In 2010 with my husband, Ed, and my Number One London blog partner Kristine Hughes (http://onelondonone.blogspot.com) and her daughter Brooke, I traveled to Belgium to experience the 195th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. 

At the left is the way the battle field looked from the Chateau Hougomont, The contemporary poles. white  tents, traffic, and the distant Lion Mound, erected in 1826 in honor of the Prince of Orange, weren't present in 1815. But the flat fields of rye and grass were there. What you cannot see is the mud, much as it was 200 years before. The threatening skies were about the same.

The re-enactors often rode through the fields rehearsing their roles. This year's 200th pagent will be larger and full of excitement, though I have to say that once it strted on the 18th,it was almost impossible to understand what was supposed to be happening. The cavalry rode and the soldiers marched back and forth, firing puffs of smoker here and there. Despite the splendid uniforms and elaborate replica weapons, the result will always be the same: victory for the Allied troops of the Duke of Wellington. Below, snaps from the British encampment.

When we engaged the Scots in conversation we discovered they were from Italy. And the lower far right shows one nod to modern conveniences.
Below, pictures from the French Encampment at Caillou, where Napoleon spent the night before the battle. Note the elaborate uniforms of the "generals."

Here are more miscellaneous photos: upper, l to r: memorial in wall of Chateau Hougomont; Targte for shooting practice in the French encampment; the Imperial Garde re-enactors; lower, l to r: obvious!, Waterloo, The Beer of Victory; The re-enactors are ready to perform.

The Waterloo Battlefield is actually a mile or two south of the village where Wellington had his headquarters.  There is a small museum there.  Since the three-day battles covered  large areas, monuments are far-flung to various regiments of all the participating armies. Chateau Hougoumont is undergoing considerable restoration and I recently heard one can stay in rooms there.  Spooky! 
        The entire site is only a dozen or so miles from Brussels where we visited a large Victorian monument to the British Dead in the Evere Cemetery, completed in 1890.

Who won? During the recent Cover Reveal party for our Waterloo Anthology,  I asked, "Among the people associated with Waterloo and the Regency, with whom would you most like to have tea and a chat?"

The winner by one vote was Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice,  barely edging out the Duke of Wellington. Next, again just one vote separated her from the duke, was Jane Austen. Other multiple votes were won by Lord Byron and Lady Jersey.   I think people were quite creative,  In addition to Hariette Wilson, votes were received for Prinny, Lady Caroline Lamb, Josephine, Napoleon, and Keats, among others.

The Waterloo Anthology Authors will be at it again on April 1 with our Release Party, so join us then for more merriment and mayhem.

Two voters were chosen at random as "winners" from all those who participated -- Danniell and Mary Anne. Their copies of one of my paperbacks are in the mail.

Below, Colin Firth as Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy; Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Jane Austen would have tied with the Duke if my vote counted.  Several persons chose Lord Byron,  And I was surprised several wanted to chat with Lady Jersey. From what I've read of her,  those persons would not have been able to get  word in, much less ask some questions; one of her  ironic nicknames was 'Silence".  Multiple votes were also cast for the notorious Lady Caroline Lamb, the even MORE notorious courtesan Harriette Wilson, and another poet, John Keats.

Which of the above individuals would be most offended at having received only ONE vote in our poll? Admiral Nelson? Josephine? Or Napoleon? I think all three would have been in a mighty snit at the slur.  As would the man at left below, George, Prince of Wales, the Prince Regent. But he would have blamed is wife -- and pointed out that she got no votes at all!  Also mentioned were Charlotte Lucas of Pride and Prejudice (Lucy Scott), the Scarlet Pimpernel (Anthony Andrews), and several Georgette Heyer heroines.

This question brought some fun answers!  I will think up another for our Launch Party on April 1.  Please join us on Facebook for the festivities.  If you haven't signed up yet go to the Facebook Beaux, Ballrooms, and Battles page, and click on events. 

We celebrated on March 18 to mark the Cover Reveal of our Waterloo Anthology, nine stories focused on the great battle and romance.

At the left is the inspiration for my ensemble, black in honor of the dead, velvet for the cool weather in March in Brussels, where we had our own virtual Duchess of Richmond's Ball as seen on Facebook.  

The painting by James Lonsdale, 1815, is a portrait of Lady Anne Hamilton, V&A.

You can review the proceedings on Facebook at .https://www.facebook.com/events/1378988715749564/

Here is the cover -- and no, that is not Tom Cruise, but an equally handsome young gent...whose expression I find apropos -- he is headed into battle and he is in love. His life will be on the line as well as the happiness of his beloved. Yet isn't there a spark of excite-ment there as he contemplates being in the midst of combat?

Below is a detail from the famous panting of The Duchess of Richmond's Ball, held on June 15, 1815.  The artist is Robert Alexander Hillingford and you will learn more about him in a few days, right here.  You can visit this painting at Goodwood House, home of the Duke of Richmond in West Sussex, UK.

These two gallant fellows were my escorts at the soiree, and if they look suspiciously like Eddie Redmayne (L) and James Norton (R), I have nothing more to say except that we had a very good time indeed. Draw whatever conclusions you wish.

Now you are invited to join us for the launch party for our book. So please find our page on FB -- Beaux, Ballrooms, and Battles -- and click on events.  It's all there and lots more including the latest on upcoming activities in Belgium and the UK surrounding the Waterloo Anniversary.

       This party is definitely BYOB -- Bring Your Own Beau.  We'll be celebrating at this address on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1378988715749564/
We'll have guest authors, prize drawings, stories and pictures about the beaux and the battles, and of course, the ballroom regalia.
         My story is entitled 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.

        All of the stories are sweet, traditional romances with no spicy content beyond kisses.  The nine authors have truly enjoyed imagining the turbulent emotions of the time. We hope our stories will deepen your appreciation of the significance of the conflict's resolution for the individuals whose lives and loves were at stake. 

I am new to this Facebook Party routine, but I am looking forward to giving it a try. Several of our Anthology authors have been working hard to provide stories and activities and guests -- so drop by and see what we've come up with, As I understand it, you can come an go anytime between noon and nine p.m. Eastern Daylight time. My special half-hour is 8-8:30 pm, and I'll be around other times as well.
    Here is the URL:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1378988715749564/
Schedule of Appearances on Facebook
11:45 Aileen Fish...
12 - Nicole Zoltack
12:30 - Christa Paige
1 - David W. Wilkin
1:30 -Elizabeth Johns
2 - Vanessa Kelly
2:30 - Mariana Gabrielle
3 - Heather King
3:30 -Samantha Grace
4 - Christi Caldwell
4:30 - Caroline Warfield
5 - Katherine Bone
5:30 - Jillian Chantal
6 - Téa Cooper
6:30 - Jude Knight
7 - Sophia Strathmore
7:30 - Eileen Richards
8 - Victoria Hinshaw
8:30 - Susana Ellis

TIME ZONE CONVERSION
New York Wednesday Noon - 9:00 PM
Honolulu 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM
San Francisco 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Denver 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Chicago 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Rio de Janeiro 1:00 PM - 10:00 PM
London Wednesday 4:00 PM - Thursday 1:00 AM
Vienna Wednesday 5:00 PM - Thursday 2:00 AM
Singapore Wed/Thurs midnight - Thursday 9:00 AM
Tokyo 1:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Sydney 3:00 AM - 12:00 PM

I'm having my grooms get the horses ready to bring me to the party. I will chose an ensemble to wear today and have Simpson bring my jewels from the vault tomorrow. And of course, I will be escorted...perhaps by both of the gentlemen below. They are very sophisticated and have agreed not to quarrel over me but simply enjoy ourselves and all our guests.  When they are not escorting me, they are sometimes known as Eddie Redmayne (L) and James Norton (R). You may chose your own escort from  among the many who are eager to attend our soiree. I believe that Mr. Darcy and Mr. Tilney are both eager to be invited.   

We will follow up this party with our LAUNCH PARTY on April 1 -- and that's not an April Fool's Joke.  We'll have even more guest authors offering their books to commenters, and there is a special Grand Prize sent to the winner from Merrie Olde England. So mark you calendars for that party too.  See you soon!!

        Last time, I wrote about Jane Austen's life in war-time Britain,  her brothers' careers in the Navy and the militia, and some of the characters in her novels who have military connections. After Napoleon had been defeated and exiled in 1814, the Congress of Vienna assembled to re-draw the boundaries of nations and empires. After the ministers learn Napoleon had escaped and was marching to Paris with a newly-inspired army, the allies prepared for more war.
        The Duke of Wellington went to Brussels to head an Allied army of British soldiers, Hanoverian regiments and units from the new nation of the Netherlands, just created in Vienna, which united Holland and the area of Belgium, which had been under French and Austrian domination for many years. The Prussians assembled their army and started marching west. 
        In the great park in Brussels in the days before the great battle, the diarist Thomas Creevey met Wellington and asked how he thought the contest would go. Wellington gestured to a British soldier walking in the parc. “There,” he said, “It depends all upon that article whether we do the business or not.” This was the ragtag army that Wellington called “infamous.” ]
        Everyone expected that Napoleon would hurry into battle to recapture Brussels, a smashing propaganda victory as well as a military and strategic move – and before the Austrian and Russian armies had fully mobilized. Below, the tower of Bruxelles Hotel de Ville (Brussels City Hall), dating from 1455; R. Parc de Bruxelles,completed in the late 18th century, a gathering place for residents, visitors, and the military in central Brussels.

Above, L, The Gordon Highlanders;  R, The King's German Legion
       After peace had been declared in 1814, many British families moved to Brussels, as well as elsewhere on the continent. Some did this to save money, others to widen their horizons, previously limited by the French domination of the continent. Among the noble families were the Duke and Duchess of Richmond, with their children.  Once Napoleon was known to be assembling an army, Brussels was full of fearful gossip and rumors spread quickly.
       The Duke of Wellington was eager to prevent large-scale civilian panic and flight from Brussels. He wanted the roads kept clear so that the army could move rapidly. So he went to parties and concerts in Brussels, claiming to one and all that nothing was happening --yet. He assured the Duchess of Richmond that her ball on Thursday, the 15th of June, could go forward as planned. This was the event heralded in literature and legend when Wellington was brought news at the ball that Napoleon’s troops had crossed out of France and were moving toward Brussels.
       Wellington immediately mobilised his forces and sent all the officers – many straight from the ballroom – to march their troops south.  Here was  the great romantic scene of men kissing their wives and lovers goodbye…off to the battle, many never to return.  Some of the allied army units in forward positions were already encountering the French scouts and skirmishers.  
         Below, L, The Duchess of Richmond's Ball, June 15, 1815; R, Summoned to Waterloo (from the Ball); both paintings by Robert Alexander Hillingford, in the 1870's

Above L: Capture of the Eagle, 1898, by William Holmes Sullivan (1870-1908); R, The Battle of Waterloo, by Jan Willem Pieneman (1779-1853), Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
       There are many accounts of the battle details, the see-sawing nature of the fighting, the waves of troops, the cavalry charges, the cannons firing over and over again, with speculation about all the “what-ifs” you can imagine. By late afternoon, the ground was littered with dead men and horses, ruins of farmhouses and chateaus, broken wagons and guns, all covered with mud and under a canopy of smoke and noises no one would ever wish to hear again.
         In early evening, the French Imperial Guard, the most feared troops in Europe, made a last charge at the center of the British lines – Napoleon having disregarded the advice of some generals who had fought the Duke before – "Up Guards and ready', was the shout from the Duke. Suddenly the approaching French were facing a wall of British soldiers firing into their faces. Ultimately, the Guard either turned and ran or in some cases kept going to certain death. The long day was almost over.
     Below, Wellington by George Dawe; The Battle of Waterloo by William Sadler

Above, L, Wellington at Waterloo by Robert Alexander Hillingford (1828-1904); Napoleon leaves his carriage to flee, Evening at Waterloo, 1879,by Ernest Crofts 1847-1911), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
       Meanwhile, the Prussians had been arriving from the east and retaking hamlets the French had overrun earlier. Before long, the entire French Army had begun to flee south. Napoleon himself had to abandon his carriage and escaped on horseback.  Just a few more days, and the war was over. The Allies entered Paris again; Napoleon surrendered, this time to be sent to the remote South Atlantic Island of St Helena where he died in 1821.
        Sadly, we have no report from Jane Austen of the victorious tidings reaching her.  It was June 21, 1815, before Wellington’s despatches reached London.  The City went wild with celebration, as did most of the country towns and villages.  But where Jane Austen was and what she was doing at the time remains a mystery to us.
        We do know that a few months later, in November 1815, she was in London working on her manuscript.  She was invited to the Prince Regent’s elaborate residence Carlton House to meet with his librarian James Stanier Clarke, who requested that she dedicate her next novel to the Prince. Which she did in a rather ironical way.
        When Emma was printed in March of 1816, Jane wrote this dedication to the Prince: TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS  THE PRINCE REGENT, THIS WORK IS, BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS’S PERMISSION, MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,  BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS’S DUTIFUL AND OBEDIENT HUMBLE SERVANT, THE AUTHOR.
       Whether Miss Austen had no occasion to write down her thoughts about the end of the war to any of her correspondents, or whether she was too involved in her writing and editing activities we do not know. Perhaps her views were among those destroyed or never preserved.   One concern she might have had was the fact that her brothers in the Royal Navy might soon have to return to England and live on half-pay when the navy underwent some reduction in force.
        We can only speculate about how pleased Jane and her family would be at the victory over Napoleon. Or how horrified they were at the great lose of life.  It all has to live in our imaginations.
   Below, L, James Stanier Clarke (1766-1834), Librarian to the Prince Regent, who met with Jane Austen at Carlton House; an unidentified sketch in Clarke's Friendship Book, dated 1815, and suspected to be his watercolour of his visitor, Miss Jane Austen.

Jane Austen herself compared her work to a miniature portrait on a tiny bit of ivory – and that two or three families in a country village are just the thing to work on. Nevertheless, readers will find many references to the army and the navy throughout her novels and in her letters. Think about Colonel Brandon in Sense &Sensibility, the militia stationed in Meryton and later in Brighton in Pride &Prejudice, Fanny Price’s brother William becoming a midshipman in the Royal Navy in Mansfield Park, and Captain Wentworth’s fortune earned by capturing enemy ships in Persuasion.
     Below, L, Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon; M, Adrian Lukas as Mr. Wickham; Ciaran Hinds as Captain Wentworth, all films are the 1995 versions.

Above, L, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, commander of the Allied Armies; R, Field Marshal Gerhard von Blucher, commander of the Prussian Army. At the time of the Battle of Waterloo, Jane Austen was almost 40 years old. By June of 1815, she had published – anonymously – three novels: Sense and Sensibility in 1811, Pride and Prejudice in 1813, and Mansfield Park in 1814.  Emma was in the hands of a publisher and she was probably working on The Elliotts, a Novel which eventually was published after her death as Persuasion.

Since the summer of 1809, Jane Austen, her sister Cassandra, their mother, and Martha Lloyd were living in Chawton, at the cottage provided for them by Edward Austen, later known as Edward Austen-Knight, the brother who was taken into the Knight family as the heir of his father’s wealthy relatives. Jane Austen had just over two years to live.

Waterloo is in the present day nation of Belgium, north of France. Paris to Brussels is a distance of 160 miles. From the French border to Brussels is a bit over forty miles. Below L, Napoleon and the Imperial Guard; R, below, Scotland Forever, Charge of the Highlanders, by Lady Butler.

British dominance of the seas was insured by victory in the battle of Trafalgar on 21 October, 1805. Just weeks previously, Napoleon had marched his troops away from the English Channel, giving up the attempted invasion in favor of years of land battles against the European powers. Under the leadership of Admiral Horatio Nelson, off the Cape of Trafalgar near Cadiz, Spain, the British Fleet, destroyed the combined French and Spanish fleets. Sadly, Nelson (1758-1805) died in the battle, forever remembered as a great hero. Below, L, Admiral Horatio Nelson; R,The Battle of Trafalgar by 
William Clarkson Stanfield.

Above L, Death of Nelson, by Benjamin West, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; Trafalgar Square, London, with Nelson's Column at right.

Napoleon marched his troops away from Boulonge on the Channel coast and defeated the combined Austrian and Russian armies at the Battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805. He continued his conquests on the continent, eventually dominating almost the entire area of Western Europe and a large slice of eastern. Most of the British efforts in the coalitions opposing the French Empire were through diplomacy and large amounts of cash to support their Austrian, Prussian and Russian armies.
         Then, in 1808, Britain sent troops to defend Portugal from takeover by Napoleonic Spain, conquered but not subdued by the French.  The Peninsular War lasted until the first defeat and exile of Napoleon to Elba in 1814.  The British allied with the Portuguese army and the troops of the anti-French Spanish fought their way into southern France about the same time that Napoleon was defeated by the Sixth Coalition [after losing the Battle of Leipzig, October 16-19, 1813.] 
      The British army was led in the Peninsula by Arthur Wellesley, who was honored for his victories with increasingly important titles, is best known as the first Duke of Wellington. After the Allies entered Paris on March 31, 1814, the Duke was British Ambassador and head of the army of occupation.
  Below, L, Napoleon at his bivouac before the Battle of Austerlitz, December 1, 1805, by  Loouis-Francois, Baron Lejeune,1808; R, Duke of Wellington at Vittoria, Spain, 21 June, 1813; by Thomas Jones Barker.

    Above, L, Adieu to the Old Guard: Napoleon leaves Fontainebleau for exile on Elba; by Antoine Alphonse Montfort; R, Return of Napoleon to France, March 1815, by Karl Stenben.
        Napoleon was sent into exile on the island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea, just 12 miles off Italy.  Many of the most experienced British troops were shipped off to North America to fight in the war with the United States. In London, the Allies celebrated their victory with elaborate feasts, fireworks and concerts in June 1814. In August, British troops burned the White House and the Capitol in the half-built town of Washington City.
        [The War of 1812 was settled by the Treaty of Ghent (Dec. 14, 1814) when the Battle of New Orleans took place. American troops led by Andrew Jackson triumphed over the British, led by General Ned Pakenham, who died in the fight. He was the brother of Kitty, Duchess of Wellington. The date was January 8, 1815.]
         In September 1814, the Congress of Vienna assembled to sort out the mess Napoleon had made of European borders.  In March of 1815 came the news that Napoleon had returned to France and was marching on Pairs with many eager recruits and much of his old army.  The Congress of Vienna declared him an outlaw, and nations again prepared for war.

Jane Austen and the Battle of Waterloo Part Two, next week.

Usually you see tourists perching between President Franklin D. Roosevel and Winston Churchill, but I was lucky to catch a moment when they were simply carrying on their bronzed conversation as two WWII leaders. The sculpture, Allies by Lawrence Holofcener, sits where Old Bond Street becomes New Bond Street. A commemoration of fifty years of peace, it was installed by the Bond Street Association in 1995.  Bond Street is probably the most expensive shopping street in the world, studded with international boutiques. One of them, below, is Ralph Lauren, which occupies (among other locations) the original premises of Savory and Moore, an apothecary established in 1794. At the right, their name is still in evidence. Thank you, Ralph Lauren, for preserving this historic store front! (click on photos for full views)

Above: Savory & Moore's Cold Cream jar on the left; Sotheby's, Bond Street, right. Below, left, another American clothing giant, Abercrombie & Fitch, occupies #7 Burlington Gardens, an historic building just behind Burlington House, aka #42 Saville Row; built in 1725, is was originally a residence, Queensberry House, later Uxbridge House; before A&F, it was a branch of the Bank of England.  Nearby, One Saville Row is the home of Gieves & Hawks, bespoke tailoring. The building was occupied by the Royal Geographical Society until 1912.

Mayfair buildings have many blue plaques indicating they were once associated (usually as residences) with famous people.  The one on the left, above, is high on the building and difficult to read.  It honors Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, who lived here. It concludes "Fell at Trafalgar, 1805." On the right, the birthplace of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1847-1929, Prime Minister and First Chairman of the London County Council.
     Below, L, Ely House, 37,Dover Street, the London showrooms of Mallett, a fine antique dealer. They were hosting an exhibit "The Age of Elegance" when I visited in 2013. Middle is the Saloon, and R, the hallway.

Above L, the graceful staircase, M, the Venetian Room, R, the Grey Room.  All the items were for sale, and I only wish I had a fortune. I wanted every one of them. Ely House was built in 1770 for the Bishop of Ely, and it is beautifully maintained.
     Below, L. Burger and Lobster, 29 Clarges Street, a favorite restaurant for a delicious meal; M, our table; R. One of Mayfair's many delightful watering holes, Mr. Fogg's, where assorted mementos of the man who traveled around the world in 80 days are assembled.

Above L, what Mr. Fogg's is all about; M and L: the elegant loo at Mr. Fogg;s, worth a visit in itself! Below, L, The Only Running Footman, the pub at 5, Charles Street, now posh, which used to be the hangout for servants from Mayfair's great houses; M, The Iron Duke, 11, Avery Row, full of Wellington memorabilia; and my favorite browsing mall, Gray's Antique Centre, 58 Davies Street, chock full of fascinating little speciality shops, some even affordable.

No doubt I will return to Mayfair as a topic in the future, because I can;t stay away! But for the time being, the previous posts will have to do...though there are many other spots I could name...Halcyon Days, Burberry's -- oh, no, not this time!!!

I could wander Mayfair for days, weeks, even months...so here are a few more places I've enjoyed over the years. In my previous post, we moved from houses through squares to a famous church St. George's Hanover Square, which brings us back to houses again, as we visit one of St.George's most famous parishioners, George Frederick Handel.

Above, L, the exterior of 25 Brook Street,  the Handel House Museum; R, interior. These are official pictures from the Handel House Museum website.  I took pictures on the premises but they have disappeared into cyberspace.... The Brook Street ground floor is devoted to a shop and the museum is accessed from the rear, by way of an elevator. It is a very creative use of the building in a lively commercial area while commemorating one of London's most illustrious immigrants. Below, L. another illustrious London former resident, Beau Brummell, lived here at #4 Chesterfield Street; later it was also the home of British P.M. Anthony Eden, Lord Avon (1897-1977) R, #22 Charles Street, once the home of HRH Prince William, Duke of Clarence, later King William IV who reigned from 1830-37.

Above, two views of the house at #2 Davies Street, just off Berkeley Square, now the home of Dunhill & Co. and a little courtyard cafe. It is known as Bourdon House and once was the home of the Duke of Westminster.  Now it houses a tailor, barber, spa and other men's services.  Below, R, #34 Charles Street, now the Hotel Chesterfield, was once the home of the Earl of Tankerville and after the Battle of Waterloo, of Major James Cunningham, one of those most responsible for the crucial act of closing the gates of the Chateau Hougoumont as the French tried to battle their way inside. The other two houses that are enfolded into the hotel are #35 and #36 Charles Street, the latter home of the dowager Countess of Carnarvon, once a resident of Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey). Left, below, Brown's Hotel, Albemarle Street, also created from a row of townhouses, famous for their afternoon teas.

Above, L, #9 Grosvenor Square, the house that John Adams occupied as the first American minister to Great Britain 1785-1788. He was later the 2nd President of the United States.  On the right, a plaque on the house explaining its history, icluidng the information that Abigail and John's daughter, also named Abigail, was married here to Colonel William Stephens Smith of the legation staff, formerly an officer with Washington's army.  Below, three "period"  buildings on the west side of Berkeley Square, among only a handful of originals left: #44 Berkeley Square, built in 1742 by William Kent and now the home of the club Annabel's; #45 and #46 were built 1744-50; #45 was one the home of Clive of India (1725-1774).

Above, L, Burlington House in 1707; Middle: Burlington House in 2011 showing a temporary sculpture in the forecourt; Burlington House, showing the permanent statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds in the forecourt. Burlington House has been remodeled, reconfigured and renovated numerous times over the centuries. As the home of the Royal Academy of Arts, it has been converted to galleries, offices, storage, and is almost constantly being modernized. The side buildings are the homes of several learned societies. Below, several views of the restored John Madjeski Fine Rooms, now looking much as they did in the 18th C, an enfilade of galleries and meeting rooms that please the eye for their noble proportions and tasteful decor. L, General Assembly Room; M, Saloon; R, looking through the enfilade.

Above, three views of The Albany, a posh set of chambers for gentlemen, back in the day. It is located just east of Burlington House in Piccadilly.  On the other side of Burlington House is the Burlington Arcade, below.  Presided over by a Beadle who welcomes you and patrols the premises as well, the covered walk of luxury shops has been here since 1829. Always good for window-shopping and hard on the purse.

Above left and middle, two views of 95 Piccadilly, which is probably the last private mansion of the many that once lined the north side of Piccadilly. The house was originally built in 1756-61, by Lord Egremont, and was the residence later of Marquess of Cholmondeley, the Duke of Cambridge, and Lord Palmerston (1784-1865) while he was Prime Minister.  The view on right is a drawing from 1854, when the Palmerstons were entertaining frequently in order to facilitate government business. After Lord Palmerston's death, the house was sold to the Naval and Military Club, often better known as the In and Out Club due to the markings on the driveway posts. The Club moved to St. James Square in 1996. Since then, various schemes for renovating and adapting the building have been floated and usually floundered. As a Grade I Listed building, the amount of adaptation allowed is minimal. That last I heard, it was being turned into a palatial private residence, probably the most expensive house in London if the plans are fulfilled.

Next, some Mayfair businesses.

London's Mayfair, in the City of Westminster, is bounded by Regent Street on the east, Oxford Street on the north, Park Lane on the west, and Piccadilly on the south. In the 18th century, much of this area was being developed from agricultural fields, pastures, and hamlets into a prime residential neighborhood for the aristocracy and gentry. By the late 20th century, sadly, Mayfair was no longer mostly residential. Most of the great townhouses were gone, replaced by hotels and condos, or converted to business headquarters with posh addresses. Nevertheless, it is full of fascination for those of us who revere British history, architecture, and commerce. Below, one of the last remaining townhouses, Crewe House in Curzon St, now the Embassy of Saudi Arabia.

Many years ago, Mayfair boasted many of these fine house with gardens front and/or back. Part of one of the grandest is now the Lansdowne Club, just off Berkeley Square. Devonshire House stood on Piccadilly with gardens behind backing up into Lansdowne's gardens so that one had a clear view from Devonshire House to Berkeley Square. Below, Devonshire House photographed in 1896; Lansdowne House as originally built; Lansdowne Club today. 

Above, blue plaques on the Lansdowne Club, the former home of the Earl of Shelburne (later Marquess of Lansdowne) and Mr. Selfridge, founder of the great Oxford St. Department Store, who lived here and entertained lavishly as seen on the British drama series), and The Adam Room in the Lansdowne Club. When Lansdowne House was partially demolished in the 1930's, the Dining Room was take to New York where it can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, below, left. On the right, the original Adam Drawing Room with Pompeiian decoration, now to be found in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Berkeley Square is one of three large squares within Mayfair.  Above. two images of Grosvenor Square, the largest and the farthest north and west. On the right, a statue of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Grosvenor Square has long been associated with the U.S. diplomatic mission to Britain. Though just a few buildings remain in their relatively original condition, most have been demolished or dramatically altered. Sadly, the U.S Embassy, on the north side of the  square is the most egregious example of wholesale destruction, but it will soon be no longer the U.S. Embassy. A new Chancery building is under construction in the Nine Elms District in the South Bank Industrial Zone of London. The Grosvenor Square monstrosity has been purchased by the Quatari government. Below, the current U.S. Embassy, left. ON the right a drawing of the new building, to be occupied in 2017, designed by the American architectural firm of Kieran Timberlake. 

Above L, Statue of Sir William Pitt the Younger, (1759-1806), Prime Minister of Great Britain, in Hanover Square; R. a long snaking line of persons waiting to get into the Apple Store on Regent Street, near Hanover Square, hoping to snag the newest gadget in September, 2014. Below, L, the exterior of St. George's, Hanover Square, completed in 1725 by architect John James, the parish church of many prominent persons including George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) and scene of many aristocratic marriages; R, the Last Supper by William Kent (1684-1758) surrounded by carvings executed by a pupil of Grinling Gibbons.The interior was redecorated with some stained glass and other features in the Victoria era. 

Osterley Park is managed by the National Trust and a very good job they do! I had visited the estate several years ago, and this time I was excited to learn that we could take pictures INSIDE.  So, prepare yourselves for a set of interior shots of many rooms.

The approach to the house is suitably dramatic, viewing across a pond laced with water lilies in full bloom.  Queen Elizabeth I visited the first manor house here after its completion in 1676. Thomas Gresham, a wealthy banker, built the house, Another wealthy banker, Sir Francis Child, hired Robert Adam to remodel it in 1761, and the current look - both inside and out - is very much that of the Adam period in all its glory. Adam had one section of the square house replaced with handsome Georgian columns, framing an open courtyard. The great house and estate passed down in the line of the Child banking family.