Cara/Andrea here,
I don’t know about you, but as the holidays approach and I begin the annual rite of choosing special gifts for family and friends, I can’t help but imagine the “dream” gift that would be tops on my own wish list. Well, Santa arrived early for me this year . . . No, glittering baubles did not fall down the chimney . . . Ioan Gruffudd did not appear to serve me breakfast in bed (Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?) However, something just as delicious dropped in my lap.
For you see, last month I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to travel to London, one of my favorite cities in the world, for a short research trip. Fabulous Museums! Historic Houses! Legendary Bookstores! Meandering through the same parks and streets that my Regency heroes and heroines tread! (Okay, and shopping the funky antique markets on Portobello Road) It goes without saying that I was “in alt.”
The fun actually began at the airport. It isn’t often that one can wax poetic about travel these days, but I told you this was a dream trip. I was booked on British Air business class, so was treated to the experience of awaiting my boarding call in blissful comfort at BA’s luxurious lounge. An oasis of tranquility amidst all the hustle and bustle, it offered a full range of wonderful amenities, including relaxing couches, world-class wines and hors d’oeuvres, as well as a sleekly modern dining room with gourmet entrées, artisanal cheeses and sinfully scrumptious desserts for those who preferred to have a bite before the flight.
Once on board, the pampering continued. I was served champagne in my own personal sleeper pod, along with a cozy pajamas and a duvet. A touch of a button converted the seating to a flat bed . . . but I was enjoying it so much I was almost sorry to go to sleep! A special added touch to the British Air experience is its Arrivals Lounge, where travelers can take advantage of the spacious private shower rooms.
Refreshed and revived, I zipped into London and turned down St. James’s Street, which Regency aficionados will recognize as the location for Brooks, Boodles and other exclusive gentlemen’s clubs of the era. The aura of masculine privilege lingers on the area—it’s still home to the legendary wine merchants Berry Brothers and Rudd and John Locke’s hat emporium, where one can see the head mold made for the Duke of Wellington. My destination was Duke’s Hotel, an elegant townhouse establishment discreetly tucked in a charming courtyard off the main thoroughfare. A shilling’s toss from Green Park, it was the perfect place from which to explore the heart of historic London (More on Duke’s in a later post—its bar was a favorite haunt of Ian Fleming and it’s said to make the best martini in the world. Alessandro, the dapper gentleman who presides over the polished wood and crystal glasses, will share his secrets with us in December!)
After stashing my bag, I strolled down the street to visit St. James’s Palace, the Royal residence in Regency times. (As you see, it’s far more modest than its nearby neighbor Buckingham Palace, which did not become home to the monarchy until accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.)
Alas, space constraints demand that I heavily edit my peregrinations. So I’ll preface my travelogue by saying that there are certain landmark institutions for all lovers of British history that I always visit—The V & A Museum, the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the British Library. But one of the things I really love about London are the smaller, less well-known museums, and this trip I was set on exploring some of them. So without further ado, here are a few of the highlights of my research wanderings:
Apsley House, bought by the Duke of Wellington in 1817 from his elder brother Richard, is a gem of a small museum located at Hyde Park Corner. Known as Number One London, because it was the first house seen by travelers after they passed through the toll gates from Kensington, it was designed by Robert Adam in 1770s, and is a beautifully preserved example of an aristocratic Georgian/Regency residence. Aside from the period furnishings and splendid architectural details, including Adam’s splendid circular staircase (which, by the by, is guarded by Canova’s 11-ft nude statue of Napoleon as Mars the peacemaker) Apsley House contains an amazing wealth of artistic treasures as well as personal items and memorabilia of the Iron Duke.
Many of the paintings on display were captured from Joseph Bonaparte’s baggage train after the Battle of Vitoria and then given to Wellington by the King of Spain. Perhaps even more impressive is Plate and China Room, which displays the gifts bestowed on the duke by the grateful monarchs of Europe after Waterloo. The porcelain, silver and ceremonial swords were dazzling. But my favorite part of the house was Wellington’s “Warrior Valhalla,” a small room hung with an glittering array of military portraits—both his friends and his foes, Somehow I could imagine him sitting there in the evening with a glass of brandy, reviewing the tactics and strategies of bygone battles with the ghosts of the past.
An added delight was the audio tour given to each visitor. Along with a detailed description of the rooms and their contents, the recording also features the present duke recounting family reminiscences, including a very funny anecdote about the Napoleon statue during WWII. (The Wellesleys still reside in a private part of the house . . . talk about living history!)
As I’m working on a new Regency-set mystery book proposal involving the military, I spent a lot of time around The Admiralty (those of you who are fans of Patrick O’Brian and C.S. Forester will recognize the place) and Horse Guards (yes, that’s the name of the building), which housed the general staff of the British Army. Horse Guards is built on the old site of Whitehall Place, which was destroyed by fire in 1689, and its massive parade ground was the old palace’s tiltyard.
In Regency times, only royalty and those with special ivory passes from the monarch could pass through the building’s central archway leading from Whitehall Street to the formal entrance to St. James’s Palace via the Parade and St. James’s Park. Mounted guards still stand duty there, and though these days, the post is ceremonial, I learned a fun fact from one of the policemen guarding the side entrance to the building. (It continues to house high level military brass, so as you can imagine, security is quite strict.) When the command center radios an “okay” for a visitor to enter Horse Guards, the policeman is told that the person has an “ivory!”
There is a tiny but wonderful museum on the history of the Horse Guards regiment adjoining the original stables, and an added plus is that you are able to watch the actual workings of the present-day soldiers tending their horses through a plate glass window. Very cool! The exhibits display uniforms, pistols, swords, medals, and saddles, along with diaries, war booty, and other personal mementos that create a vivid picture of life as an officer and a gentleman.
I also spent several hours in the nearby Guards Museum, which displays the history of the five Guards regiments—Grenadier, Coldstream, Scotch, Irish and Welsh—from the formation of the first unit in 1600s to the present. Again, the wealth of history is mesmerizing. I particularly loved seeing Wellington’s uniform and boots, as well as battle flags from Waterloo. And one always learns such wonderful, arcane bits of information—did you know that the ubiquitous pom-pom atop knitted ski hats originated during the Crimean War and was made to cushion a Guardsman’s head from his helmet?
In between museums, I walked and walked and walked, passing by such historic places as Hatchard’s Bookstore on Piccadilly Street and the antique markets of Portobello Road, where among all the other funky treasures, I discovered a stall selling magnificent original Georgian and Regency miniatures. Aren’t they gorgeous? Alas, they were way too expensive for my purse, but it was fun looking! And hey, I also went to Oxford for a day, but that will be covered in a future post.
I could go on and on, but I’ve rambled enough for now. Now it’s your turn—have you a favorite historic spot in London? Or is there a particular one that you are dreaming of visiting?
