Category Archives: UK

What A Deal

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.

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.

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.

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

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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

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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

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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.

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’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.

Tredegar House – a ‘faire place of stone’

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The Tredegar House dates back to the medieval age. The red brick house, described as a ‘faire place of stone’, was built in the 1670s by Sir William Morgan and his wife, Blanche. The wealthy couple turned the old stone manor house into an extravagant and fashionable country mansion. But it was really Sir Charles Gould Morgan, a brilliant businessman, who in the late 1700s expanded the estate to over 40,000 acres and with mining and shrewd investments solidified the family wealth for almost 200 years.

The Edney Gates were made and erected, between 1714 and 1718, at a cost of over £1,000. That would be over $250,000 today.

I found this a somewhat troubling courtyard. It is very large and completely enclosed in the center of the house with nothing in it except a lamp post and hand pump. You enter it through one of only two small doors. It has no access to outside the building. I asked the docent what was it used for. He said, “Ya know, stuff.”

Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar

The Crimean War broke out in 1854 when a 22 year old Godfrey was a captain in the 17th Lancers. He was anxious to make a name for himself and led his section of the Light Brigade into the ‘Valley of Death’ at the Battle of Balaclava. Both the Viscount and his famous horse, ‘Sir Briggs’, returned to Tredegar heroes. ‘Sir Briggs’ was well cared for and lived to be 28. He was buried in the Cedar Garden at Tredegar House with full military honors.

*Sir Godfrey Morgan & Sir Briggs at The Battle of Balaclava*

How The Mighty Have Fallen

Godfrey’s great-nephew Evan marks the end of the Morgan family at Tredegar House. Evan was a multi-millionaire that never even thought about working. He was considered one of the most outrageous and toxic eccentrics to ever stain the aristocracy. He threw wild parties, befriended occultists and practiced black magic. One of his favorite party tricks was to hide a parrot in his clothes only to have it emerge from the zipper of his trousers to the amusement of his drunken party guests. Although a notoriously promiscuous and flamboyant homosexual, he somehow managed to marry twice. First to an English actress and then to the Russian princess Olga Sergeivna Dolgorouky, which was annulled less than four years later. Evan died in 1949, disgraced, broke and without an heir. His relatives were forced to sell Tredegar House to pay debts and estate taxes.

Yo Ho Ho!

The Morgans certainly come from hearty stock. Sir Henry Morgan, a great grandson of the original Morgans, made his fame and fortune on the high seas. He is considered one of the greatest scoundels in history. He roamed the Caribbean as a Privateer plundering Spanish ships and settlements with the approval of the Crown. The ever-shifting political climate between England and Spain made staying in the good graces of the King a difficult task. Henry was responsible for so many atrocities and brutal rampages that eventually the King could no longer tolerate his lawless behavior and Sir Henry found himself arrested and imprisoned. In the end he bribed his way out of trouble and became a wealthy plantation owner and Governor of Jamaica.

His exploits have become the stuff of legend. He was immortalized by John Steinbeck in his 1940 novel ‘Cup of Gold’, Rafael Sabatini’s novels ‘the Black Swan’ and ‘Captain Blood’ were adapted for films that made Errol Flynn and Tyrone Powers stars and launched an entire swashbuckler genre. Even Sci-Fi writer Isaac Asimov took a swing at the buccaneer in ‘Robots In Time’ when time travelers meet up with the Captain while searching for a fugitive robot. He is probably most well known today as the Captain Morgan that stands proudly on bottles of rum around the world.

The Time Machine

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During this semi-isolation we live in now I’ve managed to get to some long forgotten projects. A quarter of a century ago, in 1995, we went to Sherborne, England for our first Home Exchange. We were still in an analog universe without digital cameras, cellular phones, social media and the high speed Internet we know today. So our negatives and journals, after a cursory perusal, went the way of all vacation memories at the time, deep in a drawer. We have decided to rediscover what we did and how we felt about it. Come along.

1995

Wendi has been organizing our very first European Home Exchange for over a year at this point. We fly out on March 23rd for a 5 1/2 week trip to England. We’ll be spending our first 3 1/2 weeks in Sherborne, Dorset at the home of the Rouses, two teachers at the Sherborne Boys School, one of a few exclusive institutions that molds entitled little rich kids into the leaders of tomorrow. Then we’ll be off to London for two weeks in a small studio flat in Covent Gardens.

This is a real act of faith for us. Leaving our home and business for almost a month and a half feels very risky. Our clients are a bit shocked and not particularly happy, as most are corporate types that get two weeks off at the very most. We’re not sure if there will be business when we return. Time will tell.

At this point I should tell you a little about the exchange. We have discovered that our exchangers, Tony and Jan Rouse, share the same last name but are, in fact, not married or even together. They are just good friends. When we were picked up at Heathrow it was explained to us that we could stay at either Jan or Tony’s house, but that Tony’s house, the Firs, was larger and directly across the road from Sir Walter Raleigh’s Castle. Wow, a house with a name, next to a castle, that’s the one for us. It was only after we were dropped off that the fatal flaws in our decision became apparent. Tony lives all alone, he’s a bachelor and all that entails, beginning with a very unfortunate kitchen and two bathrooms in crisis. As for the view of the castle, actually it’s about as charming as a huge crumbling pile of rubble can be.

I’ll feel better after a quick shower, but wait I can’t open my luggage. The name tag says Capt. Thompson. Who the hell is Capt. Thompson? I call British Airways, “Hello Mr. Peterson, we’ve been expecting your call. You apparently have Capt. Thompson’s bag. He’s on his way to Nairobi now, so we’re going to send a driver by your place to pick up the Captain’s bag and bring it here. We’ll try and get your bag out to you in a couple days. OK?” I pause as my jet lagged brain tries to think this through. “Mr. Peterson, you still there?” “Yes, but I’m afraid your plan won’t work for me. What I will do is exchange bags with you. Bring me my bag and you get the Captain’s bag.” After three solid minutes of dead air time she finally agreed. The driver arrives just after midnight, topping off the longest day of my life.

Sherborne Abbey

Christians have worshipped where the Abbey stands for over 1300 years. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1539 his good buddy, Sir John Horsey, acquired Sherborne Abbey with plans to demolish it. The townspeople, only about 2000 strong, rallied together and heroically managed to raise what would be over $445,000 today to save the church.

Our new friends have organized a little tour of the Abbey. Their friend is the cathedral organist and has promised to show us around.The organist was so kind and hospitable. To the surprise and delight of people visiting the cathedral, he even belted out a little ditty for everyone’s enjoyment. He then took us up the secret stairway to the roof for a view of the town.

After the tour we headed over to the Digby Tab for a few Imperial pints of Strong Bitter. The organist arrived after a couple rounds. I stood up and announced to the assembled crowd that he has the largest and most beautiful organ I have ever seen. I’m certain that they are still teasing him and laughing about the dumb American.

Don, Edith, Cyril and the Organist at Sherborne Abbey

Stonehenge

When you could still walk up and touch these magical stones.

Beer

A quaint little Cornish village perched on hillside overlooking the English Channel. We decided to stay here simply because it’s named Beer. Seemed like a no-brainer.

We stayed at the Colebrooke House. At breakfast we tried to chat with the owner and asked if he had grown up in Beer and what he did for a living before starting a B&B. He immediately dressed us down for being far too farmilar and explained that the English would never take such liberties with a stranger. As soon as he left the room the ladies at the next table came over, introduced themselves and told us the landlord was full of bullocks and just being an old grump.

Tintagel Castle

A medieval fortification located on the island of Tintagel, the castle was built by Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall in the 13th century.

It has been a tourist destination since the 1930s when visitors began coming to see the ruins of Richard’s castle. Tintagel Castle has long been associated with the legends of King Arthur.

Geoffrey of Monmouth created the Arthurian myths that are still popular today. In the 12th century he described Tintagel as the place of Arthur’s conception in his mythological account of British history. Geoffrey wrote that Arthur’s father, King Uther, was disguised by Merlin’s sorcery to look like the Duke of Cornwall, so he could sneak into the Duke’s bedroom and have his way with Igraine, Arthur’s mother. A sort of 12th century date rape.

Trevigue, Crackington Haven, Cornwall

We drove to Trevigue down a very narrow country lane after dark. The fog was so thick that we didn’t realize that just 15′ to our left was a 100′ cliff above the Irish Sea. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Trevigue has been a farm since before the Norman Conquest.

Further North

Warwick castle

London

It’s Easter Sunday and we’re on the train to London for our last two weeks. We’ve rented a very small apartment in Covent Gardens from Mr. Almaz. Apparently it’s his son’s place and the old man puts him out whenever he can get a renter. It’s teeny but clean and the son has tons of movies. We haven’t turned on a TV in over a month.

The Imperial War Museum

Much to my surprise, this place is great. World War II is clearly England’s defining moment and this extraordinary museum gives you a real feel for the devastation and aftermath of the conflict. We even took a simulated bombing run over Berlin.

The Tower of London

It’s not really a tower, it’s a walled fortification that encloses a jail, an armory, a jewel house, chapel, royal houses and apartments. The Beefeater that served as our tour guide told us that in centuries past it was a very unpleasant place that the Royals would only come to when there was a threat of attack. The sewer system in particular was suspect. It was designed with the thought that the tidal river would wash the waste out to sea twice a day. Apparently it never worked and left the whole place smelling like an open septic tank. A lot is made of the famous beheadings that took place on the Tower Green, but apparently most executions took place outside the complex on Tower Hill so the bloodthirsty public could attend. Executions inside the complex were more solemn affairs not meant for immediate public consumption.

The Queen’s Apartments, The Tower of London

The condemned entered the Tower through this passage.

Anne Boleyn and countless others spent their final days in this very room.

Touring With Her Majesty

An Imperial Pint at the King’s Arms, London

Schwerin – the Florence of the North

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Schwerin

This lovely storybook city in Northern Germany is referred to as the Florence of the North. The capital of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommen, Schwerin has a population of about 150,000. It is surrounded by lakes, the largest of these being the Schweriner See, the third largest in Germany.

City Market Square

At the end of World War II, Schwerin was taken by United States troops. It was then turned over to the British on June 1, 1945. One month later, on July 1st, it was handed over to the Soviet forces, and the British and American forces pulled back from the line of contact to the predesignated occupation zones.

Schwerin was then in the Soviet Occupation Zone which was to become the German Democratic Republic (GDR). After reunification in 1990 it once again became the capital of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommen.

The Trace of the Lion Monument

This monument on the Market Square in Schwerin was built in 1995 by the controversial German sculptor Peter Lenk. It commemorates the 800th anniversary of the death of the city’s founder Heinrich the Lion. During his lifetime, Henry, Duke of Bavaria and Saxony, was one of the most powerful men in his region of the world. He founded the city of Schwerin in 1160, Munich in 1157 and Lübeck in 1159. During his reign, he ruled over a territory that reached from the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas all the way to the Alps.

The Trace of the Lion Monument – Stock Photo

The nearly 15-foot-tall monument features a lion, Henry’s heraldic animal. The sides show curious scenes associated with Henry’s life. The most bizarre scene depicts the duke riding through a gauntlet of people flashing their buttocks. Legend has it that when Henry arrived in the town of Bardowick, its contemptuous residents received him with their pants pulled down to reveal their bare behinds in an expression of anger at the Duke’s punitive trade policy that promoted Schwerin and Lübeck as important trading places and caused Bardowick to lose it’s prestige.

The Trace of the Lion Monument

Schloss Schwerin – Schwerin Palace

Stock Photo

The first records of a Slavic fort at this small island date from AD 973. In 1160, the fort became a target of Henry the Lion. The Slavs destroyed the fort before leaving but Henry recognized the strategic importance of the location and immediately started building new defenses. He also had the first foundations of the city of Schwerin laid the same year. In 1167, Henry gave the County of Schwerin to his vassal Gunzelin von Hagen, who formed a ducal hereditary line that lasted until the revolution of 1918 which resulted in the abdication of the Grand Duke.

Schwerin Palace

SchwerinCastle

Schwerin Palace – The Throne Room

The shelves that surround this beautifully paneled room are supported by individually craved animals.

Petermännchen ,“Little Peterman”

Every good castle has to have a ghost. Meet Petermännchen.

Petermännchen – “Little Peterman” – Quid Si Sic “What If So”

This good-natured household spirit is only a few feet tall, is often described as carrying many keys, roaming through the vaults and tunnels underneath the castle, unlocking doors as he goes. He has a cavalier look with a stylish moustache, wearing a waistcoat, riding boots with spurs and a feathered hat. He is said to carry a lantern and sword and is the keeper and watchman of the castle, rewarding those who are honest and good. Conversely he will punish or drive away thieves and intruders. To do so Petermännchen will cause a nuisance or play pranks, crashing and banging through the night. He also wakes soldiers who have fallen asleep on their watch in order to save them from being punished.

The Winter Room

The ceiling decoration in the Winter Room is made of paper mache and covered with three millimeters of gold foil. The builders discovered that paper mache was far superior to paster or stone carving. It’s faster, lighter, cheaper and can be pressed into molds so the designs are infinitely repeatable.

The Winter Room

Queen Luisa of Prussia

This beautiful portrait of Queen Luisa of Prussia hangs in the Winter Room and was painted in 1812 by W. Temite from a drawing made on her deathbed. The covered hands and palm fronds in the veil would have indicated to viewers that the portrait was posthumous.

Queen Luisa of Prussia

Albrecht II

I’ve always insisted that no matter how peculiar some folks seem to look there had to be some point in the day when they caught sight of their own reflection and thought, “Yea, I look pretty cool.”

Albrecht II

I’ll bet the pliers hanging from his waist were to help get in and out of that getup.

Albrecht II – Detail

The Staatliches Museum

Staatliches Museum

The Staatliches Museum Schwerin (State Museum Schwerin) was established in 1882 and is nationally known for its medieval collections well as one of Europe’s most significant collections of French-American artist Marcel Duchamp.

Staatliches Museum

Besides the Alte Meisters (Old Masters), we are here primarily for the GDR Show.

Hinter dem Horizont – Beyond the Horizon …
GDR art from the collections of the Staatliches Museum Schwerin

Schwebendes Liebespaar (Floating Lovers) – Wolfgang Mattheuer – 1970

The exhibition brings together around 100 paintings, drawings, graphics and sculptures some maintaining the prescribed ideologies of the times, others not so much. Here’s just a few.

Bildnis Karl Michel (Portrait of Karl Michel) – Clemens Gröszer – 1988/1989

Der Fotograf Dieter Schmidt (The Photographer Dieter Schmidt) Volker Stelzmann – 1975

Christine – Volker Stelzmann – 1974

The Bitterfeld Way

Artists were called upon to seek out their subject matter in factories or in the countryside. Proximity to the working populace was a programmatic specification of the cultural policy.

“In our time, a contribution to socialist art must consist primarily in encouraging the working people of socialist society to actively shape their lives.”

Fischer und Studenten (Fishermen and Students) – Konrad Homberg -1963/1964

Aufbau der Stalinalee (Construction of the Stalinalee) – Hedwig Holtz-Sommer – 1952

Schweinemeister Richard Thieß (Pork Master Richard Thiess) – Carl Hinrichs -1963

Junger Bauarbeiter (Young Construction Worker) – Walter Howard – 1964/1965

“The working day seems to be approaching its end. The excitement at the prospect of knocking off is unmistakable. This image, marked by optimism and a lust for life, can be understood as a metaphor for the dawning of a new age.”

Jugendbrigade im Aufbruch (Youth Brigade On The Move) – Carl Hinrichs -1962

On Gorbachev’s Reforms In The Soviet Union

“Incidentally, if your neighbor redid the wallpaper in his apartment, would you feel obliged to redo the wallpaper in your apartment as well?”

Jean-Baptiste Oudry – An Alte Meister

Oudry was a much favored 18th century French painter that specialized in animals in conflict, but also had a keen eye for the historical significance of many of these amazing creatures.

Rhinozeros (Rhinoceros) – Jean-Baptiste Oudry – 1749

The Indian rhinoceros “Jungfer Clara” came to Versailles and Paris in 1749. Oudry studied her at the fair at St, Germain. At the time very few people had seen one of these creatures. It must have seemed as alien to the 18th century viewer as a Martian. The life-size portrayal became a memorial to this magnificent rhinoceros.

Rhinozeros (Rhinoceros) – Jean-Baptiste Oudry – 1749

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, a French naturalist, mathematician, cosmologist, and encyclopédiste, produced a highly successful and widespread engraving of Clara’s portrait, which allowed a much larger audience to view this amazing animal.

These large scale paintings of animals at battle were highly favored in the royal houses and palaces of Europe in the 18th century.

Jean-Baptiste Oudry

Let’s finish with a great German artist.

Selbstbildnis/Self-Portrait – Paul Kuhfuss – 1925

Paul Kuhfuss, a classically trained Berlin artist, was hugely prolific and left an archive of over 5,300 works of art.

Herr Kuhfuss was also a man of conscience. In October of 1935, he was denounced by the Gestapo as member of the artist association “Berlin North”, for his resistance to the Nazi cultural propaganda and his defense of Jewish colleagues. Participation in art exhibitions in Berlin was no longer possible until after the war.

The Wendi Files – 2018.1

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People have been clamoring for the Wendi Files but rather then burden everyone with endless tales of blood-curdling debauchery, I thought we could start off slow and just let her never-ending wackiness unfurl at it’s own pace.

Happy In Haarlem, NL

The Singer-Laren Museum, NL

The National Museum of Modern Art – Edinburgh

Riddles Close – Edinburgh

Krollen-Muller, NL

Edinburgh

Charity Shop In Banchovy, Scotland

Cullen Bay, Scotland

The National Museum of Modern Art – Edinburgh

Enjoying the wildlife at Balmoral Castle

Edinburgh

With Barney In Edinburgh

Castle Fraser – The Top of the Tower

Castle Drum – Honey, we’re home.

Welcome To The Vintage Market At New College, Durham, U.K.

Buddying up to Victoria at Kelvingrove Museum, Glascow

Albatross Imitation At Kelvingrove Museum, Glascow

A Pub In Ballater

Balmoral Castle – She said, “You know we could rent a couple and race each other?”

New Friends in FoggieLoon, Scotland

Kirkcudbright

A Nap At Castle Drum

Wendi said she’d rest on the lawn at Castle Drum while I climbed the Tower. The groundskeeper came over and nudged her to make sure she hadn’t expired.

Disaster, Mayhem and Mini-Monsters

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As usual there just isn’t enough time to get to everything so here’s a few sad and peculiar tales that got lost in the shuffle.

‘Black Friday’

St. Abbs

In October of 1881 the fishermen of the North Sea could not have predicted that a European windstorm, the strongest of all extratropical cyclones, was moving their way. Because of the unsettled weather the fishermen of Eyemouth had been unable to put to sea all that week. By Friday the 14th everyone’s stores were exhausted and bait was going stale. The morning broke clear and calm yet the barometer was still abnormally low. The younger men knew that if they didn’t put out to sea there would be no food for their families until, at least, Monday evening. The older fisherman cautioned against it, but the impatient younger men, with hungry families and loans to repay, ignored the more experienced advice and, one by one, raised their sails and moved out of the harbor. They sailed nine miles out to the fishing grounds unaware that the storm had already broken along the coast further south. Suddenly a horrible stillness fell over everything, the sky darkened and the storm clouds began to roll in. Most of the fishermen, having no time, cut their lines and turned into the wind, while others made a run for Eyemouth.

Eyemouth Harbor

On the shore, whole families gathered and watched through the driving spray and lashing rain as their fathers, brothers and husbands crashed into the rocks along the coast. By the end of the mornings 189 fishermen had died, 129 from Eyemouth. Every family was effected as 250 children were left fatherless.

Sculptor Jill Watson

This small and very heartfelt bronze memorial, created by sculptor Jill Watson, stands on the bluff above the harbor where the women and children gathered and watched their loved ones perish on the rocks just off shore during the Eyemouth Fishing Disaster of 1881.

Sculptor Jill Watson

Lives Of The Rich & Famous

In our age of celebrity we tend to think of the rich and famous as having charmed lives free of stress, worry and anxiety. Lives in which everything they could ever want is right at their fingertips. Lives filled with adoration and privilege. They appear to look good, feel good and fill their trouble free days with unimaginable joy. I think this notion is completely illusionary and with the exception of an incredibly lucky few, has no basis in reality. If it’s not true now, then it definitely wasn’t true in the 16th &17th centuries. Here’s just a few examples.

Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll

Archibald was a man of immense power who shifted his political allegiances between the Protestants and Catholics as the prevailing winds blew. Even his father referred to him as a man of craft and falsehood. Eventually he found himself on the wrong side and in 1660 Charles II had him arrested and executed. His famous squint and gloomy countenance earned him the nickname of “Archibald the Grim”.

Lady Arabella Stuart

This potential heir to both the Scottish and English crown was amazingly wealthy. Her evil mother kept her in a semi-imprisonment for most of her life. When Arabella finally gained a little freedom she eloped without her cousin, the King’s, consent. He was so furious he imprisoned her in the Tower of London were she starved herself to death.

James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton

Morton was always a troublemaker. He infamously introduced the guillotine to Scotland. After trying to de- stabilize the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots he was convicted of taking part in the murder of her beloved Lord Darnley 13 years earlier. He was publicly executed with the very same guillotine he had brought to the country.

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley

An heir to both the English and Scottish thrones, Henry was married to his cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary crowned him King of Scots. Although adored by Mary, he quickly proved himself to be spoilt, arrogant, unstable and completely incompetent. He was murdered just one year later at the age of twenty one.

James Graham, 1st Marques of Montrose

Montrose was another man of privilege that just couldn’t make up his mind. First he was a Royalist, then a Clan Chief, then a Covenanter and then a Royalist again. Always in trouble, Jimmy hid out in the Highlands, then England, then France and eventually returned to Scotland only to be captured and brought to the High Street in Edinburgh where he was hung, cut down while still alive, had his entrails cut out and set ablaze, and finally was drawn and quartered.

Strange Things

Peculiar creatures are not restricted to the windows of Haarlem. They have, apparently made their way to Scotland.

Just another guy that wanted to rule the world.

Duke & Baron – The Kelpie Clydesdales

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Clydesdales

Most Americans are familiar with these magnificent horses from the incredibly sentimental ads that Budweiser uses to make us cry every Christmas and Super Bowl.

The friendly nature of these giant creatures is no accident. In the 1820s Scotsmen cross bred powerful Flemish stallions with local mares to create a workhorse that is powerful, even tempered and docile enough to work in close proximity with men. They were quickly put to use pulling boats and barges along the canals and rivers of Scotland.

It’s no wonder the shape-shifting Kelpies that live below the surface of these waterways chose the Clydesdale as the form they would take when they came ashore. These mythical creatures wait patiently on the banks for unsuspecting passersby who are drawn to their kind eyes and magnificent countenance. Innocent people would reach out and touch them, only to be trapped and pulled below to a watery grave.

Kelpies

By the end of the 20th century the canals and waterways around the once vibrant industrial Falkirk region were silted up, filled with refuge and unused.

At the beginning of the restoration project, named the Helix, sculptor Andy Scott was brought in to help. He imagined that Clydesdales would be the perfect image to bridge the divide between the areas industrial past and it’s mythological folklore. He chose the Clydesdales Duke and Baron as his models.

Duke is “Kelpie Head Down”

Baron is called “Kelpie Head Up”.

The Kelpies in Helix Park

Looking Up Inside Duke at Falkirk, Scotland

These amazing sculptures have completely revitalized the Falkirk area. The first year alone drawing a million tourists.

BruceWPeterson Photography

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