Cerise went to #England, brought home #gin, a carriage and a yummy earl!

http://www.sipsmith.com

Yes, I went on my annual research trip, lugging along only 1 suitcase, my iPad, tons of notes...and my husband. He is such a good bloke to go with me each year. I promise different sights. He promises to like (most of) them. I also promise great dining at yummy restaurants and he finds the wine. And the brandy. This year we discovered Sipsmith Gin! (Swoon worthy G and Ts were appreciated by Mr. DeLand and me at Rules and I'll have more on that divine feast in another post!)

And did I bring home an earl?

And a carriage?

Well, the next best thing to both, I brought home fab pix of carriages and lots of info about men of some (varied) repute. All of this, of course, is for character building, house and estate "establishment" and other words of historical accuracy while permitting two people to fall in love and have an HEA!

This year we did England. Almost two weeks in London found us taking the Tube each morning to a new and exciting destination, previously chosen for sound research in the Regency period (and some in the Victorian, too). I have wonderful tales to tell in succeeding blogs and hope you will return for the fun of it, and the news of how this all folds into this new novel or that one!

First up, where did I find that carriage? And that earl, you ask? Well, while hubby and I have been to England often, we'd never taken in the Royal Mews. We began there.
And what a great site it is too for finding sumptuous carriages fit for...well, yes, a queen. But I found a few other oldie but goodies, too.

Near Buckingham Palace, the grounds were opened by Henry VIII. With horse stables and separate areas for the royal motorcars, the Mews is arranged around a courtyard. Here, the stable doors are open to visitors to view the horses, royal carriages and autos.

While I was not able to get a picture of any of the horses (because staff ask that you not disturb the animals overmuch with snapping and flashes and such), I did get a few great shots of the elaborate, immaculate carriages which Her Majesty and her family use for many state and family occasions.

Semi-State Landau, Royal Mews. (My picture.)

The one that appealed to me most was this one. The Semi-State Landau. Although its top is up, I can imagine it down, people riding graciously in facing seats whilst being taken around town by matching horses.

This wonderful coach is often used by the younger royals in parades such as the Trooping of the Color for the Queen's Birthday. Very popular with Queen Victoria, the coach gives a feeling of youth, vibrancy and allows for a full view of those in the seats. It was gilded and decorated for her Golden Jubilee in 1887, surviving today with the excellent care of the staff at the Mews.

But what would you do, what carriage would you want if it rains?

The Scottish State coach, used by Queen and Prince Phillip
during wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Picture is mine.

Try this one! Known as the Scottish State Coach, it is used for glamorous state occasions when being seen is the best PR tactic. Built in 1830 for George IV's younger brother, the Duke of Cambridge, it was refurbished for the Royal household a century later. Used by Her Majesty to attend Scottish Parliament and other state occasions, the coach bears the Scottish crown on the top. 

As for me, I intend to use a coach similar to it in my next Regency. Of course, the hero must be fabulously rich, perhaps even fabulously vain! Hopelessly handsome, too. Hence, the reason for the grand display.

And if that one is in repair, then perhaps this one would appeal more! This is the Golden State Coronation Coach made for George III in 1762 at the then cost of more than 7,000 Pounds. Covered in gold leaf, this enormous carriage sits in the Mews in splendor. Like the other coaches, it remains in a constant state of readiness at significant cost to the Crown. Hand painted outside and in by a contemporary artist of period, Giovanni Cipriani, this coach boasts red velvet interiors to complement the priceless artwork inside. It requires a team of 8 horses. This coach has been used at every coronation since George IV,  including Queen Elizabeth to her coronation and on her Diamond and Golden Jubilees.

Each coach is described by a plaque to one side of the carriage. Do enlarge to read this one and then note you can also see the extent of many of the stables to the left.

Throughout the exhibit area, other means of conveyance are exhibited.
A pony cart. A child's miniature carriage. And here is a sedan chair, looking extremely uncomfortable, I must say!

And what about that earl?
Where did I hide him?
Is he happy here in Texas with me?

View of courtyard of Royal Mews.
My photo.

As soon as I give him more than one of these carriages to ride in, more than a stiff G and T and a proper home to live in (Osterley, perhaps?), he'll be well satisfied!

17th Century Sedan Chair.
My picture.

The Irish State Coach built for an Industrial Exhibition in 1853 in Dublin
in hopes of attracting the attention of Queen Victoria.
The Crown purchased the coach and Queen Victoria used it often.
Picture is mine.

Cerise went to #London #England, visited #Wellington's home, got #Regency pointers!

Wellington Arch
Across Street from entrance to Apsley House

Breathing life into a novel, especially an historical, demands research. While most of us think of dusty libraries as That Place, many authors get their kicks from traveling to the actual sites. That includes me.

Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it is time consuming, not only because you must plan well, but also because it takes weeks out of your writing schedule and you hope you don't get ill or the family dog doesn't! 

But oh, yes, it is gratifying. As the child's book says, Oh, the things you'll learn!

Reading about the Duke of Wellington, he who won at Waterloo and defeated finally the might of Napoleon Bonaparte, is a far cry from visiting his home.

After all, what does one learn from visiting another's home. Think on it. Do they love art? Do they dine in bed? How vast is their library? And when in country, gazing at some long deceased nobleman's home, you may ask, where did the servants live? And was there a wine cellar?

The facts you learn from a research of Number One London, so called because it sat originally at the post road out of the city, include:

• It was originally built by another man, Baron Apsley, not a Wellesley.
• The price to build it? £10,000 
• The architect, Robert Adam, was one of the most celebrated masters of that refined style which we can call Palladian or Regency-Georgian.
• Richard, Arthur's older brother, bought the house.
• But he sold it to his more famous brother in 1817 because Richard realized his brother, famous beyond imagining after Waterloo victory, needed a stately home in London from which to...well...impress the masses and involve himself in the politics of the day.

What you learn from visiting Apsley House is amazingly complementary to those seemingly insignificant facts.

Marble statue of Napoleon
in main alcove
staircase to first floor

Walking through the house, you have that marvelous feeling of elegance, carefree expenditure on wall coverings, paintings and sculpture, appointments and upholstery. Robert Adams' attention to detail, the ceiling plaster designs, the cornices all add to the lavish feeling of air and light. The colors of yellow and red hit the eye and please you. The furniture is sumptuous, because they still do hold the annual Waterloo Dinner here each year to celebrate that 200-year-old victory that put Napoleon to an island and Britain to command all the seas.

One room of the house, on the ground floor, is entirely devoted to the Iron Duke's gifts from many nations and rulers who were freed from the threat of French imperial domination. The gold and silver, the banners abound.

Upstairs, the dining room with its enormous table and huge chairs may hold guests who can look up to find immense portraits of the men who gained from the victory at Waterloo. George IV was still Prince Regent or Prinny in June 1815, not to rule until 1820 after the death of his father George III. The emperor of Austria stands here as does the restored French Bourbon King Louis XVIII. King Leopold of Belgium is a handsome creature and you nod, understanding why Princess Charlotte fell in love with the man instantly.

The next room, a salon, boasts portraits, large and small, of all those who aided or served the Iron Duke in some capacity during the wars and in particular, the battle of Waterloo. It's wonderful to look upon the originals of many portraits one finds only reproduced in books or on the web.

The Banquet Room was added to the house later at a significant cost to the Iron Duke himself. In fact, he argued with the architect's expenditures. But to your eyes and mine, (and the Iron Duke would most likely agree) the expense was worth it. Why?

During the Battle of Vitoria in June 21, 1813 as Wellington chased Napoleon's brother Joseph (whom he'd named King of Spain) back into France, the king, poor man, ran so quickly, he left behind his baggage train.
What had he taken?
A wealth of art from the Spanish royal collection at the Prado. Luckily, though British soldiers looted much from Joseph's train, officers stopped the robbery before the Madrid collection could be seized. Wellington had the collection shipped home to England in the safe-keeping of his brother, Richard. After Waterloo and end of the wars, Richard turned over his brother's captured art to him. Wellington offered the art to the newly restored King Ferdinand of Spain. However, that man was so grateful for Welllington's services, he gave them to him. They are still here, hanging in splendor in the room where the annual dinner occurs to celebrate the victory.

A few tidbits from my tour?

• The statue of Napoleon the Peacemaker by Italian sculptor Canova inspired my husband to remark after we left the house that he had the distinct impression that the Iron Duke respected Napoleon in many ways. In fact, he did. He thought that Waterloo victory was "a close run thing" and had studied Napoleon's military tactics and care of his soldiers for years. This was wise as it gave him food for thought and use among his own men.
• The price of the house originally was £10,000. But what is that in current British and American currency? £1,480,000 or $2,145,482.00
• The only portrait of a French woman in the Waterloo salon? That of Napoleon's sister, Pauline Bonaparte! Why would he have a portrait of her, you may ask? The British Government bought her house in Paris in 1814 for Wellington to live in after he chased Napoleon out the first time. After he won at Waterloo in June 1815, he resumed possession of it. The Hotel Charost on Rue Faubourg is famous for many reasons. Wellington lived in it after Waterloo. Much of the furnishings and paintings remain. Today the Hotel Charost is the official residence of the United Kingdom's ambassador to France.

And for a marvelous mystery about the Hotel Charost's purchase and Pauline's attempt to salvage items from the purchase, I hope you will read my new Regency romance, MASQUERADE WITH A MARQUESS, out soon.

More about Apsley here: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/apsley-house

Cerise went to #London, #Bath, #Osterley, #Hampton; shows pix, tidbits!

     Launching the newest in my travel series to hopefully inform, entertain and delight you, I am tickled to begin with a selection of pictures.  This past October, my husband and I went to England for a much-overdue trip. Yes, it was research. Yes, it included marvelous food and great restaurants and B and Bs. Yes, it included lots of walking. We took good shoes, wore layers for the chill...and had in hand our umbrellas.
   
     Where did we go?

    Hampton Court, Osterley Park, the Tower (for the empty-umpth time), St. Paul's (again!) and all the delights of Bath and riding the efficient Great Western Railway. In between, we dined. Hubbie is a restaurant reviewer and so we "feed" his passion. I'll share the best of the best with you!

     First stop was Apsley House that gorgeous home of the Duke of Wellington. With more details to come, I will tell you one fact struck my husband, who is not a history nut as are others in this family. He commented that Wellington seemed to respect Napoleon. Why else would he have a marble statue of the man in his foyer? It is true that the Duke did think the Frenchman's skills were to be respected, honored and feared. Here's the statue. We had no other pictures of the house as it is not possible to take them because flash deteriorates fabrics, art, decor, etc.

     After leaving Apsley, we walked along Piccadilly and stopped into a French patisserie
for French afternoon tea and divine pastries. One must keep up one's energy...and calorie count.

     We did the Royal Cavalry Museum and smiled at the officers. Patted the horses. Went on to the Royal Mews which we highly recommend for those of you who always get a charge out of watching Britain's royal family take a little jaunt down the Mall in fabulous carriages. One carriage that knocked my socks off was the 22 carat golden leaf carriage made for George III in 1762.  Here it is in all its fabulously gaudy glory!

George III's Gold State Coach, 1762. Interior art by Italian artist Cipriani.

Front Portico, Osterley Park

     We also toured that famous house Osterley Park in suburban London. This house, redecorated into a Palladian beauty by Robert Adam. Here the joys of the house included the Long Hall, meant for exercise when the weather prohibited one from walking outside.

     We strolled through London to find South Moulton Street, where once modistes had shops, and now many fabulous shops still cater to avid shoppers. Past Hanover Square, we went to that famous church St. George's.

Fashionable South Moulton Street now and during the Regency!