• About
  • Contact Me
  • Disclosure

accentBritain

~ a romance with art and all things British

accentBritain

Monthly Archives: April 2013

The Urban Fox

29 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by pat in London, Scotland, Uncategorized, United Kingdom

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

red fox, Urban fox

When we were in London several years ago, My Beloved Brit and I were walking back from a pub on a dark narrow street, and were surprised to hear a noise in the nearby alley.  Looking down the narrow passageway, we saw a red, fuzzy tailed creature escaping from a row of trash cans.  The London urban fox.

The Red Fox. photo from creative commons.

The Red Fox. photo from creative commons.

Great Britain and foxes have always been closely associated.  The red fox is right in there with a cup of tea, the red telephone box and plaid wool.  But to see one on a London street was really quite surprising.

The mammal is native to England, and English literature has always made room for the creature– from Reynard the fox in The Canterbury Tales, to Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.  The Scottish heroine Isabel Dalhousie of Alexander McCall Smith’s “The Sunday Philosophy Club” novels, welcomes the stealthy presence of a fox in her garden in the city of Edinburgh. Perhaps to her it is a symbol of the wild traditions of the country.

PSM_V38_D833_English_fox

Although the sport of fox-hunting was outlawed in England and Wales in 2005, some of the wily creatures still seem to prefer the cities to the open fields of the countryside. I must admit, London seems a pleasant place to live. I guess the little fox agrees.

What is a Realm?

27 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by pat in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

According to the Official Website of the British Monarchy (and who should know better) , “A Commonwealth Realm is a country which has the Queen as its Monarch.  There are 15 Commonwealth Realms in addition to the UK: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Papua New Guinea, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu, Barbados, Grenada, Solomon Islands, St. Lucia and The Bahamas.

Wikimedia Commons

Blue: Current Commonwealth Realms, Red: no longer Commonwealth Realms.  Wikimedia Commons

Sounds like a wonderful list of places to pop by and visit if you get tired of the British Isles.

The Royal Residences

23 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by pat in History, London, Scotland, The Royal Family, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Balmoral Castle, Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, Frogmore, Kensington Palace, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Sandringham House, St. James's Palace, Windsor Castle

The term “Royal Residence” brings to mind an amazing world of fantasy. Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is what an American girl grows up with as her vision of what a royal residence really looks like.  But the facts are much different from this fairy tale and much more interesting in England.  For many decades, even centuries, kings and queens of the United Kingdom have built or bought incredibly diverse palaces to serve as a family home or workplace–or just a little spot to rule from.

Guarding St. James's Palace. Photo by me.

Guarding St. James’s Palace. Photo by me.

Royal Residences fall in to three general categories: Official Royal Residences which are held in trust for future generations, Private Estates which are owned by the Queen and can be private residences for the Queen and her family or may generate income, and Unoccupied Royal Residences which are all other buildings in Great Britain which once housed members of the Royal Family and therefore may be of historical interest.

Sandringham, the Queen's estate in Norfolk, England. Photo by me.

Sandringham, the Queen’s estate in Norfolk, England. Photo by me.

We have seen many of these incredible palaces and estates on our travels throughout Great Britain, but it might be fun to revisit them here.   Some are open to the public, some only allow their gardens to be viewed at certain times of the year, and many of the official residences are used for receptions, investitures, banquets and garden parties.

A lovely place to get some lunch just across the garden from Kensington Palace, Photo by me.

A lovely place to get some lunch just across the garden from Kensington Palace. Photo by me.

Then there are the private residences, used by the Royal Family for generations.  These, too, are sometimes available to see, at least from the outside gardens.

Some visitors waiting outside Kensington Palace in London. Photo by me.

Some feathered visitors waiting outside Kensington Palace in London. Photo by me.

Thanks to the official website of the British Monarchy, I was able to recall all that I had seen, and discover a few I’ve missed.  Next visit, maybe.

Buckingham Palace, The Royal Mews and The Queens Gallery

800px-Buckingham_Palace,_London_-_April_2009

Buckingham Palace, London. Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0 from Wikipedia Commons

Certainly BP is one of the most familiar Royal Residences from viewing years of public events on television.  We actually went on a tour of the Palace on one of our first trips together to London.  My Beloved Brit had never been inside, and found it fascinating and familiar from all the news footage of the famous residence. The Palace, all 775 rooms of it, has served as the official London residence of Britain’s sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of Queen Elizabeth II. For information on planning a visit see The Royal Collection website. Just as an aside, there are 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, and 188 staff bedrooms. Oh my!

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle at sunset viewed from the Long Walk in Windsor, England.Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0 from Wikipedia Commons

Windsor Castle at sunset viewed from the Long Walk in Windsor, England. Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0 from Wikipedia Commons

Windsor Castle was one of the first of the Royal Residences that My Beloved Brit and I ever visited together.  It is quite near Heathrow, and the city of Windsor is a good last stopping point before heading to the airport to come home. The Castle itself is very imposing (it is the largest occupied castle in the world!) and right in city center so great to walk to and view. Windsor has been a Royal home and fortress for over 900 years and still is an active residence today. The Queen usually uses Windsor as a private home, escaping from London on the weekends, but it is also used for more formal duties. Every Easter, the Queen takes up official residence for a month–Easter Court. Many parts of the Castle are open to the public. For more information, check here.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

From The Royal Collection site, visit Palace of Holyroodhouse. © HM Queen Elizabeth II 2013

From The Royal Collection site, visit Palace of Holyroodhouse. © HM Queen Elizabeth II 2013

I think this was one of my personal favorites.  I love Edinburgh anyway, and Holyroodhouse has such a strong sense of history. There is so much to see, and much of it seems unchanged from the 1500s. The Queen’s official residence in Scotland, the Palace is closely associated with Mary Queen of Scots, who lived here between 1561 and 1567. You can almost feel the court intrigue and drama.  I half expected to see blood on the floor. For visitor information, see here.

Frogmore House

Frogmore

Frogmore House. From The Royal Collection site, visit Frogmore House. © HM Queen Elizabeth II 2013

I have never seen Frogmore House, which is no longer a royal residence, but the house and gardens are sometimes used for official receptions or gatherings hosted by the Royal Family. Frogmore is located on the grounds of Windsor Castle. It is most closely associated with Queen Victoria, and was one of her favorite retreats. In the gardens is the Mausoleum where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are buried. Check here for visitor information.

Balmoral Castle

Balmoral in June. Photo by me.

Balmoral in June. Photo by me.

We visited Balmoral in Early June last year, and were shocked to find warm balmy weather…in Scotland!…in June! But we were thrilled.  The gardens were active and blooming early that year.  You can walk around the gardens, the stable exhibitions and the ballroom at Balmoral, but not actually through the Castle.  That was fine.  The grounds are magnificent. Located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, it is the private residence of the Queen who spends her summer family holiday there every August. Visit the Balmoral website.

Sandringham House

Sandringham House in June.  The grounds are as lovely as the house. Photo by me.

Sandringham House in June. The grounds are as lovely as the house. Photo by me.

This lovely sprawling house on a charming estate is in Norfolk in Eastern England, and we got to visit it last summer.  It has been the private home of Sovereigns since 1862.  The Queen and members of the Royal Family spend Christmas at Sandringham, and you can walk the grounds as they do each year, strolling from the grand main house to the small church where they attend Christmas services. We were able to tour the grounds and gardens, a large museum and exhibition in the stable block which had an extensive car collection, as well as walk through the main level of the house.  We could even gaze at the table where the Queen works on her crossword puzzles.  It was all very intimate and warm.  For information on times when you can visit the residence, check here.

St. James’s Palace

St James's Palace during Jubilee Week. Photo by me.

St James’s Palace during Jubilee Week. Photo by me.

This historic palace is not open to the public, but when we stay in London at My Beloved Brit’s sailing club, we pass it every day on our way to the Mall and other parts of London. It is home to several members of the Royal Family and their household offices. One of London’s oldest palaces, it is just north of St. James’s Park. It was originally commissioned by Henry VIII and constructed between 1531 and 1536 in red-brick Tudor style around four courtyards.

Kensington Palace

The Gates at Kensington Palace. Photo by me.

The Gates at Kensington Palace. Photo by me.

The home of several members of the Royal Family, one of the most interesting and exciting facts of KP is that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Will & Kate) who currently live there and are in the process of renovating the much larger apartment that used to be Princess Margaret’s.  Hopefully all will be done in time for the arrival of baby Prince or Princess, but word has it the renovation may not be ready until the autumn.  I love Kensington Palace and one section of it reopened to the public just a couple of years ago.  It has incredibly well done exhibitions of Royal Apartments, Queen Victoria’s romance with Prince Albert, and special displays.  It also has a marvelous tea shop attached to the gift shop, where you can find a quiet reprieve from a day of touring.  For information on visiting, check here.

Clarence House

Standing Guard outside of Clarence House. Photo by me.

Standing Guard outside of Clarence House. Photo by me.

I actually saw the Queen Mother exiting through the London gates of Clarence House on my very first visit ever to London…even before I knew My Beloved Brit even existed.  I think that hooked me on GB Royal Tradition. Everyone lining The Mall stopped and waved as she waved back through the car window.  It was her home from 1953 until 2002. Clarence House is still on my list to visit, and I am hoping perhaps this summer I may be able to check it off. It stands right beside St. James’s Palace on The Mall and was built between 1825 and 1827. It is now the Official residence of The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and is open to the public during the summer months each year. Although it was closed last summer, because of the logistics of the Olympic Games in London, it will re-open summer 2013. For information, check here.

Unoccupied Royal Residences There are many buildings throughout Great Britain that have a Royal connection. Some, like Osborne House, the much-loved home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on the Isle of Wight, The Brighton Pavillion, a former residence of George IV when he was Prince Regent, Hampton Court Palace (home of Henry VII), and The Tower of London where the Crown Jewels can be seen. For more information on these, and other unoccupied Royal residences, click here.

Osborne House.  Photo from Wikipedia Commons WyrdLight.com

Osborne House from the lower garden, Isle of Wight. Photo from Wikipedia Commons WyrdLight.com

I won’t go in to any more detail here, but if you have time, explore The Royal Residences of Great Britain preferably in person, but, if nothing else, online.  It gives such a wonderful picture of the United Kingdom’s Monarchy and the rich history of the country.  Happy exploring.

Hollywood Sends Greetings

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by pat in Art, History, movies, The Royal Family, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

King George V, Silver Jubilee

I found this wonderful item on The British Monarchy’s photostream on Flickr. British residents in Hollywood sent greetings to King George V on the occasion of his Silver Jubilee in 1935. Click the link to see a few famous signatures. Even more fascinating to me as a former full-time graphic designer, is that the copyright on the image is to Queen Elizabeth II 2013! Her Majesty has a Flickr account AND a copyright.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishmonarchy/8618331893/

King George V by Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (1843-1927), The Royal Collection © 2006, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

King George V by Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (1843-1927), The Royal Collection © 2006, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The Art of Bath

04 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, Bath, paintings, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bath School of Art & Design, F.P. Hay, Fashioon Museum of Bath, Thomas W. Schaller

I spend so much of my time in the studio getting lost in my own work, that sometimes I just want to see what the rest of the world of art is doing.  I subscribe to lots of art magazines, and try to visit museums whenever I can.  This year, planning the workshop in Bath for September, I thought it might be interesting to see how other artists viewed this particular city.

The beautiful city of Bath. Photo by me.

The beautiful city of Bath. Photo by me.

When I was in the historic English city last autumn, I was entranced with the various galleries and studios.  Bath is a city of artists.  So I decided to visit the internet and see if I could find some other artistic interpretations of the city.

The New Bridge at Bathwick, Bath, England. 1830 engraving by FP Hay, hand watercoloured on print

The New Bridge at Bathwick, Bath, England. 1830 engraving by FP Hay, hand watercoloured on print

One of the most interesting places I came across was the Bath School of Art and Design. Located at the top of Sion Hill ion the outskirts of town, the school provides workshops and studios for many students.

From Bath School of Art and Design website, "Inside the Studio"

From Bath School of Art and Design website, “Inside the Studio”

In No. 4, The Circus, is the schools fashion center, which is very close to the incredible Fashion Museum. The school is an eclectic mix of new and old, “From age-old, artisan printing techniques to cutting edge 3D printing technology…” as their website states. Visiting artists have included Claus Oldenburg and Jim Dine. Fashion & Textiles, Ceramics, photography, graphic design…the list of BA and MA courses of study at the school is varied and interesting.  I hope I have a chance to visit next time I return.

I also came across an artist, Thomas W. Schaller, who does hauntingly beautiful watercolors.  This one of the Royal Crescent is just stunning.  He has emphasized the dramatic dominance of this stately architecture above the park. It really is a gorgeous piece, and seems to capture both the rich architectural history of the city, as well as the ever changeable weather of England.

Royal Crescent-Bath, England, Thomas W. Schaller

Royal Crescent-Bath, England, Thomas W. Schaller

Of course, architecture would have to be an important theme in Bath art.  Another example is Therese Lessore, who painted “Bath” in 1938-1943.  The painting is part of the National Museums Liverpool collection, and can be seen at Walker Art Gallery.

Bath, Therese Lessore, oil on canvas

Bath, Therese Lessore, oil on canvas

Shane Feeney is an artist based in Bath.  His style is colorful and dramatic, especially in his series on the Bath Abbey inspired by Monet’s Rouen Cathedral series..

Bath Abbey, Shane Feeney

Bath Abbey, Shane Feeney

The more I looked, the more I found interesting examples and interpretations of the city. It seems to inspire artists to work in many different styles. Just look at these two paintings.  The Holburne and the bridge are literally a short walk from each other, and yet artistically they are worlds apart. It makes me want to return and see for myself.

The Holburne Museum, Bath, Peter Bown

The Holburne Museum, Bath, Peter Brown

bath

Lesley Olver

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

♣ Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 27 other subscribers

♣ Archives

  • September 2022
  • May 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • May 2021
  • January 2021
  • September 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • July 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • March 2018
  • January 2018
  • July 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011

♣ Recent Posts

  • Autumn Stroll on the C&O Canal
  • A Winter’s Project
  • A Walk In The Park
  • An Adirondack Pond
  • Golden

♣ Categories

  • Art
  • Art Museums & Exhibitions
  • Bath
  • Books
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Burnham-on-Crouch
  • cars
  • Cornwall
  • Cornwall
  • England
  • entertainment
  • Fashion
  • Food
  • Gardens
  • Grasmere
  • Guana Island
  • History
  • Lake District
  • Lake District
  • London
  • movies
  • Music
  • National Trust
  • Olympics
  • paintings
  • Peak District
  • Sailing
  • Scotland
  • Shopping
  • sketching
  • The New Forest
  • The Royal Family
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • United Kingdom

♣ my button

accentbritain.com
<a href="http://accentbritain.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://accentbritain.com/accentBritainbutton.jpeg" alt="accentBritain.com" width="125" height="125" /></a>
Copyright 2011 accentBritain LLC. All rights reserved. All original photos, text and art is copyright protected.

Proudly powered by WordPress Theme: Chateau by Ignacio Ricci.

 

Loading Comments...