HYDE PARK CORNER and GREEN PARK LU STAs

“NUMBER 1, LONDON”. APSLEY HOUSE

Given over to the nation in 1947 by the 7th Duke the house is still the home of the present Duke of Wellington and his family, while the historical collections are largely intact. The current Duke of Wellington (18th) is also the Prince of Waterloo and is styled 'His Serene Highness', a title granted by the Dutch king in 1815, which comes with the hereditary right to 2,600 acres of land in Belgium. He is also part of the Spanish nobility as the duke of Ciudad Rodrigo and the former Portuguese nobility as the duke of Victoria

PORCELAIN. As the  House was used for entertaining on a grand scale, and Wellington's great dinner and dessert services are on display.

The Sèvres Egyptian Service was commissioned by Napoleon for his Empress Josephine, representing the monuments of the PHARAOHS.

GOLD and SILVER PLATE: The vast silver Portuguese Service, with an 8-metre-long centrepiece, adorned the table at the annual Waterloo Banquet, a great event at which the Duke entertained officers who had served with him at Waterloo and in the Peninsular War.

Orders of chivalry, commanding battons, snuff boxes

PAINTINGS formerly belonging to the Spanish ROYAL COLLECTION, which Joseph Bonaparte had previously stolen…

Chandelliers 

Rooms devoted to the Duke: death mask, funeral Panorama, funeral  program (printed in silk), cartoons (published after his death)

British paintings

Original  ADAM decoration, conserved in the PICADILLY DRAWING ROOM and the PORTICO ROOM

On September 2, 1812, Francisco Goya exhibits an equestrian portrait of Wellington at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. Wellington had entered Madrid on August 12, 1812. This would mean that Goya had three weeks to complete the painting which experts seem to agree would not be enough time. In fact, x-ray examinations of the painting have determined that Goya adapted the painting from another painting that, in all likelihood, he had started earlier. Wellington's head is painted over the head of this other sitter. The original painting may have been a portrait of King Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother. The Wellington portrait is at the collection at Apsley House. Goya also painted another portrait of Wellington and did a haunting drawing of an exhausted Wellington after a battle. For more information on Regency Portraits see the following post. 

The IRON DUKE mounted on COPENHAGEN, by sculptor BOEHM, guarded by a GRENADIER, a ROYAL HIGHLANDER, a WELSH FUSILIER and an INNISKILLEN DRAGOON, and cast from captured guns.

As for NAPOLEON’s horse, find out at  the <<<NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM<<<

The equestrian statue of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington located outside the Royal Exchange, now known as the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland, is one of Glasgow's most iconic landmarks.

It was sculpted by Italian artist Carlo Marochetti and erected in 1844, thanks to public subscription to mark the successful end in 1815 of the long French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Since at least the 1980s it has been traditionally capped with a traffic cone by members of the public. The statue is a Category A listed sculpture.

Built in 1825–7 and was originally intended as an outer entrance to Buckingham Palace. Palace, standing opposite and to the south of the SCREEN, in the middle of a perfect symmetrical composition (ST.GEORGE’S HOSPITAL -SCREEN- APSLEY HOUSE), that symmetry was destroyed, when moved here in 1883.

A solid construction, designed by DECIMUS BURTON, b.1825-28, to commemorate WELLINGTON’s victories over the French Armies, during the NAPOLEONIC 

And, as well originally, it was surmounted by a colossal equestrian statue of the Duke. When the ARCH was moved to its present position, the statue was removed to the MILITARY ACADEMY, in ALDERSHOT. The current artwork was put in place in 1912, The spectacular bronze sculpture atop Wellington Arch, the biggest in Europe, is known as THE QUADRIGA. Crafted by Sir Richard Westmacott,  the sculpture depicts the Angel of Peace descending on the Quadriga (four-horsed chariot) of War.

You can visit the interior of the arch (three floors of exhibits detailing the history of the arch, but, mind you!, half of the arch functions as a ventilation shaft for the Hyde Park Corner road underpass, constructed in 1961–1962… and you get good views of the surrounding area from the top!

The origins of the statue go back to the end of the Napoleonic Wars, when various memorials to the British triumphs were begun, including Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square and the victory arch at Hyde Park Corner. In 1837 a committee was formed under the Chairmanship of the Duke of Rutland to raise funds for a military memorial to the Duke of Wellington. The sculptor was Matthew Cotes WYATT, a highly controversial choice at the time. The monument was made on a massive scale, the largest equestrian statue hitherto seen in Britain. The final statue was 30 feet high, 26 feet from nose to tail, and 21 feet in girth. It weighed 40 tons.

Au course de son existence (1769- 1852), ARTHUR WELLESLEY, le 1er DUC DE WELLINGTON, malgré les aléas de le politique, tissa maints liens avec les Français.

Né à DUBLIN, le même année que NAPOLEON BONAPARTE (qu’il ne rencontra jamais), il séjourne an an à ANGERS, en 1786, comme élève de l’ACADEMIE D’ÉQUITATION, reçu chez les DUCS DE PRASLIN et de BRISSAC, et il mène une vie joyeuse tout en perfectionnant son français.

En 1794 il devient le beau -frèce d'HYACNTHE-GABRIELLE ROLAND, Parisienne très lancée, que RICHARD, son  frère  aîné  épouse après 9 ens de vie commune et la naissance de 5 enfants (l'une des filles est au nombre des aïeux de l’actuel souverain).

En 1805 après un sejour de 4 ans aux Indes il épouse CATHERINE PAKENHAM, fille du BARON LONGFORD.

il rencontre aux eaux de CHELTENHAM une aimable émigrée , la ViCOMTESSE DE GONTANT-BIROB, et engage avec  le GÉNÉRAL DUMOURIEZ une correspondance qui se prolongera jusqu’à la mort  du vainqueur  de VALMY, en 1823

Il Combat en Espagne pendant la Guerre d’INDEPENDANCE (1798- 1813) et en FRANCE jusqu’a l’abdication de NAPOLEON en 1814.

De même , c’est avec une cordiale sympathie qu’il, accueille en 1837, lors de couronnement de VICTORiA, son vieil adversaire d' ESPAGNE, de TOLOUSE et de WATERLOO,  le MARECHAL SOULT

Totefois , quand on lui demande de lever son verre à l’armée Française, il grommelle entre ses dents: « l’armée Française , by God, ma besogne est de le battre, pas de boire à sa santé ». Puis, boit, quend même…

A sq mort, survenue à 83, des funérailles grandioses eurent lieu à ST.PAUL. Et son corps repose dans la crypte de la Cathédrale où l'on pouvait naguère voir le somptueux char funèbre qui mènera sa dépouille 

If you use these tunnels, you will find Interesting local history panels

Pizza express

KNIGHTSBRIDGE GREEN

A triple arched screen crowned by a sculptured frieze (Sculptor JOHN HENNING Jr.). IONIC style.

Both SCREEN and ARCH were intended as a royal progress from the palace to the park.

A large square pedestal with surmounting stone carved 9.2" Howitzer. The bronze figures of artillery men are featured on either side: a junior officer with a greatcoat and equipment at the front; an ammunition carrier facing east; and a cloaked driver facing west. The rear features the figure of a dead gunner shrouded in a cloak.

The granite stones are inscribed with the names of 23,844 towns in which the Australian soldiers were born, in Australia, the UK and elsewhere. Parts of some town names are picked out in bolder type, creating the names of 47 battles in which Australia was involved in a larger font.

First invented in 1884 by Hiram Maxim (1840-1916), the modern machine gun came into use in the late 19th Century in such conflicts as the Boer War and the Spanish American War. It saw use in many other places and became notorious for its use by European nations in their pursuit of colonies. The first combat use of the Maxim occurred on October 25, 1893 in modern-day Zimbabwe when 700 police troops of the British South Africa Company's Police (BSAP) were attacked by 3,500 Matabele warriors as British adventurers invaded their kingdom. Five Maxim guns killed about 1,500 warriors.

What you will find Alongside Piccadilly…

Liam O'Connor designed the memorial, built of Portland stone, which features a bronze 9 foot sculpture of seven aircrew, designed by the sculptor, Philip Jackson to look as though they have just returned from a bombing mission and left their aircraft

Who owns HARD ROCK CAFÉ?.
In March 2007, the Seminole Tribe of Florida acquired Hard Rock International, Inc. and other related entities from The Rank Group Plc. Today, Hard Rock International is one of the most globally recognized companies in the world and has venues in over 70 countries; Cafes, Casinos and Hotels. 

EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS

In the late 19^th century, Escoffier and Cesar Ritz launched together the Savoy, the Carlton and the Ritz hotels, the first modern luxury hotels in Europe, pioneering unprecedented standards of quality in service and elegant dining.

Escoffier is credited for elevating French Haute Cuisine to new heights, first in Britain, then around the world.

Having started his apprenticeship at the age of 12 and managed various restaurants in Paris and the French Riviera, Escoffier’s career took an unexpected turn in 1883. He was hired as Head Chef by Swiss hotelier César Ritz, then Managing Director of “Grand Hôtel” of Monte Carlo. It marked the beginning of an exceptional collaboration and friendship between the two men, who together would pioneer unprecedented standards of quality in service and elegant dining for the luxury hospitality industry.

Together they joined the newly opened “Savoy Hôtel” in London in 1890, the first luxury hotel in Britain. At the time, taverns were prevalent, and upscale restaurants were a fairly new concept. Escoffier aimed to introduce the English to the subtlety and delicacy of French haute cuisine.

Escoffier and Cesar Ritz then co-founded the Ritz hotel chain: they opened together the Ritz Paris in 1898, the Carlton Hotel in London in 1899, the “Grand Hôtel” in Rome followed, as well as the Ritz in New York and Montreal among others. Escoffier also managed kitchens for the new luxury ocean liners, such as the Hamburg-Amerika shipping line.

Escoffier is credited for making a la carte dining into a worldwide industry standard. At the Savoy, he was the first to offer an a la carte menu in Britain. He took great care when it came to composing a menu, which, he would say, was “first and foremost, a poem”. Soon enough, Buckingham Palace and British ‘High Society’ would adopt that form of service, which later spread worldwide, thanks in part to the Ritz hotels.

And In mayfair

SHEPHERDS MARKET

The origin of a name: A piccadill or pickadill is a large broad collar of cut-work lace that became fashionable in the late 16th century and early 17th century.
A famous manufacturer of Piccadilly was ROBERT BARKER, who owned a huge manor with gardens on the area of modern SOHO. The property’s knickname was PICCADILLY HALL, which became corrupted…

You carry on the lbtc tour…

Definitely, the UK possess a CONSTITUTION, a system of “constitutional” or fundamental, high ranked, basic laws, but not a WRITTEN  “constitution” as is the word is normally understood, that is, a single text where the main principles of the political system are set in writing.

However, the “hill”’s name has thing to do with any constitution whatsoever. but was the setting for KING CHARLES II “constitutional walks” during his reign, from his residence in ST.JAMES’S PALACE.

Soldiers from India, Pakistán, Bangladesh, Nepal, Caribbean countries and Africa are honoured here.
A set of 4 columns, 2 on either side of road, topped by an urn and also a circular, domed pavilion or Chattri with the names of those awarded the VC on its ceiling. Includes India Armed Forces Pakistani

The Palace is undergoing massive refurbishments, which started once QEII decided to live only in WINDSOR CASTLE for the reminder of her reign. That is the reason why KCIII does not live here since taking over… The works will continue for several years.

Other members of the Royal Family have lived in rooms on the upper floors of the NORTH and EAST  sides.

BP also continues function as  the official office of the King and others “working” members of the RF. Official engagements continue to take place.

And many members of staff do actually live in, to ensure the normal functioning of this “working” palace.

The palace, like Windsor Castle, is owned by the reigning monarch in right of the Crown. Occupied royal palaces are not part of the Crown Estate, nor are they the monarch's personal property, like Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle.^[69]

The Government of the United Kingdom is responsible for maintaining the palace in exchange for the profits made by the Crown Estate.

Established by an Act of Parliament in 1961, CE an independent, commercial business, managed by a Board (also known as The Crown Estate Commissioners).This independence is critical to enable the CE to fulfil ITS core duties, act commercially and deliver its strategy to create environmental, social and financial value both now and for the long term.

The Crown Estate is not the private property of the King. Its assets are hereditary possessions of the Sovereign held ‘in right of the Crown’. This means they belong to the Sovereign for the duration of their reign, but cannot be sold by them, nor do revenues from the assets belong to them.

The UK government does not own The Crown Estate either.

Crown Estate freehold in CENTRAL LONDON

The Crown Estate is owned by the Monarch “in right of the Crown”. This means that while the King owns the estate during his reign, it is not his private property and he does not manage or make decisions about its assets.

This dates back to 1760 when George III surrendered the management of Crown Lands to Parliament for a fixed annual payment.

Later in the Crown Estate Act 1961 the modern-day independent and commercial organisation was created. Our profit is delivered to the Treasury, who then decide the annual payment to the King (the Sovereign Grant).

The  property is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall and control of the House was transferred to William, Prince of Wales, when his father acceded to the throne and he became Duke of Cornwall on 8 September 2022.^[3] The King rents the house from the Duchy to use as a country residence.^[4

In 2005, the Duchy took the strategic decision to sell the retail property portfolio within its holdings. Currently the commercial portfolio consists of 18 properties and is valued at £124 million. 

In contrast with its neighbouring parks, Green Park has no lakes, no buildings, no playgrounds and very few  public monuments

PIERRE GRANCHE

The sprig of three maple leaves represents all Canadians, the maple leaf having been used as a Canadian symbol since the early 19th century. The other four quarters (i.e., sections) of the shield are the royal emblems of the United Kingdom and France: the three lions of England, the lion within a double tressure of Scotland, the harp of Ireland and the fleurs-de-lis of France.

The ring around the shield bears the Latin motto of the Order of Canada, Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam, meaning “They desire a better country.” This follows a tradition whereby a nation’s shield is shown with part of the insignia of its senior national order.

Discover a bit more: On the picadilly (North) side of the park…

By artist ESTCOURT J.CLACK. The statue was a gift of the Constance Fund, which had been established by artist Sigismund Goetze to gift sculptures to London parks in memory of his wife.^[2] Sigismund pre-deceased his wife in 1939 and she administered the Constance Fund until her death in 1951, commissioning a number of sculptures in his memory.

Cambridge House is a Grade I listed mansion on the northern side of Piccadilly (Number 94) in central London, named after one of its owners, the Duke of Cambridge, 7th son of George III. It has also been known as Egremont House, Cholmondeley House, The Naval and Military Club, and the In and Out Club.

The house was built for Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont, by architect Matthew Brettingham, a master who revolutionized the design of the grand town house, in the parish of St George Hanover Square from 1756-1761. Much of his principal work has been demolished, particularly his work in London. The house is one of the few great town houses still standing.

It was initially known as Egremont House. The house is in a late Palladian style. It has three main storeys plus basement and attics and is seven bays wide. As is usual in a London mansion of the period the first floor is the principal floor, containing a circuit of reception rooms. This floor has the highest ceilings and its status is emphasized externally by a Venetian window in the centre

The 2nd Earl of Egremont died as the house was near completion and the house was passed onto his twelve year old son, the 3rd Earl of Egremont, who occupied the property from 1764 to 1794.

The house changed hands several times. For several years in the 1820s it was occupied by George Cholmondeley, 1st Marquis of Cholmondeley and known as Cholmondeley House. From 1829 to 1850 it was the London residence of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, and became known as Cambridge House. The Duke was born in Buckingham Palace, the 10th child of King George III. Due to his royal status, that name has persisted.

After the Duke died in 1850, the house was purchased by Lord Palmerston, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for most of the decade from 1855 to 1865. He was the oldest man, ever, to become Prime Minister at the age of 70. It was his London residence and the site of many splendid social and political gatherings, dinners and parties. He walked to Westminster daily, from here. It was during Palmerston's time that the front boundary wall was given the two gates to allow carriages to enter the front drive and not block the road. After Palmerston's death at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire in 1865, his body was taken to Cambridge House from which his funeral procession departed to Westminster Abbey.

In about 1808, it is interesting to note that Lord Palmerston began a relationship with Egremont's illegitimate daughter, Emily, who he eventually married. They had a happy marriage and produced 10 children.

Shortly after Palmerston's death, Cambridge House was purchased by the Naval and Military Club, which had outgrown its previous premises. The Club came to be known as the "In and Out", from the prominent signs on the entrance and exit gates of 94 Piccadilly. It was a private members club for officers and gentlemen of the British Armed forces. It was entirely refitted for the Club and was one of the most sumptuous and comfortable of London Club Houses. Members included lan Fleming, Rudyard

Kipling and T.E.Lawrence.

During World War 2, the building suffered damage. A bomb demolished two floors on the western half of the façade, requiring extensive renovations.

In 1999, the Club moved to new premises. They humorously put "In & Out" on the single main entrance of their current home at 4 St James Square. The Club sold Cambridge House in 1996 to entrepreneur Simon Halabi for £50 million. Halabi planned to convert the property into a private members club and hotel, part of his Mentmore Towers project, and to build a swimming pool and squash courts underneath the forecourt of the house. However, the building remained vacant after 1999, and fell into a state of disrepair. Plaster was falling off the ceiling in the first floor rooms, and many floorboards had been pulled up.

In 2009 Halabi's companies went into bankruptcy. In June 2010 Cambridge House and its adjoining buildings, 90-93 Piccadilly (and 42 Half Moon Street), 95 Piccadilly (the former American Club) and 12 White Horse Street (rear section being vacant land), as well as 96-100 Piccadilly (on the other side of White Horse Street) were ail offered for sale through property brokers Jones Lang Lasalle, collectively referred to as the Piccadilly Estate. In June 2011 the site was acquired by the Reuben brothers through their investment company, Aldersgate. In October 2012 applications were submitted for a full refurbishment into private homes

In April 2013, David and Simon Reuben won approval to develop the property as a 60,600 square foot residence.

Whilst the owners explore other redevelopment options they have graciously allowed us the use of the

Again, on the  lbtc route. You are in front of…

All the ROYAL venues…open to the public

A MARBLE ARCH at the front of the palace?

Among the 775 rooms are 19 grand State Rooms for events, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, and 92 offices for the King, Royal Family, and staff.

Of the State Rooms, the Throne Room is for ceremonial and official events - and the Prince and Princess of Wales took their wedding photos there. Most opulent is the White Room, where the King receives guests.

Over 800 people work for the Royal Household, and a lucky few do live in suitably posh apartments (which are said to be lovely, but obviously not as grand as their royal bosses'). There are also staff quarters for a range of household workers, some of whom might live there too. 

As a kid, little Edward Jones was pretty fascinated by the Royal Family. So much so that he managed to sneak into the residence three times. Well, at the very least he was caught three times.

He managed to steal Queen Victoria's underwear (!), as well as food from the kitchens. He even boasted to the press that he'd sat on her throne.

There is another version of this claim: i that Jack the Ripper was a Royal surgeon who murdered the prostitutes to conceal that shameful Royal secret, at Queen Victoria’s request.

In the book Uncle Jack, author Tony Williams, and co-author Humphrey Price, present to us an entirely new Ripper suspect in the form of the eminent Victorian doctor Sir John Williams. WILLIAMS (a descendant of the prestigious surgeon) states that Sir John might have been driven to commit murder in the name of medical research, because his wife could not have children.

Buckingham Palace was bombed nine times during the course of the Second World War. The raids caused considerable damage to the Chapel and resulted in the destruction of the Northern Lodge, where a policeman was killed by flying debris. In August 1944, a V1 rocket, or ‘flying bomb’, landed in the grounds of the palace, shattering windows and destroying trees. King George VI and Queen Mary had been present in Buckingham Palace during a number of these air raids, including the one described so vividly in this letter at the height of the Blitz. The King wrote to Queen Mary the next day, adding, ‘The aircraft was seen flying along the Mall before dropping the bombs … It was most certainly a direct attack on B.P. to demolish it.’

So secret, so secret… that it might not exist. 

An article of IAN VISITS published on a 1st of APRIL not so long ago..

Wedding cake?

The King's Gallery, the Queen's Gallery during the life of EII, is a public art gallery, frst opened to the public ipin 1962. It exhibits works of art from the Royal Collection on a rotating basis. Enlarged in the early 21st century, the gallery has its own separate public access entrance built in a 'new' classical style and typically displays about 450 works, mainly paintings and drawings.

Now, seriously, when in london, do not miss hampstead!

The institution goes back much further, to the King's Mews in the reign of Richard II in the late 14th century. For around 100 years until the reign of Henry VII, the King's Mews was at Charing Cross on the present site of the National Gallery in London.

A mews has an equine heritage. They served as stables and accommodation for those employed in the transport means af the wealthy families. Mews roads originally serviced  the main properties they were connected to. The mews are generally not accessed from the principal roads but from secondary roads or through gaps between buildings. The rear elevations of the larger scale buildings often dominate the smaller mews properties. Mews fill the available space and are shaped in accordance with the landownership within the block.

The name 'Mews' comes from the that the royal HAWKS were originally kept at the KING’S MEWS. The word 'mew' means moulting, and the birds were kept in a 'mews' as they weren’t used for hunting whilst their feathers moulted.  MOULTING and MOULTED are words derived from the French verb MOUER (to moullt) and MOUAGE (moulting). The actual buildings were destroyed in a fire during the reign of Henry VIII in 1534 and rebuilt as STABLES  but kept the name 'Mews' even though it had a different function.

A young diminutive QV in diminutive square.

LU VICTORIA LINE is one of the the ones serving the railway station

Queen Victoria was the first monarch to travel by train, when on 13 June 1842, she boarded the Great Western Railway train at Slough Station. The train was pulled by the engine Phlegethon, and the trip to Paddington Station took 25 minutes. In the cab rode Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous engineer and designer of Paddington Station. The Queen enjoyed her ride and wrote in her diary that it was 'delightful and so quick.'

And I hope you continue enjoy this guide