Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Misc writing’ Category

Book launch review: Mrs Ronnie by Sian Evans
Launch date(s): 23-25 April 2013
Review date: 25 April 2013
Polesden Lacy, Great Bookham, Surrey, RH5 6BD
Polesden Lacy – map
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: ***** (out of 5)

After eight years of hard work, Sian Evans wrote and published her book on Mrs (Ronald) Margaret Greville (nee Margaret Ander and aka Mrs Ronnie) and, the Scottish owner of the Surrey stately home, London socialite,  heiress to the McEwan’s ale breweries and fortune and friend of the monarchy. Having bought Polesden Lacey in 1906 and making it into one of the most beautiful stately homes in the UK, Mrs Ronnie then hosted some of the most famous guests and parties at Polesden Lacey and her Mayfair, London home between 1908 until her death in 1942.

Sian Evans’ book Mrs Ronnie is about this personable and interesting woman who, in her own way, contributed a lot towards society. Ms Evans is a wonderful and personable person who was kind enough to sign her books and give an extremely knowledgeable short, delightful and interesting recollection about Mrs Ronnie and Polesden Lacey. She told her audience great stories in the amazing Gold Room at Polesden Lacey. Many thanks to Ms Evans and Polesden Lacey for this free (with entry) event as it was a great way to learn about Mrs Ronnie and Polesden Lacey, meet Ms Evans and also an opportunity to sit in the plush velvet chairs and sofa in Polesden Lacey’s most sumptous room for the event. A clever idea and worth the time and effort to attend.

A note on Sian Evans: Ms Evans is also the author of several other books. These include but are not limited to: Life Below Stairs: in the Victorian and Edwardian Country House and Ghosts: Spooky Stories and Eerie Encounters from the National Trust. NB: I have highlighted two that I thought looked interesting (she has written more and I am sure, as she is a quietly confident, and also engaging person and storyteller that they are also quite interesting).

Further information:
Mrs Ronnie: The Society Hostess Who Collected Kings by Sian Evans (Amazon.co.uk)
Mrs Greville (Wikpedia)
Polesden Lacey (National Trust official site)
Polesden Lacey (Wikipedia)

Read Full Post »

Television series review: Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History
3-part television series
Shown on: BBC2
Public television broadcast dates: 9, 16, 23 April 2013
Review by: Alexa Williamson
Rating: *** (out of 5)

Although a bit pro-longed or clunky-feeling at times, overall, this a fun three-part series that helps you learn about the succession of the English monarchy (from Henry VIII forward through to Edward VIII), their biological achievements and complaints.

Within the series, monarchs are judged “fit to rule” if they have good health and also, most importantly, produce heirs – a promise that the British monarchy will continue without fear or fail.

Presented by Lucy Worsley, who is head curator (at time of filming of the series) at Historic Royal Palaces (the group that runs Hampton Court Palace, Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Banqueting House), this is an interesting series, with punchy humour, that talks in a good amount of depth and knowledge about each of the monarchs including and from Henry VIII forward but ends before George IV and the former Queen Mother take the throne and also does not include any of the current Royal Family. It ends with Edward VIII’s abdication as he is in love with American socialite Wallis Simpson). Worth a glance if you don’t know your British monarchy history. Shame about no depth on Elizabeth I.

Further information:
Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History (BBC official site)
Historic Royal Palaces (official site)
Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History (Historic Royal Palaces official site)

Read Full Post »

Shopping tip – fun quintessentially English stuff: Cath Kidston
Tip by: Alexa Williamson
Product range rating: *** (out of 5)

I was, as the saying goes… “on the fence” about writing about Cath Kidston as what she produces is very girly and appeals to those who like flowers – her designs remind me of something between Laura Ashley and Worcestershire ceramics (mainly the designs you will find on the teasets). Her patterns can be busy or simple but tend to include flowers and bright colours. I decided to highlight this British designer because the prices are inexpensive for excellent quality and everything she does is “well-made”. Also because, I read an article in the Sunday Times (25 November 2012) a couple of weeks ago that she is increasing her sales in an obvious recession, which is impressive.

Cath Kidston has been designing since 1993 – when she opened her first shop in London’s Holland Park.

The website says: “At Cath Kidston, we are known for our original prints and fresh take on design. We add a modern twist to classic designs to create contemporary products which evoke a sense of nostalgia and fun.”

When you visit her website you will find lots of fun things – from pyjamas to tea and coffee mugs to toiletries bags and umbrellas and more. The site is easy to understand and quick to get through, which is fortunate. From a quick glance, the dresses on the site are hideous so avoid those (they make Marks & Spencers women’s dresses look beautiful, glamorous and feminine – and those are actually very dowdy and shapeless). Go for the mugs and pyjamas and other things!

From Wikipedia (in brief – more to be found there): “Catherine Isabel Audrey Kidston MBE (born 6 November 1958 and generally known as Cath Kidston in Marylebone, London) is an English fashion designer, businesswoman and author whose company, Cath Kidston Limited sells home furnishings and related goods through shops, online and by mail order. In February 2010, the company was valued at £75 million. She is particularly known for her nostalgic floral patterns and has also published a number of books.”

Further information:
Cath Kidston (official site)
Cath Kidston (Wikipedia)

Read Full Post »

Historical snippet: Happy birthday to Mary, Queen of Scots!
Highlighted by: Alexa Williamson

Today is Mary’s birthday… She was a very interesting woman!
Dates: 8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587
Today was a beautiful  cold, crisp and twinkling day and it was nice to learn this today.

Further information:
Mary Queen of Scots (Wikipedia)

Read Full Post »

I wrote the following email today to Space NK via their website…

The email is dated 2 December 2012.

–> During this time frame, they are trying to open a branch of their chain within Primrose Hill Village.

–> I have known this area for many years and it is not a good idea to do this as it will hurt local business and the area.

This is the email I submitted, let’s see if they reply….

Dear Madam or Sir,

I am writing to you in regards to your proposed/possible move to Regent’s Park Road in Primrose Hill Village, London, NW1.

Like many of the newspapers articles have stated recently and residents in the area have also expressed (including Mary Portas and Sadie Frost), we would please like you NOT to open a branch within our village. It is a special area that has many small and local shops. The area is peaceful and quiet and not a home for major brands. I know (and have visited your branch on Hampstead High Street). This is enough for the area. I also know that you have  a branch in Kensington on the King’s Road. Regent’s Park Road is too small ever, literally, to turn into an area like this, but I would also like to prevent it from getting like Hampstead High Street or the King’s Road (with chains and the frenzy and materialism created by expensive shops). Britain, is already, too much of a consumer culture (as one sees by all the high fashion labels appearing in charity shops for pennies). Starbucks respected us when we asked them not to come into the Village, so please do the same.

Many thanks,

Alexa Williamson

ps I am a local Primrose Hill Resident of many years and am very grateful for it being a quiet area that supports the locals. I hope you will respect this and stop your attempt to put a shop in the village. I look forward to hearing from you if you have time.

________________________________

An interesting note on what happened to McDonald’s when they tried to open a restaurant in Glastonbury, Somerset… I relay this as it is slighlty parallel and interesting. At some point in the past, McDonald’s tried to open a branch in Glastonbury and it was protested by the citizens of Glastonbury. However McDonald’s still pursued and a restaurant was opened but the premises were burned to the ground. McDonald’s did not attempt to open a branch there again. That will never happen here, but corporations should respect the wishes of local people.

Read Full Post »

Thoughts on: Mopping – How to mop a small floor the right way)
By: Alexa Williamson

Well, I live and learn. Yesterday I learned the best way to mop a small floor.

The best way to mop a small floor (instructions):
1. Get two clean old  bath towels.
2. Wet 1/3 of the **first* old with cold water and washing up (ie dishwashing) liquid.
3. Get down on your hands and knees and rub/scrub with the wet towel. (NB:
4. Dry and buff the floor as you go along. If your first towel is big enough and the floor is small enough, you can also buff the floor dry with this.
If not dry the floor with the second towel.

NB: I advise taking off your socks and shoes while doing this.

Other thoughts on mopping a small floor:
* Forget string based mops, they just spread the water around and cannot absorb what you are mopping up.
* The squeezy/handle ones with a sponge base on the end can be good as you can mop, then absorb up the dirty water as you go.
* For big floors, use the sponge based mops. Try to avoid machines or the string-based ones, they just spread dirty water around and leave pools of it that evaporate and leave a dirty spot on your floor.

Read Full Post »

Historical snippet: Alexander Pope – what England’s romantic poets thought of this 18th century poet from Twickenham, Middlesex
Highlighted by: Alexa Williamson

I read the following recently about the English poet Alexander Pope and decided to share it as I find the reaction of various 19th century English writers to Pope’s work interesting and I had never known the following before.

Brief over view of Alexander Pope (from Wikipedia – a full biography is available there): “Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744) was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. Famous for his use of the heroic couplet, he is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson.”

Summary of Pope’s Rape of the Lock, his most famous work (from Wikipedia):
“Pope’s most famous poem is The Rape of the Lock, first published in 1712, with a revised version published in 1714. A mock-epic, it satirises a high-society quarrel between Arabella Fermor (the “Belinda” of the poem) and Lord Petre, who had snipped a lock of hair from her head without her permission. The satirical style is tempered, however, by a genuine and almost voyeuristic interest in the “beau-monde” (fashionable world) of 18th-century English society.” Further information on Rape of the Lock can be found at Wikipedia, including a link to Rape of the Lock and other poems, available for free on the Gutenberg Project.

The 19th century English Romantic writers’ opinions/reception of Alexander Pope’s work (from Wikipedia):
“The Romantic movement that rose to prominence in early 19th-century England was… ambivalent towards his work. Though Lord Byron identified Pope as one of his chief influences (believing his scathing satire of contemporary English literature English Bards and Scotch Reviewers to be a continuance of Pope’s tradition), William Wordsworth found Pope’s style fundamentally too decadent a representation of the human condition.”

Further information:
Alexander Pope (Wikipedia)
The Rape of the Lock, by Alexander Pope (Wikipedia)
English 19th century Romantic writers (Wikipedia)
English Romanticism (BBC – official site)

Read Full Post »

History snippet: Quotes from Thomas Carlyle
Highlighted by: Alexa Williamson

As some may know, Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) is a famous Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher who was born in Scotland, lived in Edinburgh and then moved to London and lived at 24 Cheyne Row, SW3, in Chelsea, with his wife Jane, for quite awhile. His house is truly Victorian with interesting wooden walls and floors and much old furniture with big floral patterns and other pieces. He and his wife were middle class and had a modest life. Even though Carlyle would say shocking things to people like Charles Dickens, they were still great friends of his.

When you visit his house, you also come across several of his amusing quotes… they are very funny, witty and sarcastic. I am posting them as they show why, even though he might have trounced his friends, they still liked him. He was clever and interesting.

“I see something of fashionable people here and truly to my plebeain conecption there is not a more futile class of persons on the face of the
earth.”

“Torpid, gluttonous, sooty, swollen and squalid, England is grown a phenomenon which fills me with disgust and apprehension. What a base, pot-bellied, blockhead this, our heroic nation, has become; sunk in its own dirty fat and offal and of a stupidity defying the very gods.”

“Teach a parrot the terms “Supply and Demand” and you’ve got an economist.”
Further information:
Thomas Carlyle (Wikipedia)
Thomas Carlyle’s House (National Trust official site)

Read Full Post »

Historical snippet (number 2): About Bolton Castle (North Yorkshire) and Mary, Queen of Scots
Compiled by: Alexa Williamson
Compiled on: 20 October 2012

A quick thing I learned. When I was fortunate enough to go on holiday in North Yorkshire, I passed this castle and thought it was beautiful as I saw it rising in the distance.

I later did some research, learned it was Bolton Castle and that Mary, Queen of Scots was held prisoner here under a year. This is what it says about her imprisonment at Bolton Castle, on Wikipedia:

About Bolton Castle:
Bolton Castle is a 14th-century castle located in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire. The nearby village Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War, but much of it remains. It has never been sold and is still in the ownership of the descendants of the Scrope family.

It was built between 1378 and 1399 by Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton and Chancellor of England, and is an example of a quadrangular castle.

About Mary, Queen of Scots (and her stay at Bolton Castle):
The most famous event to have taken place in the castle’s history was the stay by Mary, Queen of Scots. After her defeat in Scotland at the Battle of Langside in 1568 she abdicated and fled to England, posing a threat to the position of the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. Although Mary was initially held in Carlisle under the watch of Henry Scrope, 9th Baron Scrope of Bolton, Carlisle proved unsuitable and in July 1568 Mary was moved to Bolton Castle. Mary was given Henry Scrope’s own apartments in the South-West tower. Of her retinue of 51 knights, servants and ladies-in-waiting only 30 of her men and six ladies-in-waiting were able to stay in the castle, the rest taking lodgings nearby. Her retinue included cooks, grooms, hairdresser, embroiderer, apothecary, physician and surgeon. Bolton Castle was not initially suitable for housing a Queen, and tapestries, rugs and furniture were borrowed from local houses and nearby Barnard Castle in County Durham. Queen Elizabeth herself loaned some pewter vessels as well as a copper kettle. Mary was allowed to wander the surrounding lands and often went hunting. Her prime occupation while at the castle was having her hair done. But Sir Francis Knollys, whom Mary nicknamed ‘Schoolmaster’, taught her English, as she only spoke French and Latin. She even met with local Catholics, something for which Knollys and Scrope were severely reprimanded. In January 1569 Mary left Bolton Castle for the last time, being taken to Tutbury in Staffordshire where she spent 18 years before her execution in 1587.

Bolton Castle – now
The castle is currently owned by their descendant, Harry, the eighth Lord Bolton, who resides at nearby Bolton Hall, which was originally built in 1675. Bolton Castle is run by his son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Katie Orde-Powlett. Several movies and television productions have used the site as a location including Ivanhoe, Elizabeth, Heartbeat, and All Creatures Great and Small.

There is a garden including a maze, herb garden, wild flower meadow, rose garden and a vineyard on the site in addition to the castle.

Further information:
Bolton Castle (official site)
Bolton Castle (Wikipedia)
Mary, Queen of Scots (Wikipedia)

Read Full Post »

British history lessons in a nutshell (number 1): Charles II, the court of Charles II, Parliament, painter Frederic, Lord Leighton and the wonderful James VI (of Scotland and James I of England/Ireland)…

British history lessons in a nutshell: Charles II, the court of Charles II and Parliament
Compiled by: Alexa Williamson
Compiled on: 19 October 2012

In my travels, meanderings and adventures (mainly around London). I have learned many things. Some of the things I have learned – about British history – are succinct, intriguing and well-written.

Because I have found them amusing and informative, I share them now.
NB: There are likely to be  more so this is number 1!

——————————————————————————

From The Wild, Beautiful and Damned exhibit that was at Hampton Court Palace from March-September 2012…
Quotations from the exhibition…

During Charles II’s time:
“The court was the hub of fashionable society. After the enforced sobriety of the Commonwealth, the late 17th century saw a new culture of magnificence, hedonism and partying. The public theatres were reopened, new pleasure gardens established and grand balls became the order of the day.”

After Charles II:
“When Queen Anne died in 1714, the Stuart dynasty was also extinguished. Their Hanoverian cousins brought in a different set of customs to court life. Britain could now get on with the business of trade and making money. The new sober nation was expressed through the Act of Union of 1707, which brought England and Scotland together. The pursuit of Beauty was replaced by the Quest for Empire.”

——————————————————————————

Learned at the Parliament exhibit at The Jewel Tower (run by English Heritage):
Quotations from the exhibit:

* “The wonderfully decadent Charles II’s (nb he was a Stuart) cabinet… was called Cabal . And, it got its name because the members were named: Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, Lauderdale.”

* “Sir Robert Walpole was considered the first Prime Minister as George I stopped attending the Cabinet after 1714.”

* “Charles II died without a legitimate child to succeed him. His brother James II took the throne. James II was a Catholic and his efforts to restore the Catholic religion antagonised most sections of the country. In 1668, a secret letter was sent by seven Parliamentarians to the Dutchman William of Orange (married to James’ Protestant daughter Mary), suggesting he come and rescue the religion and the Nation.

William of Orange landed at Torbay on 5 November 1688. James fled and was captured and fled again. On 18 December William entered London. A specially summoned Parliament had agreed to offer the crown jointly to William and Mary together with a declaration of Rights – one of the most important documents in British Parliamentary History. The events of 1688-89 came to be known as the Glorious Revolution.”

——————————————————————————

Learned at Frederic Lord Leighton’s House in Holland Park, W11:
Dorothy Dean, Lord Leighton’s main model, was also the inspiration for George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion.

——————————————————————————

Random facts about England’s Parliament, learned at The Jewel Tower in Westminster, London, SW1

The Jewel Tower, which was built  around 1365 to house Edward III’s treasures and the King’s Privy Wardrobe and is “one of only two buildings from the medieval Palace of Westminster” to survive the fire of 1834.

The fire was, interestingly, witnessed by the painter JMW Turner and then painted by him in several paintings including The Burning of the House of Lords and Commons (1835).

Interesting quotes on the fire:

“The fire was caused by the destruction of tally sticks.

Dickens wrote: “…it took until 1826 to get these sticks abolished. In 1834 it was found that there was a considerable accumulation of them; and the question then arose, what was to be done with such worn-out, worm-eaten, rotten old bits of wood? The sticks were housed in Westminster, and it would naturally occur to any intelligent person that nothing could be easier than to allow them to be carried away for firewood by the miserable people who lived in that neighborhood. However, they never had been useful, and official routine required that they should never be, and so the order went out that they were to be privately and confidentially burned. It came to pass that they were burned in a stove in the House of Lords. The stove, over-gorged with these preposterous sticks, set fire to the panelling; the panelling set fire to the House of Commons; the two houses were reduced to ashes; architects were called in to build others; and we are now in the second million of the cost thereof.”

The responsibility for disposing of the tally sticks fell to Richard Whibley, the Clerk of Works at the Palace. He decided against burning them on a bonfire out in the open, as he feared such an action would upset the neighbours. The decision was made to burn the sticks in the underfloor coal furnaces that heated the House of Lords chamber. On the morning of October 16, Whibley assigned the task to two workmen, Joshua Cross and Patrick Furlong. The work went on all day; witnesses recalled seeing the men throw great handfuls of sticks onto the fires, despite the risk of the burning wood overheating the copper-lined brick flues.

The first indication that something was wrong came that afternoon when the housekeeper at the palace, Mrs. Wright, was showing round a party of visitors. She complained that the House of Lords’ Chamber was full of smoke; whilst her visitors noted the exceptional amount of heat coming up through the floor. Nonetheless she did not pursue the matter any further. Cross and Furlong clocked off in the late afternoon, having completed their task. Mrs. Wright locked up the Lords chamber at 5pm. Within an hour it was discovered to be ablaze. It is believed the over-stoked furnaces heated the flues to such an extent that their copper linings collapsed, causing the exposed brickwork to heat up, and bursting through the stone floor of the chamber above. This allowed the fire to spread to the vast range of combustible wooden and fabric furnishings inside the Chamber itself.[3][page needed]

The fire was the biggest conflagration seen in London since the Great Fire of 1666, and an enormous crowd flocked to Westminster to witness the spectacle, including Lord Melbourne, the prime minister, and many of his cabinet.”

Further information, from Wikipedia on the Burning of Parliament in 1834.

——————————————————————————

On James VI of Scotland (ie James I of England…. and Ireland)

I had read a little about James at The Wild, The Beautiful and The Damned exhibit. I learned even more just now on Wikipedia… he sounds like  he was a great king and leader and a lot happened during his reign. 22 years of harmony (I think) in all the kingdoms. Cool.

From Wikipedia and I quote:

“James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death. The kingdoms of England and Scotland were individual sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciary, and laws, though both were ruled by James in personal union.

He became King of Scotland at the age of thirteen months, succeeding his mother Mary, Queen of Scots, who had been compelled to abdicate in his favour. Four different regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, though he did not gain full control of his government until 1583. In 1603, he succeeded the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, Elizabeth I, who died without issue. He continued to reign in all three kingdoms for 22 years, a period known as the Jacobean era after him, until his death in 1625 at the age of 58. After the Union of the Crowns, he based himself in England (the largest of the three realms) from 1603, only returning to Scotland once in 1617, and styled himself “King of Great Britain and Ireland”. In his reign, the Plantation of Ulster and British colonisation of the Americas began.

At 57 years and 246 days, his reign in Scotland was longer than any of his predecessors. He achieved most of his aims in Scotland but faced great difficulties in England, including the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and repeated conflicts with the English Parliament. Under James, the “Golden Age” of Elizabethan literature and drama continued, with writers such as William Shakespeare, John Donne, Ben Jonson, and Sir Francis Bacon contributing to a flourishing literary culture. James himself was a talented scholar, the author of works such as Daemonologie (1597), True Law of Free Monarchies (1598), and Basilikon Doron (1599). He sponsored the translation of the Bible that was named after him: the Authorised King James Version. Sir Anthony Weldon claimed that James had been termed “the wisest fool in Christendom”, an epithet associated with his character ever since. Since the latter half of the twentieth century, however, historians have revised James’s reputation and have treated him as a serious and thoughtful monarch.

King James VI of Scotland/James I of England – Wikipedia information

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.