heart is full. I can see it as if it had been this morning, not more than thirty years ago.”

However you observe the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo, be sure to remember all those lost in all our wars, and those who were left behind when their loved ones never returned. It's a sobering thought.
Somehow it seems humankind has a hard time learning its lessons, n'est ce pas? Adieu.

0 Comments

A VISIT TO KENWOOD...

6/8/2015

4 Comments

Today I'm writing about one of my favorite places in London -- Kenwood House. I first visited many years ago and feasted my eyes on the stunning collection of masterworks in the Iveagh Bequest and on the justly famous Adam Library. But I admit, the the rooms used as galleries, were -- aside from the paintings -- quite bland. So I was delighted a few years ago to hear that the whole house was to be renovated and restored to the period, when the 1st Earl of Mansfield purchased the structure and had Robert Adam remodel it in 1764-1779.

A special bonus for me was the traveling exhibition of most of the Iveagh Bequest paintings in the U.S. in 2013-14, including at the Milwaukee Art Museum which I was able to visit several times. Unless otherwise indicated, the pictures in this post were taken by me in August, 2014. Then, in advance of leading our Duke of Wellington Tour in a few days, Kristine Hughes and I were actually there in the refurbished Kenwood House and free to enjoy it at our leisure. And when I say free, I mean it. When Lord Iveagh, one of the heirs of the Guinness Brewery fortune, bequeathed Kenwood and his incredible art collection to the nation in 1927, he specified that his collection should be exhibited free to one and all. The renovations cost about £5.95 million, so don't be surprised that they have a good-will offering suggestion! Before we got to the greatest of the artworks or the newly-refurbished library, we stopped to examine an Adam fireplace and the handsome staircase.

The library as it was when I first saw it, was certainly a room justly famous as representative of the work of the famous architect and designer Robert Adam. However, as it once appeared, left below in a file photo, the red carpeting overwhelmed the delicacy of the ceiling and wall decoration. At the right, see how the restoration restored the colors of the ceiling to their original hues. When you look at the restored version, you realize the former decor was rather gaudy, too much so for authentic Adam.

Above, left, the newer ceiling decor; right, the entrance to the library. Below, Left, Lord Mansfield above the fireplace (more about him later), right, a classic Adam touch, a mirrored alcove to reflect the light.

In the dining room the deep red walls are appropriate to the decor and the brilliant art, not to mention the chandelier (right). The painting above the fireplace is by Anthony Van Dyke, Princess Henrietta of Lorraine Attended by a Page.
Elsewhere in the Dining Room are two priceless masterpieces: left, Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of the Artist, and on the right, Johannes Vermeer, The Guitar Player.

The furniture is certainly equal to the paintings and the setting: a handsome sidetable, left; on the right, Edwin Landseer, The Hon. E. S. Russell and His Brother, 1834. Children love this painting of the boys on their ponies with their dogs. Below, a portrait of William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, by David Martin, 1775, hangs in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. A copy hangs in Kenwood (see above). At the right, a double portrait of Elizabeth Murray and Dido Bell, cousins, once attributed to Johann Zoffany, but currently unattributed; the version hanging at Kenwood is a copy of the original, which can be seen in Scone Palace, Perthshire, Scotland. This painting of Lord Mansfield's wards has long fascinated art experts and social commentators. Dido Bell was the subject of a 2013 film exploring her life and times.
Lord Mansfield was the Lord Chief Justice of Britain and authored the decision that slaves who entered Britain were no longer subject to the orders of their former masters. For this and other important judicial rulings, he was made the 1st Earl of Mansfield.

Left. Angelica Kauffman, RA, The Disarming of Cupid. Kauffman was an excellent painter and did many Georgian interior medallions and other paintings -- and is, in my opinion, quite underrated. Right, a Carlton House Desk; the original was supposedly designed for the Prince of Wales by George Hepplewhite; These were very popular and are found in many country houses in England.
Most of the Old Master paintings in the house are part of the Iveagh Bequest. Lord Iveagh purchased Kenwood to house his substantial collection and bequeathed it to the nation in 1927. Sadly, he passed away before the installation was complete. Below, the Music Room on the left and on the right, Miss Murray by Sir Thomas Lawrence, painted 1824-26.

Above, left, John Hoppner, Mrs. Jordan as Viola from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, c.1785-92; right, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Kitty Fisher as Cleopatra Dissolving the Pearl, 1759.
Below, left, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Mrs. Musters as "Hebe", 1782. Another version of this work can be seen in the staircase of Highclere Castle, sometimes in evidence in scenes from Downton Abbey. Right, Sir Joshua Reynolds, The Brummell Children, 1782

Above, left, Main Entrance of Kenwood House; right, the Dairy on the grounds. Below, left, walking the paths; left, the view of London from Hampstead Heath.

4 Comments

The Ringling Museum's British Treasures

5/26/2015

0 Comments

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota is operated by the State of Florida, housing the bequests of the Ringling family and others. Left is a view of the interior courtyard. Recently, the entire museum was renovated and its collections rehung.
Well worth a visit!

Of course I am particularly partial to the British paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries. Above Left is my photo of the Joshua Reynolds portrait of John Manners, Marquis of Granby, 1766. Sir Joshua (1723-92) was the first president of the Royal Academy of Art in London. Right, his colleague and competitor, Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), who painted this equestrian portrait of Lt. General Philip Honywood.
Below, Benjamin West's historical painting of Agrippina and Her Children Mourning over the Ashes of Germanicus, 1773. West (1738-1820), born in America, succeeded Reynolds as President of the RA. Right, George IV When Prince of Wales attributed to John Hoppner (1758-1810). This colorful portrait of the man who would be Prince Regent for his father, George III, for nine years, truly characterizes him as a dedicated, if self-indulgent, connoisseur of the arts. Click on the pictures for full size images.

Above L, Mr. Hope Vere of Blackwood, c. 1805, by Henry Raeburn (1756-1823); M, The Sisters (Georgina and Elizabeth Reay of Killingworth Hall, Northumberland) by George Watson (1767-1837); Mrs. George Frederick Stratton nee Anne d'Ewwes, 1811, by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769 -1830).
Below, The Sirens, 1870, unfinished, by Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898); R, Roman Courtship, by William Ernest Reynolds-Stephens (1862-1943).

0 Comments

<<Previous

Victoria Hinshaw, Author

Here I will share some of my articles on favorite topics, such as English Country Houses, the Regency Royals, Jane Austen, and the like. Some of these articles have been published elsewhere, probably on the blog I share with Kristine Hughes, www.onelondonone.blogspot.com

VISITING BASILDON PARK

VISITING FROGMORE HOUSE

Enjoying Georgette Heyer, Doyenne of the Regency Romance

MEMOIRS OF AUTHOR FANNY BURNEY OF BRUSSELS IN THE TIME OF WATERLOO, PART II

AFTER THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO...

A ROYAL DAY OUT

On a sunny day last August, 2014, we had pre-booked tickets for a combined visit to the Royal Mews, the Queen's Gallery, and Buckingham Palace...that's about as Royal as it gets!

REVERBERATIONS FROM WATERLOO

WATERLOO: TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO THIS WEEK

A VISIT TO KENWOOD...

The Ringling Museum's British Treasures

Victoria Hinshaw, Author

Archives

Categories