Category Archives: Europe

Freddy’s Place

Frederiksborg Castle

Frederiksborg is an amazing castle. What we see today is in fact the third incarnation of the palace. In 1550 Frederick II acquired the estate in an exchange agreement, renamed it Frederiksborg and began constructing buildings. His first son Christian spent much of his youth here and came to love it. When he became King Christian IV in 1558 he immediately ordered the existing building torn down and rebuilt in a Renaissance style. The project took just ten years, an enormous accomplishment at the time. It is still the largest Renaissance palace in the world.

Jacob Christian Jacobsen, the founder of Carlsberg Brewery, recognized the national significance of Frederiksborg and knew that the country alone could never afford to rebuild it. He embraced the project and using original plans and paintings from the period organized and funded the rebuilding of the entire structure. He also agreed to maintain and staff of the castle in perpetuity. The docents that greet and inform the millions of visitors all work for the Carlsberg Company.

Christian IV

In Frederiksborg there are at least 160 portraits of Christian IV. In this painting the crown sits on the right. It was considered too egocentric for a monarch, even one anointed by God, to be wearing the crown in a royal portrait. The visor of helmet is raised indicating that the country was at peace when the painting was made. Christian IV was not just interested in fine buildings, he loved wine, wars and women. He married twice and had 24  legitimate children. It is also thought that he had an additional 30 children with five different women, of which he acknowledged 26 who he provided for and dubbed his “Golden Lions”. When he died in 1648 he left the treasury completely depleted.

Throwing Down The Gauntlet

Karl Hansen Reistrup made this historic painting in 1909. It is titled “Niels Ebbesen avoids Count Gert” but I imagine what is really depicted is “Ebbesen Confronting Gert “. I was drawn to the picture because it is the first image I have seen that depicts the actual act of throwing down the gauntlet. Up until now I had imagined that the expression was a metaphor that simply referred to a challenge and not an actual act, but in the age of chivalry it was indeed a real thing and a grave insult so egregious that it could only be answered with personal combat.

In the painting we see that Ebbesen has enraged the entire group. Men are yelling, some are coming out of their saddles, everyone is tense and worried. Even the horses are pissed off. Not only has Ebbesen thrown down his gauntlet but has raised his hand in the classic three finger “up yours” gesture. He is definitely itching for a fight. I doubt that this encounter actually took place and that the painting simply expresses the conflict between the two men.

What really happened was that Gerhard III, a German Count from the house of Holsten, had levied exorbitant taxes on this part of Denmark. Ebbesen refused to pay. With an army of 11,000 men Gerhard advanced on Denmark to collect his debt by force. Gerhard set up his headquarters in the small town of Randers. On April 1, 1340 under the cover of darkness Ebbesen and just 47 knights advanced on the town. He took two of his most trusted men, snuck through the town and into the inn where Gerhard was staying. They made their way to his bedchamber, killed his guards, dragged Gerhard across the bed, lined his neck up with the bedstead and chopped off his head. The men then made their escape with the loss of only one man. This act solidified Ebbesen’s place in Danish folklore and made him Denmark’s first national hero. He will forever be a symbol of Danish resistance and rebellion against their German overlords.

His reputation was so powerful that in 1942, during the occupation, the author Kaj Munk wrote a play celebrating Ebbesen. Hilter so feared rebellion that the play and any writings about Ebbesen were outlawed. 

Live Larsdotter

Live Larsdotter

This portrait of Live Larsdotter was painted by P. van den Hulst in 1691. She was the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe’s housekeeper. This is the first time I’ve seen a royal portrait of a housekeeper. Her claim to fame was her longevity. She died in 1698 at the age of 123.

Dr. Johan Frederick Struensee

The German doctor Johan Frederick Struensee was King Christian VII’s personal physician. It seems that Christian VII was mad as a hatter. Historians suggest that he was schizophrenic and heard voices from an early age. The nobles were completely distraught until Dr. Struensee arrived at court and said he could cure the king. He couldn’t really cure Christian VII but he could keep him sedated and quiet which is really all the nobles wanted.

The good doctor came to realize that he could rule the country by keeping the king behind the scenes. Struensee got a little ahead of himself and staged a coup d’etat 1772, which got him executed. It’s truly unfortunate, apparently he was a pretty good ruler and most of his progressive ideas are part of Danish culture today.

Come On Up To The Square

The Stortorget, Malmo’s largest square, is adorned with a collection of the most playful and imaginative bronze statues we have come across.

Stortorget Malmö, Sweden
Charles X Gustav
Rådhuset, Stortorget, Malmö, Sweden
Stortorget, Malmö, Sweden
Charles XI – Stortorget, Malmö, Sweden
Stortorget, Malmö, Sweden
Emigranterna “The Emigrants” – Stortorget, Malmö, Sweden

Arcades & Passageways

Arcades and passageways are an absolute necessity in all the older cities we’ve visited. With long blocks of four and five story buildings packed cheek to jowl they make passing from one block to the next much less burdensome and saves miles of circumnavigating city streets to get from one block to the next. They also create access to closed off courtyards and gardens.

Malmo, Sweden
Malmo, Sweden
Malmo, Sweden
Malmo, Sweden
Helsingborg, Sweden
Helsingborg, Sweden
Helsingborg, Sweden
Malmo, Sweden

Nyboder

Nyboder means new small houses. This historic row house district was the former Naval barracks. Construction of the district was begun in 1631 by Christian IV to house Navy personnel and their families. Nyboder is very much associated with their yellow color named “Nyboder yellow” to refer to the exact hue of yellow. Interestedly the original color of the development was red and white.

Copenhagen, Denmark

The neighborhood has had a bit of a grim past. On December 16, 1658 a gunpowder storage building  just north of Nyboder exploded, damaging or demolishing many houses and causing numerous casualties.

In 1668 the city’s gallows were moved to the district. In 1677 another bleak neighbor moved in when the Copenhagen Stocks House or military prison was built just a little to the south. it was opened to civilian prisoners in 1741 and held people sentenced to “slavery”, meaning prisoners sentenced to penal labor in irons. Prisoners were classified as “honest” and “dishonest”. The latter were beaten at the whipping post,  a punishment that connoted a severe loss of honor. In 1783 an even larger facility was opened when the Greater Stocks House was built next to the old building and held 600 “slaves”. The use of “severe examination” or torture was finally abolished in 1837.

Copenhagen, Denmark

From early on, the area also included a guardhouse which had an external bell used to gather people in the event of a military attack or fire. The building also contained a jail, where trouble-making residents were deposited.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Tjolöholm Castle – A Private Utopia

Now I’m really confused. They refer to Tjolöholm as a castle, but it seems to me to be the very definition of a palace or a mansion or even a country estate, but not a castle. It was designed in the Arts and Craft style to be the quintessential British country house by architect Lars Israel Wahlman, a man who never set foot in the British Isles. The project began in 1892 shortly after power couple James Fredrik and Blanche Dickson purchased this amazing piece of property. Planning the Elizabethan mansion took six years and then another six years to finish construction.

The Dicksons, of Scottish ancestry, were the third generation to make Gothenburg their home where James Fredrik ran the trading company Dickson & Co. founded by his grandfather in 1816. They were enormously successful and used their fortune to construct their idea of a utopian estate. The mansion itself offers everything the gentry could wish for, stables full of thoroughbred racehorses and scores of the most exquisite carriages of the day. Amazing views over the water of Kungsbacka Fjord to the small islands beyond. A lovely beach for swimming complete with a bath and boathouse. The house itself has all the modern conveniences of the day, including indoor plumbing, electric lights, central heating and even a vacuum cleaning system. Everything in the house and on the grounds is of the highest quality and the most pristine design.

Tjolöholm Castle
The Family Crest – The Winged Heart

The scrollwork above the stove reads: As Time Can Be Redeemed At No Cost – Bestow It Well – Let No Hour Be Lost

The Billiards Room
Handmade Tiles
Custom Made Lamps Throughout
Smoking Room
Hand Wrought Light Switches
Hand Painted Wallpaper
A Hairdryer

Blanche was convinced that a happy estate required happy workers and that called for quality housing in an idyllic setting. She designed and built a lovely little village where each family has a nice cottage with room for the children to play and a yard where each family could have a small vegetable patch. She even had a church built to insure the families got the necessary religious training.

At the end of the day this is sadly a bit of a cautionary tale. Shortly before construction began James Fredrik was celebrating at the Grand Hotel in Gothenburg. He cut himself opening a bottle of wine and wrapped the foil around his finger to stanch the bleeding. He died of blood poisoning a week later. A heartbroken Blanche toughened up, took control of the construction and finished the project. Not two years later she sailed to Ceylon to visit her brothers tea farm, ate some bad fruit on the ship and died of dysentery on the return trip to Europe. She was buried at sea in the Indian Ocean.

Once again the old wisdom rings true, don’t save your dreams for another day, do it now while fate allows.

How To Change The World

Sanatorium Zonnestraal
Jan Duiker

Sanatorium Zonnestraal is considered one of modern architecture’s most important buildings. The project was designed by architect Jan Duiker, a major representative of Het Nieuwe Bouwen, “The New Building”, the Dutch exponent of the international modern movement in architecture. The architects of the Nieuwe Bouwen movement focused on the world of modern technology and new building materials that would enable efficient, functional and hygienic schools, homes and factories. This building didn’t just transform how society thought about building materials but also how they thought about healthcare. Most of the patients here lived and worked in dirty, dark and crowded conditions where tuberculosis spread unabated. In a real departure for tuberculosis treatment at the time, the steel and concrete buildings were designed so all the rooms were flooded with light and had balconies that allowed the patients to spend their days in the fresh air. The principles established in Zonnestraal were repeated throughout the world.

How Did It Happen

In the early 1900’s Amsterdam was the largest producer of diamonds in the world. Most of the diamond workers were Portuguese Jews living in incredibly cramped conditions. A family of ten living in one small room was common. Factories were also crowded with poor lighting and terrible ventilation, and were rife with tuberculosis.

Jan van Zutphen “Uncle Jan”

In 1926 Jan van Zutphen, “Uncle Jan”, the Diamond Workers beloved Union leader saw the resale potential of the residual products of diamond processing. He began collecting the copper stalks used to hold the diamonds in place during cutting and polishing. He also discovered a method of removing the impurities from diamond dust. He then sold the copper and diamond dust back to the industry. The money poured in and the union commissioned the Zonnestraal Sanatorium to provide care for stricken workers. 

So what’s needed to change the world? It would seem to require a kind generous heart and a clever mind.

10 Days In Croatia

Dubrovnik – Unesco World Heritage site

Dubrovnik 1667

In 1979 Dubrovnik was named a Unesco World Heritage site in recognition of its medieval architecture and fortified old town. The fact that the city still exists is amazing in itself. The entire city was almost destroyed in 1667 by a huge earthquake. In 1991 the Yugoslav People’s Army shelled the city for seven months during the Croatian War of Independence. Over the centuries, because of its strategic location on the Adriatic Sea, it has changed hands more often than an old dollar bill. It has been overrun by emperors, sultans, Ottomans, Byzantines, Italians, Greeks, Romans, Serbians, Venetians, Hungarians, Germans, Croatians, Macedonians, and Crusaders.

Thanks to the Game of Thrones, mega-cruise ships and social media, it becomes difficult to talk about this beautiful city without obsessing on over-tourism. In 2019, before the pandemic, 1.5 million people roamed the narrow streets. To put it in perspective, that’s 36 tourist for every citizen. Things of cultural and historic significance are easy to overlook under the crush of overpriced tours, Game of Thrones t-shirts and Chinese made souvenirs. On a more positive note, the city is lovely and the gelato is fabulous.

Rector’s Palace
Bell Tower and Loggia
Bell Tower

The House of Marin Držić

Dom Marina Držića

Considered to be one of the finest Renaissance playwrights and prose writers of Croatian literature. Marin has even been called Croatia’s Shakespeare. His comedies, in particular, are lauded.

If it’s life that makes the writer then Marin can speak from experience. After a time in Sienna, Marin returned to Dubrovnik in 1543 and quickly became an acquaintance of the Austrian adventurer Christoph Rogendorf and began a series of vagabond exploits. He was connected with a group of Dubrovnik outlaws, and journeyed to Vienna, Constantinople and Venice, working as an interpreter, scrivener and church musician.

At one point he became convinced that Dubrovnik was being governed by a small group of elite aristocrats bent on tyranny. He wrote five letters desperately trying to convince the Medici family of Florence to help him overthrow the government in his home town. They never responded.

The Jesuit Stairs
The Jesuit Stairs
Porporela
Porporela Beach
Porporela
Porporela
Palace Sponza
Palace Sponza

Split

Croatia’s Second Largest City

Split is a pretty interesting place. Much bigger than Dubrovnik, approximately four times bigger, it still has a much smaller and more relaxed feel. Now that may just be because we have confined our visit to the interior of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s large walled palace that sits at the harbor and haven’t ventured into the large bustling city that hovers just east of here.

Founded as a Greek trading colony in the 3rd century BC, Split really took off when the fortified Palace of Diocletian was built in 305 CE. It became a prominent settlement around 650 CE when Roman refugees fled here after Salona, the ancient capital of Dalmatia, was sacked by Slavs. 

Although caught in the middle of the struggle between Venice and Croatia, Split managed to remain a free state for centuries until Venice finally won control of the Adriatic Sea and it became a heavily fortified Venetian city. That lasted until Napoleon beat the living daylights out of everyone in the late 18th century and the territory became part of the Habsburg monarchy. Then, in turn, became part of Italy, France, Austria, Yugoslavia, Germany and finally, after the fall of Yugoslavia, an independent Croatia.

Peristyle of Diocletian’s Palace 1792

Bishop Gregory of Nin

Bishop Gregory was always at odds with the power in Rome. He was the head of the rival Bishopric of Nin and attempted to institute the Slavic language into religious services. The Pope was having none of it and decreed that “no one should presume to celebrate the divine mysteries in the Slavonic language, but only in Latin and Greek, and that no one of that tongue should be advanced to the holy orders”. Bishop Greg’s pleas were rejected and his entire Nin bishopric was abolished in 928, but the Slavs still love him. Rubbing his toe has brought people good luck since 1929 when the statue was erected.

Marko Marulić

Marko is considered the father of Croatian literature and a major figure in the European renaissance. A lawyer, judge, author, poet and illustrator Marulić was the first to use the term psychology in his work “ Psychology concerning the nature of the human soul” published in 1524. His second most important work was Evangelistarium, an essay on ethical principles. A copy in the British Library belonged to Henry VIII and the margin notes indicate that the King was particularly interested in the authors religious views on choosing a spouse.

Apparently the great writer shared a mistress with his good friend Papalić. According to local stories they were very aware of their common affection, but like most threesomes, the whole affair ended in tragedy. The men would take turns climbing through the bedroom window of the young lady, the city commander’s daughter no less. Although it wasn’t his turn, Papalić asked Marulić to let him visit the girl’s bedroom. The local nobleman was caught and killed. The girl’s father, unable to live with the disgrace, buried his daughter alive behind a wall in the family home. It wasn’t until years later that her body was discovered. The whole debacle caused Marulić to move to a monastery on the island of Šolta.

Zagreb – The Capital

Zagreb Is the capital and largest city in Croatia. With 1,250,000 people, greater Zagreb has about a third of Croatia’s population. The earliest settlements in the region date from between the 1st and 5th centuries AD. The history of Zagreb itself dates from 1094 A.D. when Hungarian King Ladislaus founded a diocese and began the restoration of public safety. He was a severe legislator and punished thieves with death or mutilation.

The Legend King Saint Ladislaus

Legend has it that King Lad made his bones at The Battle of Kerlés when a Cuman warrior tried to flee the battlefield with a kidnaped Christian maiden. The severely wounded Ladislaus took chase. He shouted to the girl to catch hold of the pagan’s belt and jump to the ground. As the King and the pagan began wrestling the girl cut the pagan’s Achilles tendon allowing Ladislaus to subdue and behead the villain.

Ban Jelačić Square

Ban Jelačić Square. Stock Photo

The name “Zagreb” dates from 1094, but the city actually had two different city centers, Gradec and Kaptol. The city was finally united in 1851 by Ban Josip Jela Jelačića for whom the central square of the city was named in 1848. Austrian authorities had the large statue of Josip on horseback erected in the square in 1866. It caused much unease amongst Hungarians who viewed Jelačić as a traitor. Apparently he would set out on his military campaigns ill prepared and would take provisions from the towns and villages he passed through leaving the peasants destitute. It was removed under Communist rule in 1947, but then reinstalled in 1990 after the fall of Communism.

Ban Jelačić Square
Ban Josip Jela Jelačića
Zagreb Catheral

The 2020 earthquake that rattled Zagreb damaged the Zagreb Catheral’s 13th century Gothic spires. Since then the world’s most impressive scaffolding has shouded the church’s two towers.

Podravka is an international food processing company particularly renowned for their line of soups. The company chose red believing that the warm tone has a positive influence on peoples lives. Heart is at the core of their company philosophy. Besides being in the company’s logo, heart has been in all their slogans  “From heart to heart” and “Company with the heart” and “When you cook with the heart, you cook Podravka soup”.

Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla is a national hero in Croatia. Born in the ethnic Serb village of Smiljan, about half way between Split and Zagreb, Tesla is considered by many the inventor of the electricity we use in our homes everyday, Tesla became famous during his lifetime. Noted for his showmanship at public lectures, he also demonstrated his achievements to celebrities and wealthy patrons at his lab. He made considerable money from early patents he had licensed to Westinghouse. 

In 1893, he announced the possibility of wireless communications for practical use and plowed all his money into the Wardenclyffe Tower project, an intercontinental wireless communication and power transmitter, but the money ran out. He never completed it and he never completely recovered from it.

A bit of an eccentric, Tesla claimed never to sleep more than two hours per night, he curled his toes one hundred times for each foot every night, saying that it stimulated his brain cells, he had a photographic memory and said he used his ability to visualize in three dimensions to control the vividly terrifying nightmares he experienced as a child.

At his annual birthday parties he would announce his new inventions. In 1933 there was a motor that could run on cosmic rays and a way to photograph the retina to record thoughts. Tesla told reporters in 1934 that he had designed the “teleforce” death ray, a super weapon that would end all wars. On questions concerning the death ray, in 1937, Tesla said, “But it is not an experiment … I have built, demonstrated and used it. Only a little time will pass before I can give it to the world.”

By the 40s he had spent most of his money and moved from one New York hotel to the next, leaving behind unpaid bills. He died alone in Room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel on January 7, 1943, at the age of 86. The body went undiscovered for two days until the maid finally ignored the “do not disturb” sign.

The Funicular

Tin Ujević

Augustin Josip “Tin” Ujević is considered by many to be the greatest poet in 20th century Croatian literature and is compared to Thomas Hardy and early Yeats.

“Tin” Ujević

The Sisters Baković

Rajka and Zdenka Baković were Croatian students and a members of the anti-fascist resistance movement in the Nazi controlled puppet state of the Independent State of Croatia. The sisters used their family newsstand at Nikolićeva Street No. 7 to pass messages to other members of the resistance at the beginning of World War II.

The Sisters Baković
Ustasha

The Croatian Fascist and ultranationalistic Ustasha Surveillance Service arrested Rajka and Zdenka in December 1941. Both sisters were subjected to five days of severe torture but refused to betray their fellow resistance fighters. When Rajka could no longer stand she was taken to the hospital where she soon died. Zdenka became so distraught by her sister’s death that she broke free from her captors and threw herself out of a fourth story window. The Sisters Baković have been honored as People’s Heroes of Yugoslavia.

Shoe Display
Photo Studio

See you next time. Stay curious.

What A Deal

Historic Cycle Network Sign

Sometimes we’ll happen upon a quiet little burg that doesn’t seem to have a whole lot going on only to discover that it has a rich and varied history that stretches back a millennium. Deal is indeed one of those places.

Deal lies just 8 miles northeast of Dover where the North Sea meets the English Channel. between the Strait of Dover and the Thames Estuary. Now a resort town, in 1278 it was the busiest port in England. Historic accounts suggest that four or five hundred ships would be visible from the beach while they waited for a slight change in wind direction that would allow them to proceed into the North Sea or down the Channel towards London, which was then the largest port in the world for sailing vessels. Countless invading forces and pretenders to the throne have landed here only to be beaten back by locals on this very beach. World changing battles have played out in the waters just off shore. The Spanish Armada was twice defeated in full view of the town, first in 1588 by the English and then again in 1639 by the Dutch.

Deal was a town of many firsts. This is the possible location of Julius Caesar’s arrival in England. It was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1078 and was also the first English soil that James Cook set foot on when returning from his first voyage to Australia in 1771. In literature, more protagonists, heroes and nefarious villains have sprung from this little town than you could imagine. Over the years Deal has played an important role in countless novels by some of the world’s most famous authors including Jane Austen, Daniel Defoe, Charles Dickens, Ian Fleming, Patrick O’Brian, H. G. Wells and, most recently, Anthony Horowitz.

Tudor Era Deal Castle

The Deal Pier

This is the third pier in the town’s history. The first was a wooden structure built in 1838 and then destroyed by gale force winds in 1857. It was replaced by an iron pier in 1864 that survived until being struck by a Dutch ship in 1940. The present pier was opened in 1957 by the Duke of Edinburgh and is the last remaining fully intact leisure pier in Kent.

The Deal Pier

Boatsmen

The Deal boatmen were internationally famous for their skilled seamanship and bravery in operating their locally-built craft. Only the severest weather prevents the larger working boats from being able to launch.

The Time Ball Tower

This device was used by ships at sea and in the harbor to set their marine chronometers to ensure proper navigation. Ships navigators and captains would watch the tower through their telescopes. At exactly 1pm each day a signal was sent from Greenwich to the tower and the ball would quickly drop.

The Deal Time Ball Tower

When I first saw the Time Ball Tower I thought, what a clever idea and so unusual. I could not have been more wrong. As a mechanism these date back to before Alexander the Great when the Greeks used them in their city squares. Although now they just historical oddities and have been completely replaced by electronic time pieces, there are still at least six in Australia, one in Canada, three in New Zealand, one in Poland, one in South Africa, two in Spain, eight in England and four in America including the most famous one of all, the one that drops in Time Square every New Year’s Eve.

“oh yeah, hurry on down 
Come on now, meet me on South Street, the hippest street in town”
The Orlons – 1963

A Nation of Shopkeepers

This is a much quoted and often misunderstood remark. Supposedly Napoleon, in 1794, described England as “a nation of shopkeepers”, referring to Adam Smith’s remarks in “The Wealth of Nations” from 1776. At the time Britain was the envy of the world and the phrase would have been a positive one. Britain being a nation filled with hard-working, local, small-scale productive enterprises providing jobs and serving the community.

Some have considered it a damning remark and that Napoleon was alluding to a nation of little ambition that was far too concerned with commerce to be a match for his army. However, the English newspaper, the Morning Post, in 1832 referred to the comment as complimentary as it applied to a nation which has derived its principal prosperity from its commercial greatness.

I am only sure of two things, the English did not like Napoleon at all and there are indeed a lot of small shops.

The White Cliffs of Dover

These magnificent chalk cliffs hovering over the Port of Dover are much more than a geological oddity or a world renowned international tourist attraction. Like the State of Liberty is to Americans, these white ledges are an enduring symbol of British identity and pride. They represent home and hearth, warm and safety, shelter and tranquillity, all the best emotions that returning home from time away can fill you with. The sight of them rising from the mist has filled seamen, airmen and world travelers with confidence, hope and relief for ages. During World War II their significance was elevated even further. Like the iron gate of a castle, they came to represent strength, courage and an undying sense of perseverance and steadfastness.

Vera Lynn – The Forces Sweetheart

“There’ll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow just you wait and see
There’ll be love and laughter and peace ever after
Tomorrow when the world is free”

Perhaps no one did more to solidify the White Cliffs of Dover’s reputation as a symbol of hope during WW II than Vera Lynn. Known as the “Forces Sweetheart”, she sang hits like “We’ll Meet Again” and “(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover” to troops from air fields and munitions plants in England, across the Middle East to India and Burma.

Vera Lynn 1943

Pink Floyd Remembers

In 1978, Roger Waters thoughts turned to Vera Lynn when he wrote “Vera”, for the Wall album. Pink, a disillusioned rock star, watches the WW II film ” The Battle of Britain” and sings, “Remember how she said that/We would meet again/Some sunny day?/Vera, Vera/What has become of you?” Well, apparently quite a few people did remember Vera. She had a career that spanned over 65 years. In 2000 she was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century. She lived to be 103.

Keep Off My Vegetables

Beningbrough is one of the most remarkable houses in all of England. The grand interiors, amazing woodwork and exquisite gardens are second to none and yet very little is known about Beningbrough’s past.

Ralph Bourchier inherited the estate in 1556, but the mansion we see today was built by John Bourchier (1685 – 1736) and his wife, the wealthy heiress, Mary Bellwood (1683–1746).

Sir John Bourchier spent two years in Italy during his Grand Tour of Europe. He was so impressed by his time there that several years after his return John built the current Beningbrough Hall in an Italianate baroque architectural style. It was his marriage to Mary Bellwood that provided funds to do so. The Hall was completed in 1716 and would become the family home for 150 years.

Beningbrough Hall

The Great Staircase

Completed in 1716, this truly remarkable staircase is an exquisite example of early 18th century craftsmanship. Hand built by York wood craver William Thornton, all three floors of inlaid wood treads are suspended on cantilevered iron rods giving the whole staircase the appearance of floating in air with no visible means of support. All the balustrades are hand craved oak designed to look like wrought iron.

During the second world war RAF servicemen damaged some of the balustrades. Lady Chesterfield hired York based master craftsman Derek Wall to do the repairs which are remarkably indistinguishable from the originals.

The gardens that surround the estate are being reworked by award winning landscape designer Andy Sturgeon.

Florence Jane Helen Wilson – Lady Chesterfield’s Mother

Sir John Bourchier  – The Threat of Confiscation

Sir John Bourchier (1595 – 1660)

Sir John Bourchier’s father suffered from mental illness and was declared legally incompetent in 1598. His upbringing became the responsibility of his strictly Puritan uncle. This greatly influenced his young nephew’s political and religious beliefs. He never believed that God spoke directly through the Monarch. When King Charles I dissolved Parliament and sought to raise money through Forced Loans in 1627, Sir John refused to go along with the scheme. The English Civil War broke out in 1642 and John was arrested and imprisoned in York. After his release he was elected to Parliament and sat as a judge at King Charles’ trial. Sir John was one of 59 men to put his signature and seal on the King’s death warrant.

The Execution of Charles I – January, 30 1649 “Men cried, women fainted and the crowd groaned”.

After the Monarchy was restored in 1660 all the signers were ruthlessly pursued. The elderly Bourchier was captured but was too ill to be tried for regicide. In the end he remained unrepentant saying, ‘I tell you, it was a just act; God and all good men will own it.’ Through political ties, his son, Barrington, somehow rescued the property from confiscation by King Charles II and managed to keep Beningbrough in the family.

The Honorable Enid Edith Wilson, Countess of Chesterfield

In 1900, at the age of 21, Enid married Edwin Scudamore-Stanhope, a man twice her age, and became the Countess of Chesterfield. Her father bought Beningbrough Hall as a wedding gift for the couple. In the early 1920s Lady Chesterfield started to raise thoroughbred racehorses. Her husband died in 1933 and she stayed on at the hall until her death in 1957. The couple had no children and Beningbrough was then acquired by the National Trust in lieu of death duties.

The Second World War

When WWII broke out and the house was requisitioned by the RAF. Clifford Hill, one of the soldiers living on the estate, recalls an encounter with Lady Chesterfield. She was very irate that he and his companions were mistreating her gardens. She is reported to have said to them, “Good luck boys, and keep off my vegetables”.

The Race To The Bar

The airmen risked their lives every night on bombing raids in enemy territory. All sorts of capers were dreamed up to relieve their stress. If you could run from the bar, the full length of the house, up the stairs, along the top floor and then back down to the bar in one minute, you won a free pint. It was a mad rush. Running, push bikes, and on at least one occasion, a motorbike was used to try and win the pint.

A Magic Carpet Ride

Istanbul, Turkey 1989

With the exception of a couple trips to Mexico, Wendi and I had never ventured out of the USA together until, in April 1989, some friends asked us to go to Istanbul with them. They planned to stay with an uncle for 3 weeks and assured us that we were all welcomed. The uncle worked for an accounting firm that sent him to Istanbul to help modernize the Turkish banking system. He was given the top floor of a really nice building, a car and two driver/bodyguards. The two bodyguards worked alternating 12 hour shifts and both lived in the ground floor of the building. The uncle told one of the men was Greek Orthodox and the other a Muslim and that they never spoke or even acknowledged the other’s presence as they would pass in the hallway twice a day, every day. He suggested this was a sign of religious intolerance. We discovered this just added a little more tension to an already anxiety filled household. The uncle was hugely fearful of kidnapping and was very careful about taking a different route to work each day. The aunt was so nervous she would never leave the apartment without a bodyguard. Assuming in our usual naive fashion that they were over-reacting, we headed out to gleefully explore every inch of this mysterious city.

The Bebek Mosque 
The Gate of the Sultan – Dolmabahçe Palace
Street Market outside the Mosque.
TV Shop – The Turkish Football team is playing the Romanians in the European Cup Semi-finals.
Doner kebab shops are everywhere.
Only children wear sneakers.
Mending nets.

Egyptian Obelisk

They say the obelisks were originally covered with brass plaques figuring Egyptian symbols. When the Crusaders sacked  Constantinople in 1203 their looting frenzy was such that they stripped the columns mistaking the brass for gold.

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

Hagia Sophia, built in 537, was the patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople until the fall of the city in 1453. It was then converted to a mosque by Mehmed the Conqueror who had all the Christian symbols painted over or chiseled off the walls. In 1935 the new secular Republic of Turkey changed the mosque into a museum. For years it has been the most visited tourist attraction in Turkey until July 2020 when, in the face of condemnation from Turkish opposition, UNESCO, the World Council of Churches and many international leaders, President Erdoğan reclassified it back into a mosque.

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

The Blue Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Blue Mosque, was built in the early 1600s. After a crushing defeat to the Persians the Sultan built the mosque to assert Ottoman power.

Prince’s Islands

We just had to get out of the apartment so we took a ferry out to the Prince’s Islands, an archipelago off the coast in the Sea of Marmara. During the Byzantine and Ottoman periods princes, princesses and Sultan’s families were exiled here, giving the islands their name. We got a room at the Splendid Palace Hotel on Büyükada, the largest of the nine islands. The island was like a trip back in time. It was small enough to cover on foot and, other than a few service vehicles, there was no motorized transport on the island.

The Splendid Palace Hotel, Büyükada

Check Cashing

There were no ATMs, so we brought American Express Traveller’s checks. Cashing them was an adventure in itself. Merchants wouldn’t take them so we were left with two options, the bank or the AmX office at the Sheridan Hotel. I called the AmX office and asked when they were open. They told me occasionally. We opted for the bank. 

The old bank building stood out on the corner like a grime grey ghost ship streaked with diesel exhaust. The 15’ high entrance was flanked by two uniformed police with machine guns. We entered a huge room with a giant portrait of Atatürk on the far wall and benches lining the other three. A tall podium sat in the exact center of the room with an older man perched on a high chair behind it. On the podium in front of him was a gigantic old leather-bound ledger with notes and odd pieces of paper sticking out in all directions. He motioned us forward and asked our business. We held up the AmX checks. He grunted, licked his thumb and, with practiced dexterity, located the exact correct page in the ledger and flopped the tremendous tome open with a loud thud. He signaled for the checks and our passports and began writing furiously in the ledger. He motioned for us to wait on one of the benches, then he leapt up and left the room with all our money and identification and disappeared through a small door at the back of the room. Being in a place where everyone looks at us like we just flew in from Saturn, we’re a tad apprehensive at this point.  We sat very still and very straight with our eyes transfixed on the door that our entire security had just walked out of. After a long 10 minutes he pushed back through the door, briskly charged to the podium, hopped up on his high stool and completely ignored us. After an agonizing 20 more minutes a very tall stern looking woman in heels that clacked when she walked across the marble floor came through the door and headed straight for us. I was certain this is it, the gig’s up, we’re either going to the principle’s office or that prison in Midnight Express. She gestured for us to follow her. We scrambled to our feet and were led like ducklings to a small teller window at the far end of the room. She then handed a note to a small timid lady inside the cubicle who immediately began counting out Turkish lira. At about 2,000 lira to the dollar this made for a hell of a pile of bank notes. She pushed the mound of bills through the window to the stern woman who recounted it until she was satisfied then handed us the cash and a receipt. Finally, with a flourish, she produced our passports from some hidden pocket, smiled broadly and told us in perfect English to come again soon and have a lovely day.

Mohammed’s Hair

During our tour of Tokopki Palace we had to see the Jewel Room. We strolled by cases filled with jewel-encrusted scimitars and daggers, amazing diamond bracelets and rings and necklaces with emeralds so large that the Sultan had to sit to wear them. Out of nowhere a huge commotion erupted from across the room. A group of about 30 or so women dressed in burka were standing in front of a large showcase, chanting, crying and rocking frantically. I pushed through the crowd to see what all the hubbub was about. When I peeked into the showcase I saw a gold satin pillow with a single long hair stretched across the top. This single hair is worshipped by the faithful as being from the head of their most revered prophet, Mohammed.

The Throne Room, Tokopki Palace
Tokopki Palace

The Angels Wrote My Name

The old walled city sits on top of the Basilica Cistern, built in the 6th century by Justinian I to hold the city’s water supply. For over a millennium it provided water to everyone inside the city walls as well as security when under siege. As the city grew each sultan would construct new fountains and wells so people would have easier access to water and there by increase the revered one’s status in the afterlife. The idea being that every time you fill a jug or take a drink you ask Allah to bless the Sultan and with each blessing the Angels write the Sultan’s name. Each new entry in the Book of Life improves the Sultan’s ultimate position in Heaven.

Basilica Cistern

Statues of Roman Gods were dismantled and used to support columns. Tradition suggests the heads were inverted to negate the power of the Gorgon’s gaze.

Medusa – Basilica Cistern
This cup hangs above a fountain and is for public use.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Atatürk is the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. He undertook sweeping progressive reforms, which modernized Turkey into a secular, industrial nation. He is regarded as one of the most important political leaders of the 20th century. His picture is everywhere. 

Occasionally when traveling things will happen that make you realize just how much we take our freedoms for granted. We were sitting in the Sultan’s Pub talking to a couple Turkish basketball players about how much they admired Michael Jordon. One of the guys bragged that he had 20 points and 10 assists in his last game.  I jokingly exclaimed, “Atta Turk!” Both men quickly leaned across the table and whispered “Shhh, you can’t say that. Joking about or disparaging Atatürk is illegal. Be careful what you say. If anyone overhears you, life could get very complicated very quickly.”

The Sultan’s Pub

Chinese Whispers

We found an old Hammam, Turkish Bath, that had been converted to a carpet market and sold new reproductions of classic Turkish carpets for export. We were curious how much they cost and how it all works, but the salesman couldn’t speak English. He began circling through the rooms and returned with two couples, one Dutch and the other German. He pointed to the Dutch couple who could speak English and German. We explained what we wanted to know and they conveyed our message to the Germans who could also speak Turkish. They, in turn, spoke to the salesman and round and round we went for a half hour. It all worked amazingly well and was clearly a method the salesman had used before. They didn’t ship the carpets, but instead rolled them, attached a cloth handle and had you hand carry them to the airport. At least I think that’s what he said. We never bought a carpet.

My Ottoman Princess

Büyükada, Turkey
In the lobby of the Splendid Palace Hotel, Büyükada, Turkey
The reluctant babysitter
Wendi tells a joke at the Splendid Palace Hotel, Büyükada, Turkey
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