Beloved Eleanor

Out and about on my travels I found the following ‘new’ things for my collection:

Another vintage postcard of The Monument, and an engraving of Regent Street I rescued from a junk shop in a really ratty frame.

Longtime readers may remember I bought an original watercolour of Eleanor some years ago.  I’ve just come across a comission the same artist has completed of her husband Edward I!

I do like it – just wish it wasn’t modelled on the Braveheart image of him.  Obviously it was a comission though.   I hope that Mark manages to do his own version!

Whilst I’m on the subject of art, and was on Mark Satchwill’s site it reminded me he also recently completed a gorgeous picture of Elizabeth and Darcy from the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice.

This leads me to the final piece of news today…a great Austen site, which recently wrote about the recycling of Regency costumes.  Check it out for yourselves…

For some reason at the beginning of this week, for at least three nights in a row I dreamt about Venice.  Why?  I just don’t know.  I haven’t watched, read, looked at or otherwise done anything remotely involving Venice.  Yet, here we are.

I should explain my relationship with Venice, such as it is.  Years ago, I think it was when I was in my mid to late teens my maternal Aunt bought me a book called Tregaron’s Daughter by Madeleine Brent.  My Aunt, it should be said was, and is, a fabulous book and trinket supplier

Tregaron’s Daughter is a mystery story set in Cornwall and Venice.  I don’t know what it was about it exactly, as the book isn’t about to set the world on fire, (though I still love it anyway) but it instilled in me a deep desire to visit Venice myself when I was older.  By the age of 20, I had fulfilled that dream.

I visited museums and galleries, including the Basilica San Marco and the Doge’s Palace, I took boat rides – including one on a gondola – and walked the length and breadth of Venice.  Sadly, I didn’t take very many pictures, and I think they are rubbish, so I won’t include them here!  The fact is, when I left all those years ago, I didn’t feel that I needed to return.

So why now?  No idea, not a clue.  I hunted out my photos (eek), found a couple of guidebooks, and most importantly – remembered my Venetian Palazzi book – which is gorgeous indeed.  Even while writing this I remembered my Venetian mask that I bought (I was enthralled by the mask and costume shops), but it doesn’t seem to be enough.

I suppose time will tell, but I cannot see myself getting to Venice any time soon, time permitting, never mind anything else!  So, I have ordered myself a second hand copy of Tregaron’s Daughter (no idea what I did with the last one) and a DVD of Francesco’s Venice which is supposed to be very good.  All I know is that for now, my subconscious mind will have to be content.

Take a look at my lovely ‘new’ 1880s picture of Eleanor’s cross at Waltham.  I had not seen this particular image previously, and was admiring it last week.

Enter the lovely Carol – who got it for me!  Sending lots of hugs your way

Time for another knitted update from the Mum’s latest creations.

The Mum has been busy this year, not only with her own creations, but with some commissions.  First up was a request to provide bats for sale at some bat walks in August:

She also was in a witchy mood:

and then decided to mix the bats up a little bit and go funky with different colours:

But, as they say in infomercials – that’s not all…she has been hard at work with two sets of Christmassy creatures, and two further commissions.  Watch this space when all is revealed!

If you’ve missed the other knitted news, here are some reminders:

There Be Mice In This House

Boo!

Christmas Creature Projects

Easter Chicks and Spring Frogs

As promised in my previous post, here amongst other things is the early plastic (probably early twentieth century) cameo brooch I bought at the antiques/collectibles shop at Haddo.

It is dark brown, detailed and gorgeous!  Didn’t hurt that it only cost a few pounds too

In other pictorial news, a few months ago I tracked down a children’s story book by Lavinia Smiley, also signed by her.  For those of you who don’t know, it was Mrs Smiley and her husband that donated the castle to the nation.

Another nice bonus was a little book about Sir Thomas Lawrence the artist (bit of scandal in there too, yay!) and a little oracle book, which looks like it was printed in the 1930s.  For those of you that also didn’t know – I collect oracles.

Please see the pics below, I have left some as thumbnails, and some give a closer view.  I have an update regarding the Mum’s knitting and creative projects, but as there is quite a lot to catch up on, it will follow in another post.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m really missing finding my antique jewellery bargains.  I’ve also now been lured into looking at antique silhouettes.  Great things to get, easy to store and the cheaper end of the market to buy thank goodness!

I haven’t had my fix of either for ages.  I haven’t bought a name brooch (or any other kind for that matter) since September 2008, and I haven’t got a silhouette to start my collection yet – soon I hope.

A Victorian Brooch Collective

Some of you may also remember that I love Victorian ‘black’ brooches, i.e Jet, Pressed Horn etc.  Here are some good sites to window shop at:

• Black As Jet
• Penelope’s Pearls
• Things Gone By

I haven’t bought anything from these sites yet, plus there are always auctions to pick up interesting items from.

Interesting information if you like this kind of brooches:

• Morning Glory Antiques Hand Motif Jewellery
• Art of Mourning: Brooches

Some of my black hand brooches

A selection of my favourites

Here also are some great shops to browse at silhouettes:

• Wigs on the Green
• Peggy McClard Antiques
• Richard Mole

TV joy, that’s who.

After the recent barren wasteland of historical TV, (or maybe that’s just my perception, lol) I have lately been treated to no less than 3 historical TV programmes a week.  Albeit, they haven’t all been about technical accuracy – but fun all the same.

For the past several weeks (finished tonight, boo) there has been the Supersizers Go…  For the uninitiated that’s a food critic (Giles Coren) and broadcaster/I don’t know what (Sue Perkins) try out food and lifestyles in different eras.  This is the second series.  They tried:

• The Eighties (a bit dull this one)
• Medieval (Cockantrice anyone?)
• The French Revolution (For the outfits alone!)
• The Twenties (Laxatives)
• The Fifties (Horse meat, ack)
• Ancient Rome (What’s worse rotten fish or duck tongues?)

It’s also worth seeing if you can find the episodes from the first series and the Edwardian programme.  Hilarious stuff, plus you might even learn a thing or two.  Just don’t watch Giles eat, and watch out for retching.

Hmm, what loveliness next?  The genealogical kind of course.  Who Do You Think You Are?  is back tracing the family trees of the famous.  Episode one with presenter Davina McCall was quite interesting, but episode two with DJ Chris Moyles was a tiny bit dull, but hopefully it will be back on form this week with presenter Kate Humble.  Always a quality show, even if they do make genealogy look super-fast and easy.

Last, and by no means least is Desperate Romantics.  Most of you will be aware that I love the work of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, namely Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Holman Hunt and John Millais.  This is a drama with a funky, humourous feel based on their lives.  The first episode was excellent, and I’m looking forward to the next one tomorrow.  Will it stick completely to the facts?  Perhaps not, but then I’m ok with that.

Enjoy, everyone.  I will be!

Been thinking about these a lot lately, keep updating and trimming the list.  Have absolutely no space in the house either, but who cares…

Here are my top books that I want to own:

• Sir Thomas Lawrence: the Artist by Mark Levey
• Momento Mori: Churches and Churchyards of England by Simon Marsden
• Strawberry Hill: Horace Walpole’s Gothic Castle by Anna Chalcraft and Judith Viscardi
• Thomas Hope: Designer and Patron in Regency London by David Watkin and Philip Hewat-Jaboor
• Saving the Tsar’s Palaces by Christopher Morgan and Irina Orlova
• William Morris and Red House: A Collaboration Between Architect and Owner by Jan Marsh
• Adam Houses (Country Life) by Eileen Law
• The Jacobean Country Houses (Country Life) by Nicholas Cooper
• The Regency Country House (Country Life) by John Martin Robinson
• Versailles: A Biography of a Palace by Tony Spawforth
• Van Dyck and Britain by Karen Hearn
• The Wallace Collection by Stephen Duffy
• The V&A Guide to Period Styles by Anna Jackson
• Discovering Scottish Architecture by T.W. West
• 1001 Paintings From the Louvre by Vincent Pomarede
• Art Treasures of Kelvingrove by Hugh Stevenson
• The National Gallery Complete Illustrated Catalogue by C. Baker
• Jane Austen: the World of Her Novels by Deidre Le Faye
• The History of British Art 1600-1870 by David Bindman
• Shoes, Hats and Fashion Accessories by Carol Belanger Grafton
• The Lonely Empress: Life of Elizabeth, Empress of Austria by Joan Haslip
• Emperor Francis Joseph by John Van Der Kiste
• Childhood At Court 1819-1914 by John Van Der Kiste
• Mode Ilustree Fashion Plates by Florence Leniston
• Houses of the National Trust by Lydia Greeves
• Treasures From the Trust
• Belton House by Adrian Tinniswood
• London’s Country Houses by Caroline Knight
• Sir John Soane’s Museum, London by Tim Knox
• Sleuth: the Amazing Quest for Lost Art Treasures by Philip Mould

This also doesn’t include the books that I’m looking for that are out of print!  Any recommendations?

I’ve known about this site for quite some time, but it may amuse some of my castley friends.

The person running this website has made a 3D architectural model of the castle, which you can view and play with different angles online.  Apparently you can even buy a copy.  Shame about the name typo though.

Have fun!

Castle Fraser 3D model