The people, places and events that have shaped our history and culture
We took a tour last week of Spencer House in central London. Spencer House was built by John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer; an ancestor of Princess Diana! The family still own the freehold, but the meticulous refurbishment is down to Jacob, Lord Rothschild, of the banking dynasty, undertaken during the 1980’s. It's a Palladian villa [...]
Back from a visit to the reconstructed 'Temple of Mithras' in London - an original Roman temple from around 250 AD. A blow-away experience of sound, light and atmospheric effects. Followers believed the god was responsible for the cosmos and male fertility - an important deity in Roman times. Also on display are around 600 [...]
Behind a wall to the north of The Mall is a house built in 1711 for the 1st Duke of Marlborough - the same 1st Duke of Blenheim Palace. This was his London home. The architect was Christopher Wren - who also designed St Paul's Cathedral in the City. 'Brick and stone trimmings', he called [...]
The courtyard of Somerset House was originally a lawn leading to a Renaissance palace and a catholic chapel by the river. The original Somerset House was built by the Duke of Somerset (protector to Edward 6th) on this land and subsequently used by the Danish Queen of James I. It was replaced by today's glorious [...]
Back from a fascinating (and technically mind boggling) visit to Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes. It's about an hour from London. Featured in the film 'The Imitation Game', this was where the enemy codes and ciphers (Enigma and then Lorenz) were broken during World War Two. See the early computing machines that did [...]