Features

A monument that mentions a royal kiss

The sixteenth century late-GothicSint-Andrieskerk on the Augustijnenstraat in Antwerp preserves a monument with a quite extraordinary royal connection, for which reason many English visitors in particular, seek it out.In 1513,Augustine friars established a chapel and a convent the following year, but as the chapel itself proved too small, plans for a larger building were…
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Mozart's visit to what became Buckingham Palace

As part of the ‘Great European Tour’ of the Mozart family, which began from Salzburg in June 1763 and extended across the Holy Roman Empire to France, the Netherlands and Switzerland until November 1766, there was a long visit to London from April 1764 until 1 August…
Features

Tombs of Kings of England not in England

Outside of the traditional burial sites of Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel, Windsor, some English (and British) monarchs are missing. The tomb of King John resides in the chancel at Worcester Cathedral, not far from the chantry that contains the grave of the son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII’s elder brother Arthur, Prince of Wales. That of King Edward II is also one…
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The grave of Anne Boleyn

The new memorial that has been erected in front of the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula on Tower Green marks the spot ‘identified’ in the Victorian period as being the site of the scaffold, which may have been a misunderstanding of the Tower’s geography in proportion to…
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Looking at the women behind the Windsor Beauties

The gallery of so-called ‘Windsor Beauties’ is the name given to the collection of portraits painted by Sir Peter Lely (1618-80) of celebrated courtesans and women of the nobility in Restoration England, which can be seen – and indeed, still admired – in the…
Features

An Oxford house's links with the Russian Imperial Family

A building in the Oxford suburb of Marston preserves a unique connection with the lost world of imperial Russia. Its typical late-Victorian exterior belies the remarkable nature of its hidden history. In this building for a period of time, personal possessions once owned by the Russian Imperial Family were carefully preserved and stored, because they came with the belongings of the person who…
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Taking a look at Tudor perfume

The use of perfume can be traced back to the world’s most ancient civilisations, notably Mesopotamia and Egypt. It flourished during the Italian Renaissance and the personal perfumer of the French Queen Catherine de’ Medici Rene the Florentine, brought his perfumes with him to France in the 16th century where the art was popularised under her patronage. Catherine de’ Medici’s perfumers…
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