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Home fit for a King #53

With the Coronation of King Charles III almost upon us, this week's blog focuses on the Palace that he now calls home – or the 'Headquarters' of the Royal Family. This residence is Buckingham Palace which is the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom and where many state occasions take place, but Buckingham Palace was originally known as Buckingham House. The building at the core of today's Palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 on a site that had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was acquired by King George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and became known as Th...

A Home fit for a King #21

In this week's blog I am focusing on the royal family again and the stately homes which they grew up in. The main residence for the Royal family is Buckingham Palace which is the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom and where many state occasions take place, but Buckingham Palace was originally known as Buckingham House. The building at the core of today's Palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 on a site that had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was acquired by King George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and became known as The Queen's House. During the 19th ce...

The Origins of the Stately Home #39

...unity. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms   Most of these houses were built in the 17th and 18th century as manor houses in the heart of an agricultural estate, so effectively they were like farms with a farmhouse albeit a bit grander! The Lords that owned the manor houses would then provide employment for large numbers of indoor and outdoor staff in the rural community. It also provided the owner with income from rents and produce. When the Industrial Revolution came along it meant more houses were being built for the newly rich industrialists which often mimicked stately homes whilst the poor continued to live in squalid, overcrowded slums.  By the 1850s...

Queen Alexandra - my family #52

...window of Buckingham Palace which overlooks Hyde Park.  In it can be seen cars and carriages riding through the park and people enjoying a stroll or a picnic as they listen to the band play, much as we would today when celebrating a Jubilee or a Coronation as we will next week. I hope you've enjoyed these photos as much as I have - the book has nearly 100 photographs and many fascinating scenes from around the world, including Norway, Denmark, Corfu and Athens, all taken in the early part of the last century when Alexandra must have purchased her camera.  It's strange to think that over 100 years later we still see bands like this in the same uniforms playing...

The Halifax Estates - Garrowby #46

...ten visit Buckingham Palace and play with Princesses Victoria, Helena and Louise, Queen Victoria's daughters. This is obviously how she became connected to the royal family and would in later years host King George V and Queen Mary at Temple Newsam and Hoar Cross Hall. In 2005 Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh stayed with Lord Halifax at Garrowby when Royal Ascot was moved to York. Lord James Irwin is also the godson of Camilla, the Queen Consort so there are many royal connections between these two families right up to the present day. Hickleton Hall on the Halifax Estates   Garrowby is the largest of the Halifax Estates and extends to over 13,0...

The country house in society #48

...Country houses are to be found throughout the British Isles and are a peculiarly English phenomenon. Houses range from mediaeval manor houses to classical Palladian mansions, elegant Georgian residences to the Gothic buildings of the Victorian era. A great many have survived for two main reasons: Britain has been spared much of the havoc of war and revolution affecting other countries. Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire   Wentworth Woodhouse (above) is one of the largest stately homes in Europe and was visited by King George V and Queen Mary in 1912. It is now with the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust and is much bigger than this photo shows!   The...