Exploring Kingston Lacy - The First and Second Floors

Happy New Year!! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!! 

The tour of Kingston Lacey finally continues! :)

The main master bedroom

Bedside table. Love the phone and hot brick. 

The adjoining bathroom

One of the guest bedrooms

its adjoining dressing room. The the cupboard to the right of the fireplace, also doubles as the servants entrance to the room - a semi hidden staircase! 

Photos of the Bankes children taken in a studio

Ralph - the last member of the Bankes family to live in the house.

Lady Bankes's bedroom 

One of the famous Tent rooms. It is meant to look like the inside of a Napoleonic tent, and was a very fashionable way to decorate, though apparently very few examples survive. They were originally guest rooms for bachelors, but became the children's bedrooms when they grew out of the Nursery.

Though for some reason one for the tent rooms had been staged as a night nursery.

There were even plaster tassels hanging from the ceilings!

Exploring Kingston Lacy - The Ground Floor

At the end of August (time has seriously flown!!) I spent a lovely weekend in Dorset. I primarily went to attend a friend's wedding, but decided to go a few days early so I would have time to do other things - such as visit a National Trust house. :) I suppose you could say I have a slight addiction to National Trust houses (well actually any historic house), if I am quite near to one and I have a few hours to spare, then said house must be visited! :)

So on this particular, slightly chilly, summers day, I found myself standing in front of Kingston Lacy. 

An Italian palazzo in the middle of the English countryside. 

The weighing machine in the entrance hall (because who doesn't feel the need to weigh their guests as they enter the house?! :) ).

Most of the house is set out as it was during the Edwardian era, but one or two rooms are how the last owner left them in the 1950s.

A view of the garden from the stairwell.

The Library

The Drawing room. I instantly fell in love with this room. Its not so much decor but the furniture and the way it was laid out. Apparently I love Edwardian clutter! :) All it needed was a comfy sofa to replace the rather uncomfortable chaise long, and then I would have happily moved straight in. :)

The main thing that I loved about this house was the attention to detail. It was very much like a home and not a museum - there were nic-naks everywhere.

The Dining room complete with its own organ!

Beautiful carved detail

Hidden behind one of the tapestries is a dumb waiter that goes between the dining room and the kitchen. To the left of it is a small sort of speaking apparatus so that you could use to call down for any thing that you needed!! Sort of an Edwardian intercom system!!

A tortoise footstool - found gracing the floor of the salon 

The Salon 

A beautiful family portrait

Next post - the first floor. 

Waterloo 200 - The Battles

At last I have got around to the final post on Waterloo! The event started on the Tuesday but the actual battle re-enactments weren't until the weekend - the Friday and Saturday. The battlefield was so big that the whole event, camp and battle, took place on it, but were a good 20 mins walk apart!

The fabulous Aurora marching to battle (with my parasol :) ) 

The battle was held in the same place on both nights - a giant cornfield. Walking through it, to get to the camp followers viewing area, was... well interesting! I'm not sure if you have ever experienced walking through hip-high corn in an empire line gown!! It was a challenge to say the least!! :)

Camp followers viewing area.

Waiting for the battle to begin. The battle was essentially the same on both nights. However, viewing-wise the second one was much better as you could actually see what was going on (when there wasn't too much smoke!).  Unfortunately, on the first night, the soldiers were so far away from the spectators that smoke was all you could really see!!

The cavalry charging

British cavalry officer parading the captured French colours.

Firing the cannons!!

This was without a doubt the best reenactment that I have ever been too (despite the serious lack of traders/shops due to the extortionate price the organisers were charging for trader stands). The whole camp/battles were amazing, but it was definitely the people who made it. I saw so many friends from far and wide, many of whom I had no idea were going to attend, so it was such a wonderful surprise to see them all. 

I finish on a rather sad note, as I felt I couldn't write about Waterloo without mentioning the Canadian gentleman who very sadly died of a heart attack on the second day. None of my friends and I knew him, but it really shook everyone. It was so sad, but I hope he had a happy life, and I am glad that he was able to attend at least part of Waterloo 200, an event that (as a fellow Napoleonic reenactor) I can imagine he very much dreamed of being part of.

Waterloo 200 continued...

Here are a few photos that I took of the Allied Camp and all the camps within it.

The Dutch camp

Marching through the British camp

Celebrations in the Swedish camp

Waterloo 200

In June, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium. Getting there was an adventure as I had never driven onto a ferry nor driven in mainland Europe (so driving on the other side of the road!), However, I thankfully made it in one piece, and met up with my group on the ferry and then at the local supermarket in Waterloo (to pick up last minute supplies). 

Waterloo display in the supermarket.

John from my group. Being a frenchman!! :)

We arrived on the Thursday and the event ended on Sunday, so it was the longest reenactment I have ever been to, and probably one of the best.

The main battle reenactments were on the Friday and Saturday, but we spent the rest of the time wondering around the area visiting friends, exploring other camps and the local museum, dancing, and even doing a spot of shopping. :)

On one day we walked up to the top of the famous Lion Mound, taking in the new Waterloo museum on the way.

Walking to the Lion Mound

From the top there were some lovely views of the surrounding countryside.

The tents of the Allied Camp can be seen in the distance.

One evening, early on in the week, the Duchess of Richmond's Ball was held in a house on the outskirts of Brussels.

The location of the ball was fabulous, and the food delicious, but sadly the ballroom was not large enough, so one was not able to dance as often as one wished! :(

However, all in all it was a good night, and halfway through the evening a military band came from the Allied Camp (well actually Canada!), and entertained us with some military tunes. They were a very talented bunch.

Part 2 to follow. :)