A Regency Reticule

The Horse: Volume III

2025-01-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I am thrilled to be able to announce that after a year of scurrying down research rabbit holes, The Horse: An Author's and Reader's Guide Volume III is now available in paperback! It is a hefty tome, but packed with all those little details historical readers love. Just who was the landlord of the White Hart, Bath, or the Ship Inn at Dover? You will find the answers to these and myriad other questions within these pages.

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Happy Reading!

Heather

THE ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE – The Bedchamber

2024-01-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

Bedchamber at Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire (Author)

Unless we live in a flat or bungalow, most of us in this modern age go upstairs to bed, but this was not always the case. In earlier centuries, it was customary for the wealthy to conduct their lives pretty much on the one floor, with bedchambers added beyond withdrawing rooms. This can be seen at houses such as Chatsworth, where the State Apartments have a corridor of doors, called an enfilade, stretching in a line from the State Dressing Room through the five other State Rooms and ending in the State Dining Room. This arrangement has evolved from the medieval custom of a chamber which was used for daily activities, for eating and sleeping, for business and the receiving of guests. As greater privacy became important, so this chamber was divided into smaller spaces until separate rooms were incorporated into the design, first introduced at the beginning of the seventeenth century and seen today in Palladian country houses of the Georgian period.

As a sign of rank and wealth, the bedchamber became more public, if less so than those in France. Rows of stools and chairs, covered in rich upholstery, were set against the walls and the room was furnished in a manner befitting a principal salon or reception chamber. The bed itself was hung with fabulous curtains and had the owner’s crest either embroidered or carved on the bed-head. This was, of course, a four-post bed, with a tester (‘ceiling’) or canopy lined with pelmets to keep out draughts (and hide the rails) and embellished with ostrich plumes. Charles II slept in such a bed at Powis Castle in Powys. By 1678 he had issued the directive, ‘Persons of Quality as well our servants as others who come to wait on us are permitted to attend and stay us in the withdrawing room.’ This, then, was the forerunner of the Drawing Rooms held at court during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Although his bedchamber was less accessible, royal princes were admitted by right whenever they chose, whilst privy counsellors and other state officials were required to seek permission to gain access. Following the French custom, Charles caused the royal bedchambers in his palaces to have the bed set back within a balustraded alcove. This arrangement can still be seen in the bedchamber at Powis Castle, which was prepared for him in the style he had adopted from the Continent.

State Bedroom, Eastnor Castle (Author)

Whilst there is no balustrade, a bedchamber at the Brighton Pavilion shows the bed to be set back within an alcove as well as various furnishings to be found in the Regency era, if perhaps more elaborate than would be found in the generality of country houses.

Bedroom in the Brighton Pavilion, old print

At Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, designed circa 1678 by Robert Hooke (for Charles II’s Secretary of State, Lord Conway), the four so-called pavilions each contained a separate apartment, accessed from a central hall and saloon. Each had a drawing or withdrawing room, beyond which lay a bedchamber, a closet, a servant’s chamber and a backstairs to the kitchens &c. To the left and right of the hall respectively lay the chapel and the library. The saloon doubled as the dining room,

By contrast, whilst still possessing the pavilion wings, Hagley Hall in Worcestershire, built circa 1752 for Lord Lyttelton by Sanderson Miller and probably inspired by Croome Court, was designed to have two circuits of rooms which overlapped. To one side of the central hall and saloon lay a suite of private apartments, including the library, and to the other, the public circuit of dining and drawing rooms and the gallery. The bedchambers had by now been settled on the upper floor. With the emphasis changing in the country from high-ranking guests being entertained in a small number of grand apartments to visitors choosing to occupy their time in public saloons and drawing rooms rather than their own chambers, these last became reduced in size and importance. To accommodate this, an increased number of smaller apartments were included in architectural plans, with the average suite having a bedchamber and a dressing room, with perhaps also a closet. Such dressing rooms were often also used as sitting rooms and were handsomely fitted out. At Berrington Hall in Herefordshire, there are two such chambers, known as the White Dressing Room and the Corner Dressing Room, furnished as bedrooms (but about a hundred years after the Regency) and each with a small closet.

At Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire, built around 1701, the main entrance led into the Great Hall, with a Smoking Room and Steward’s Room beyond. From the Great Hall to the right, the visitor might enter either the Great Parlour or the Lobby, through which was reached the Withdrawing Room and the master’s bedchamber and dressing room. The ceiling was later altered to remove the lobby wall and form a drawing room in place of the Great Parlour and amalgamate the Lobby and Withdrawing Room into what is now the Dining Room.

Withdrawing Room (Dining Room) Ceiling, Hanbury Hall (Author)

Following the enclosures of land in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the production of wool had brought a great deal of prosperity to these shores and many early bed-hangings were produced in woollen cloth, some of which have survived to this day. For the wealthy, Spanish merino (introduced to Britain by George III in 1786) offered a warmer and less dear option than the expensive silks and satins which faded and failed to give ‘that clean appearance’ required by the English aristocracy. With the advent of cotton, the heavy moreen (liable to attract moths) and similar fabrics lost favour. Chintz, calico, dimity and muslin became popular for bed-hangings, curtains and upholstery during the Regency, being washable and far cheaper than Jacquard imported from France. A patent for an English version was issued to Stephen Wilton in 1820, allowing the textile industry in Britain to breathe more easily. Just before the start of the Regency proper, in about 1809, the ‘gaudy colours’, as Ackermann described them, of chintz and calico furnishings yielded to ‘a more chaste style’ which required only two colours to create an effect similar to damask.

Regency designers took inspiration from many different periods, and so the country house guest might find their bedchamber decked out with Gothic, Greek or Egyptian influences, in the Chinese style so much vaunted by the Prince of Wales, or in patterns incorporating stripes, trelliswork, architectural or geometric shapes. Curtains for windows were usually of a hue complementary to those on the bed, with linings in a colour to march with that. Quite often, the curtain at the head of the bed was gathered in a semicircular pattern resembling the sun’s rays, to add definition to the design. Bed linen was customarily white or the natural colour of the fabric, and blankets that of the wool from which they were made, although in wealthy households personal whims were no doubt accommodated. The same could be noted for the counterpane. Authors, please note here that the word bedspread is of American origin, dating from 1845.

A State bed of about 1754, part of a suite made by William Linnell for the Chinese Room at Badminton House in Gloucestershire, was decorated in Oriental emblems and japanned in gilt, red and black. It had a pagoda-style top ornamented with feathers, panels on the bed-head decorated in a geometric design reminiscent of brick paving, and (probably) neutrally coloured linen and hangings, but these have been replaced in modern times. Messrs. Gillow of Lancaster designed a canopied bed-head thought to be Egyptian in style, with swags of green and pink fabric caught into bunches above a carved frame that was filled with white material ornamented with rosettes and fringing. The heads of sphinxes which surmount four posts suggest, however, that the original inspiration had come from Classical Greece.

Curtains for windows in aristocratic houses were not always plain but might be printed and fringed, sometimes of cotton and sometimes of silk, and generally reaching to the floor. In 1803, Sheraton noted that whilst festoon curtains, drawn vertically, were still to be found in bedrooms, the French rod curtain had become widely introduced in fashionable houses. On a similar system to that we see today, these curtains hung from a wooden or brass rod and were drawn horizontally, either hidden behind a pelmet or swags of fabric or left on display with rosettes or tassels to show where the material was attached. The rings had strings which connected to a pulley, enabling the curtains to be drawn.

Bedroom furniture of the Regency era included a wash-hand stand, a dressing table and stool with looking-glass, an armoire or wardrobe, tables, chairs, an ottoman or chaise longue and perhaps a cheval mirror. In the early seventeenth century, a matched set of pier glass, pier table and candlesticks was a common facility provided in large houses. These items were principally designed for display rather than practicality and were elaborately fashioned: with marquetry, with lacquered finishes, inlaid with pewter and even made of silver. They were sited against the pier between the windows (hence the name), usually opposite the bed to catch the best daylight in the morning and the best candlelight at night. Gradually, with the increasing use of dressing rooms, the dressing table as we know it today was developed for practical use and placed, with wardrobes and other furniture for the pursuit of dressing, in the secondary room. Sometimes this also contained a truckle bed for the accommodation of a maid or valet.

Wash-hand Stand, Hanbury Hall (Author)

Dressing Table with Stool, Hanbury Hall (Author)

Marquetry Table and Chair, Hanbury Hall (Author)

Chair and Pier Table, Hanbury Hall (Author)

Cabinet or Wardrobe, State Bedroom, Eastnor Castle
(Susana Ellis, with permission)

Chaise Longue, Eastnor Castle (Author)

Pier Table and Glass, Berrington Hall (Author)

As very few Regency hangings have survived the centuries, representations of bedrooms of that era are hard to find, most having long since been redecorated to Victorian or Edwardian taste. At Hartlebury Castle in Worcestershire, however, a bedchamber was prepared by Richard Hurd, Bishop of Worcester, for an impending visit of the Prince of Wales, who had made it known in 1807 that he would like to visit and stop the night. Bishop Hurd was then eight-eight and unfortunately became too frail to welcome His Royal Highness. To a nerdy author’s delight, the room, while not large (it is almost filled by the bed), remains much as it was for that auspicious event.

The Prince Regent's Bed, Hartlebury Castle (Author)

All photographs are the property of the author unless otherwise stated and may not be copied or shared without the owner’s expressed permission.

© Heather King, 2024

Historic Palaces: Kensington Palace

2023-05-16T03:01:00.002-07:00

Queen Victoria's Statue with Kensington Palace in the background.

Mentioned in the Domesday Book as Chenisitun, and in other ancient texts as Kenesitune and Kensintune, Kensington was a village on the Great Western Road, about one and a half miles from Hyde Park Corner. In 1829, the parish was bounded by Chelsea; St. Margaret, Westminster; St. George, Hanover Square; Paddington, Wilsden, Acton and Fulham. The Palace stood in the parish of St. Margaret, while the Gardens were situated in Westminster.

Kensington Palace was not always a Royal residence. Indeed, built as a modest mansion for Sir George Coppin about 1605, it was later sold to physician and diplomat Sir John Finch, who left it to his brother, Sir Heneage Finch, afterwards the Earl of Nottingham and the Lord Chancellor. Thus the property became known as Nottingham House. Then, in June 1689, William III and Queen Mary paid Nottingham £18,000 for the mansion, in order to remove from the grime and smells of the river at the palace of Whitehall. The riverside situation worsened the King’s asthma, while the Queen objected to views of naught but ‘...water or wall’.

Sir Christopher Wren, and his clerk of works, Nicholas Hawksmoor, were commissioned to make hurried extensions to the building, whereupon the Court removed to the fresher air of Kensington just before Christmas. Various other additions were made; first the Clock Court, then the Queen’s Gallery, measuring 84 feet by 21, in 1691 and in 1695-96 the King’s Gallery, measuring 94 feet by 21. With its restful outlook over the gardens, the latter became William’s delight and place of relaxation following Mary’s death from smallpox in 1694, when aged but 33. £11,000 was spent on these gardens by the King, the work carried out by nurserymen and garden designers London and Wise from nearby Brompton Park. At his own command, William was brought to Kensington from Hampton Court after falling from his horse in 1702, a fall which was to prove fatal.

The King's Gallery, W.H. Pyne, 1819

Originally twenty-six acres, Queen Anne added thirty more to the gardens when she came to the throne. London and Wise continued the work started in the previous reign, and this was augmented in 1704 by the construction of a ‘Summer Supper House’, otherwise known as The Orangery, designed by Hawksmoor and Sir John Vanbrugh. An elegant building, the interior has been described as ‘tranquil’ and a most pleasant place to sit. Built of red brick, a long row of mullioned windows allowed both glorious views and light for those within.

Kensington Palace from the south, Jan Kip, 1724

When George I ascended the throne in 1714, Nottingham House’s role as a country seat was to change forever. Under the guidance of Colin Campbell, the house was turned into a residence fit for a king. The body of the old mansion was remodelled, with the addition of three new State Rooms – the Privy Chamber, the Cupola Room and the Withdrawing Room. By 1829, the State Apartments consisted of a suite of twelve rooms. Most of the Royal Apartments were fitted up with paintings and decoration by William Kent, who also painted the King’s Staircase, reflecting various stories of the Court at that time. He represented the King’s Turkish Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, Mustafa – who was jealously regarded for his closeness to the King – Peter, the wild boy, a child and a lapdog, and even included an image of himself! The staircase is particularly grand, rising on two sides to a gallery on the third, edged with a banister of intricate, scrolled ironwork. Arched panels with rich decoration enclose the paintings and stand alongside ornate, pedimented niches containing statuary, while the ceiling is a magnificent blaze of gilding and moulding.

The Great Staircase, W.H. Pyne, 1819

The Cupola Room was where the great and not-so-good went to be seen, to further careers and seek favour with Their Majesties, and was a sumptuous chamber appointed in gold, with gilt figures and side-tables. Suspended from the glorious gold and blue ceiling, on purple ropes, were four tremendous chandeliers. Centuries later, these mysteriously disappeared, but in 2020 new ones were hand carved and gilded, to the closest representation as possible, to replace them.

The Cupola Room, W.H. Pyne, 1819

Queen Caroline’s Withdrawing Room was a light, airy apartment where she would sit to read, converse with her ladies or sew. The walls were lined with paintings in gilt frames, below which were set blue-covered stools, and the ceiling had a great, gilded oval surround to a painting featuring Mars and Minerva.

Queen Caroline's Drawing Room, W.H. Pyne, 1819

The Princesses’ Courtyard (named for the King’s granddaughters) was built and new kitchens were added. With all these alterations, the building became a large, irregular construction. Once George II became monarch in 1727, little more in the way of structural improvements were made, for He and Queen Caroline concentrated on the gardens, restricting themselves, within the house, to the reorganization of furnishings and paintings. The Queen discovered, forgotten in a bureau, a parcel of drawings by Holbein. Wise and Charles Bridgeman were brought in to create a new design for the gardens, poaching 300 acres from Hyde Park for the purpose, and so the Round Pond became a feature, as did the Broad Walk, which extended from the palace along the south side of the gardens. In the spring this was a particularly fashionable promenade, especially on Sunday mornings. At the time of these innovations the Serpentine was also formed, from several small ponds of the River Westbourne.

Kensington Palace Gardens, John Martin, 1815

Due to George III choosing to live at Buckingham House, following Queen Caroline’s death Kensington Palace was put under Holland covers and closed for four decades, much falling into disrepair, although in the 1830s the Duchess of Kent made use of the State Rooms to extend her apartments. She also divided the King’s Gallery into three rooms for Princess Victoria’s accommodation. The State Rooms were used to store furnishings and paintings during the nineteenth century and were rather neglected.

Although no monarch since George II has lived at Kensington Palace, apartments were made ready for Caroline of Brunswick, wife of George IV, in the early 1800s, and then her daughter, the Princess Charlotte. Frederick Augustus, Duke of Sussex, also made his residence here. Princess (later Queen) Victoria was born at Kensington in May 1819, and grew up beset by ‘The Kensington System’ of rules and regulations devised by her widowed mother’s secretary and adviser, Sir John Conroy, who seems to have had an eye to his own advancement and power. The young Victoria was supervised in everything she did, even to moving about within the palace, yet she did enjoy riding her donkey or driving her goat-coat around the grounds. She also drove a phaeton drawn by four ponies. However, Conroy’s attempted control over the young Princess backfired. When the Prime Minister and the Archbishop of Canterbury arrived in the middle of the night to inform her that she had become Queen, she swiftly assumed her authority and insisted upon receiving them alone – and she was dressed only in her nightclothes and a dressing gown! She then proceeded to hold her first council at Kensington on the very next day, 20 June 1837. After that, she packed her bags and moved to Buckingham Palace (so lavishly extended and redesigned by George IV), leaving her mother behind at Kensington. When the Duchess of Kent died in 1861, the Duke and Duchess of Teck moved into her apartments. Queen Mary was born there in 1867.

In 1897 Parliament was persuaded to release funds to the tune of £36,000 for the refurbishment of the palace, after which the State Apartments were opened to the public on Queen Victoria’s 80^th birthday in 1899. The gardens had been open to view since George II’s reign. In 1923, the Palace was reopened after housing the London Museum. Princess Margaret, sister of the late Queen, lived at Kensington for almost 42 years, and Diana, Princess of Wales, lived at the palace following her wedding to the then Prince Charles, on 29 July 1981, until her death in Paris on 31 August 1997. One of her favourite places was the Sunken Garden, commissioned by Edward VII in 1908; it sits in a part of the garden once the domain of hot-houses and potting sheds.

The Sunken Garden

Today the Palace is the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

All images are in the Public Domain.

Rambling in the Regency

2023-03-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

I am delighted to be able to announce the publication, today, of the paperback version of Volume II of The Horse: An Historical Author's and Reader's Guide! Packed full of information with respect to the horse when used for travel - care, treatment, harness, the carriages and coaches he was put to, and the major coaching inns of London - this book contains everything you didn't know you needed to know!

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I do hope it proves useful and entertaining. There are a few changes from the Kindle copy, so that will be updated in due course.

All the best,

Heather

The Horse: An Historical Guide

2023-01-09T06:42:00.001-08:00

FINALLY... after months and months off scurrying down endless rabbit holes and the diligent study of an extraordinary amount of research material, I can proudly reveal the publication of The Horse: An Historical Author's and Reader's Guide, Volumes II and III, which in the e-book are one volume. Two for the price of One!

Companions to The Horse: An Historical Author’s And Reader’s Guide Volume I, Volumes II and III are mainly aimed at those interested in the Georgian/Regency era, although they also cover a wider historical period. The series of volumes offer a fascinating journey through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, being packed with information vital to the historical author and of interest to any reader with a passion for horses. Bowling along the major routes, past picturesque coaching inns, we visit racecourses and other places of pleasure whilst meeting a rogue or two along the way.

This book (two paperback volumes will be available in due course) will give the reader an insight into the way horses were treated, regarded and employed for both travel and pleasure, covering driving history and methods; harness; carriages and coaches; the arrival of the postal service; the major London inns, the main mail roads leading from the capital and the inns which sprang up along them.

I hope authors and readers everywhere will find the series not only useful but also entertaining and informative. Enjoy!

Heather

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