Buckingham Palace

In all our London visits we'd never been to Buckingham Palace. Throughout Elizabeth II's long reign, it was a working palace and only open mid-July through August. This was our year, however. Alas, no fotos are permitted in the interior, so I have little to show for our visit, just memories of the grandeur, opulence, size, and most particularly, the extraordinary picture collection and especially its Vermeer. (No Velazquez). Also the chandeliers, which, in every grand hall, are of overwhelming size and beauty. And also the thrill of walking through such very historic spaces. A 2.5 hour tour, most of it by via an excellent audio format. 

Headed for the entrance queue

Fuller frontal (a few days later)

Including the famous balcony

Us, there

The famous Vermeer, A Lady at the Virginal with a Gentlemen;
famously not lent to the great Vermeer show at the Rijksmuseum
last year (thanks Wikipedia)

Dorsal view, after a stop at the cafe and the photo opp

And exiting...

Through the gift shoppe

Parthian shot

Portobello, 2024

Over the course of several visits, Rebecca has always had good luck at the Portobello Road market and wanted to go again. We got there relatively early Saturday morning, 9am, and the place already was bustling. By 11am it was grid-lock, and we were done. Again, however, it was a productive visit for her. For us, it was an interesting change. We'd last visited in 2021, when Covid restrictions were coming to an end here, and Portobello was just beginning to recover from a year's relative inactivity. Heavy rains and a flood the week before had not helped. We moved our collectible/brocante shopping attention to Camden Market. In 2024, I'd have to say, Portobello has fully recovered, and was, as in previous years, a hoot.

Interesting church pop-up en route

Almost everywhere you go here has interesting ghost signs

Street scene; it goes on a mile or more: mixed temporary stands and
permanent structures...food, souvenirs, clothes, crap, collectibles, and
real antiques...

The usual curiosities

On a side-street respite...the cat thinking "at last, all mine"

Very tempting...a beautiful art nouveau pitcher at one
of many shops in the Admiral Vernon Gallery; we also much
enjoyed The French Glasshouse, "Mouthwatering Galle and
Daum"

11am...very slow going, time to move on

A Jane Austen Walk From Leicester Square to Green Park

After Spencer House we thought we'd stay in character and do a Jane Austen walk in the neighborhood. Rebecca is an Austen fan, taught her novels in previous years, and had selected this particular walk from a book of such things she had brought to London. Vicki, of course, has read most of the books and seen all the movies. More than once. The walk, put together from the famous author's letters or diaries or novels, included a number of Georgian or Regency sights still in existence, but also plenty more things of interest. My pix and descriptions will be augmented by a map of the walk, but will be light on the Austen angle, since, as noted in an earlier post, I am not really all that well-versed in Austeniana. Actually, not versed at all. 

The map: from Walking Jane Austen's London, by Louise Allen

Site of Fribourg and Freyer, Tobacconists to His Majesty; the original
sign can still be seen, right windows, middle, 2nd row down; I'm
guessing Jane did not smoke, but this is what a storefront would have
looked like in her day; also a candidate for my Sic Transit, Gloria series

Said original sign

The Theater Royale, from the period

Rare dorsal view of Duke of York Column

Tall skinny building, perhaps not on the tour, but of interest;

clearly of the period

Ditto, if not skinny

Always alert for the blue discs

Muy importante

Famous purveyor of oranges, actress, and mistress
to Charles II (by appointment to the King) 

Court of St. James...St. James Palace; its age and size led George IV 
to focus on and enlarge Buckingham House; more fit for a king

Berry Bros and Rudd...purveyors of wine to everyone
important; their scales weighed many notables, including
the Prince Regent, Byron, Nelson, Pitt, and more; we're
still wondering why...Weight Watchers? 

Lock & Co., in business from 1765, where Miss Austen looked
at caps and hats perhaps; has hats made for both Wellington and
Nelson

Probably not Miss Austen's favorite London pub,
the Golden Lion, 1762

Noted cheesemongers, noted by Miss Austen

Ourtside Hatchard's, one of three London booksellers noted by Miss Austen

We spent some time in nearby Fortnum and Mason,
Vicki provisioning herself, like Wellington going on
campaign; she later pronounced F&N's clotted cream
inferior to Rodda's, available at Tesco and everywhere
else in the Realm

Also nearby, and not on the tour, the London branch of our favorite
pharmacy in Florence

Peering into Burlington Arcade, which

Rebecca was to tour another day, with the Head Beadle

Spencer House

Our next adventure in things new to us was the Spencer House, another of London's few remaining "town houses," that is, great houses in London maintained by the Great and the Good for the "season" in London. (See Downtown Arby's or Bridgerton for deeper insight). There are only a handful left, including Apsley and Spencer House. The Spencer clan goes way back and includes a number of notable members, some of whom are or were extremely well known. The House was begun in the 1750s, enjoyed its height throughout the 1800s, but began to decline in the 1900s, as the family's fortunes changed. It was let out beginning in 1927, with most of its grand furnishings removed to the ancestral home out in the countryside. With the Blitz, even more was removed for safekeeping. Much more recently, Spencer House caught the eye of one of the Rothschilds and associated investors, and so began a lengthy and very costly renovation and restoration back to its glory days. Fortunately, the furnishings of those years were well documented and have mostly been re-created or restored, owing to the cooperation of the Victoria and Albert Museum and similar entities. Evidently, no expense was spared in regard to the authenticity of the renovation. The main function of the House these days is as a venue for hire, with tours like ours available now and then. Its private rooms are mostly the headquarters of the corporation responsible for the renovation. The House is still owned by the Spencers, namely Lady Diana's brother. Photography is permitted in only two of the House's many rooms, so my coverage will be limited. There is, of course, an excellent website, which well conveys the House's history, collections, and renovation. With lots of pix.

At St. James, right on the park; kings and queens among the neighbors

Bits of the interior opulence I won't attempt to describe

Except they probably had to corner the world gold leaf market for
the renovation

Restoration of the fireplace was said to have taken 6,000 man-hours

Note puffy button-covers

The guide: appropriately aristocratic bearing and scholarly air...