Christmas at the Geffrye museum

On Saturday we popped up to town and into the Geffrye museum in Shoreditch. I visited the museum of the home and had a great time - I haven't shared those photos yet, but I'll share more in the New Year. On that first visit I learnt that each of the rooms is decorated in the traditional style of the period it depicts, so I was keen to head back and see what this meant. 

I wasn't disappointed, it was fascinating.  

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

It's 1630 and we're in the Hall - or the main room - of a middling London home.  The room is decorated with evergreens, but it wouldn't have been done until Christmas Eve; while the evergreens were a Pagan custom the early Christians adopted them as a symbol of everlasting life. 

Food-wise the table is set with the second course - a mix of savoury and sweet dishes, quite something when sugar was regarded a luxury. Christmas lasted for Twelve Nights, starting on Christmas Day - it was a time of fun and New Year and Twelfth Night providing high points.  

A HALL IN 1630

We had Musick all the Afternoon

It's Christmas Day and we're now in the Parlour of a London townhouse in 1695. We'll spend the afternoon listening to music played on the viol and recorder before later going to the evening service at the church. There'll be dancing and fun, drinks of punch and snacks of apolives and anchovies and once again the room is decorated with evergreens.   

Christmas had been banned during this period, following the Civil War and this room shows a much understated celebration, because despite the ban there is evidence that people still celebrated privately. 

A PARLOUR IN 1695

Two jellies and a glass of wine

It's now the eighteenth century and this room - the Parlour- is set on an evening between Christmas and New Year where the family are taking supper. A friend calls and is offered two jellies and a glass of wine as he has missed supper. 

It's in this period that a French visitor remarked on the English custom of wishing each other a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and giving presents...

Rost beef and Plumb Pudding

It's Christmas Day again (time is just flying past!) and we're about to have our traditional roast beef and plum pudding. Although turkey was introduced by 1530 it didn't replace beef as the main dish until the nineteenth century. And the plum pudding was served with the beef and not as dessert.  

New Characters for Twelfth Night

It's now 1830 and we're in one of my favourite rooms at the Geffrye museum, I just love the colour of it, isn't it great? Anyway we're celebrating Twelfth Night in this Drawing room. By the nineteenth century the Christmas celebrations were becoming more elaborate again with old traditions reappearing and the Twelfth Night game became more like the modern day charades. The cake became more elaborately decorated with sugar frosting and gilded paper trimmings, now there's a tradition I'm happy with!

A DRAWING ROOM IN 1830

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

 We're now in a Vicorian Drawing room for a family gathering in the evening of Christmas Day. The room is dominated by the Christmas tree which the family have decorated and placed presents underneath. It's during Queen Victoria's reign that many of our current day Christmas traditions started.

It's thought that Prince Albert's enthusiasm for the Christmas tree helped embed it into Christmas traditions, and while he is often credited with introducing it, it's more likely that it was Queen Charlotte, the German wife of George lll who did that. 

And while I'm not quite that old the rooms are starting to resemble a Christmas I am more familiar with.  

Wishing you an utterly charming time

 In this room we're with a family celebrating Christmas in a more artistic manner; their decorations are inspired by the Aestheic Movement and it's love of all things Japanese.  The Christmas card - and English invention - is prevalent here too. The first commercial card appeared in 1843, but it wasn't until the 1860s that it became more common to send cards.

By 1880 the Post Office were inundated with cards to deliver and they started to urge people to "post early for Christmas" although in 1880 it meant on the morning of December 24th!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

 This next room reminds me of my previous house, not exactly the same but definite similarities. We're in the Drawing room, on Christmas Eve with a young family. The shopping has been completed on a bustling Oxford Street and now the young mum is home where she's decorated the tree with ropes of holly, with help from the maid. She's stopped for a well earned cup of tea before hanging the children's stockings on the fireplace - a new tradition adopted from America.

AN EDWARDIAN CHRISTMAS

I've been to a marvellous party

 We're now in a flat in one of London's new mansion blocks, it's Christmas Eve and the young couple are hosting an early-evening cocktail party for friends and neighbours, and they're hoping to impress with their decorations and canapés. 

I couldn't help but smile when I saw these garlands as I'm sure my parents had something very similar, and very delicate. 

1930s CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

The young couple won't be staying in London for Christmas but will motor down to family in Oxfordshire, where they're looking forward to hearing the Kings Speech, which was first broadcast in 1932.  

Santa Claus is coming to town

It's Christmas morning and we're in the home of a young family and it's a scene that no doubt still happens across the world today. It reminds me very much of the Christmases as I grew up, and the card alongside this display was also reminiscent of my childhood Christmases too. It said "despite several reminders, the children's mother is doubtful that the children will remember which of their friends and relations sent which gifts, and is dreading having to write Thank- you notes without knowing what present was sent." Except in my case, we were encouraged to write our own thank you notes!

The other part that made me smile was that "her woman's magazine did suggest an alternative to the usual Christmas dinner" because they've really gone to town with that now. 

Happy Christmas!

Finally we're in the modern-day Christmas - this room is set in mid-nineties loft-living converted warehouse in London's Docklands. There was a Nigella book on the recipe stand in the open plan kitchen and it looks as if a great festive dinner is about to take place.

I hope you've enjoyed this quick trip of Christmas through the ages as much as I did. In the New Year I'll share more from my previous visit to this fabulous museum.

If you don't get to visit my blog again before Christmas, let me wish you a very Happy Christmas - see you in 2016!

Fancy wallpaper and fabulous architecture at the Brighton Pavilion

Taking a day off work and heading to Brighton last week, my plan was to go into the Brighton Pavilion finally. It seemed a good plan for a December visit, as some indoor time at this time of year is always a good plan. As it turned out, it was another mild day but having a plan we decided there really wasn't any need to change it. We did see more of Brighton even venturing onto the pier where it was a bit blowy, but more on that another day.

Brighton was often a family Sunday afternoon trip and although I'd not been inside the pavilion before I've often wondered at its magical exterior. I knew it was built as King George IV's pleasure palace, but I knew little more of its history. That changed with this visit though and I learnt so much last week. It's the type of place that every time you visit you'll see something new - especially with the restoration work underway - and learn something new, or alternatively the type of place you could just admire and pretend it was your seaside retreat... Or all three!

You wouldn't know from looking at the outside but it started as Marine Pavilion and much more of a modest villa. In 1815 John Nash was commissioned to transform it into the structure we see today. And it has what is essentially a cast iron frame around the original building which provides the structure and support for the minarets, domes and pinnacles which are its trademark. You wouldn't have thought that, now would you?

And as with any building project it was equipped with state of the art (for the day) lighting, heating, sanitation and one of the most modern kitchens of its time. Well, if you're hosting lavish parties you'll need to provide lavish food I guess.

And you'll need somewhere lavish to entertain. Tick. Just look at the banqueting hall - it really is stunning.

Photo credit: Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton and Hove

There is so much to look at my eyes didn't know where to look first. Initially it was the blue Spode jars and lamp stands, which you can see on the left of the picture above. They are just as large as they look, and I think there were eight of them.

It wasn't long though before my eyes were drawn upwards to the chandelier and the decoration around it. By Robert Jones, the chandelier is 30 feet high and weighs one ton, it was lit by oil lamps and candles creating an ‘artificial day’ - I think it'd be something you'd never get bored of.

Photo credit: Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton and Hove

We wandered through the remainder of the downstairs room often remembering to close our mouths from all the wow-ing they were doing. Thinking that we were getting to grips with the ornate interiors we headed upstairs. Well, let's just say we were wrong there - just look at the South Gallery below.

Photo credit: Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton and Hove

It was here that we stopped and chatted with one of the room guides. I was struck by the pattern on the blue wallpaper with its geometric design that wouldn't look out of place in the wallpaper catalogues of today. I was curious about the design as it looked to have an almost 3D effect. The room guide told us that we weren't that far wrong as each of the pieces of the geometric pattern was added afterwards, not by paint as we'd first thought but stuck on (but clearly in a more craftsmanlike way!)

Once again though I was struck by the modernity of the patterns used, but also by the mix of patterns. Just look at the carpet. And the glass panel in the ceiling, and even the painted panels just below that. Every surface is patterned. I know our homes are much smaller than these palaces, but even so I think we should all be just a bit braver with our decorations.

My absolute favourite rooms were these Bow rooms, with their yellow patterned wallpapers. The same wallpaper design is used downstairs in red, but somehow the yellow quite literally shone. And once again that carpet, which runs through the upstairs room.

Photo credit: Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton and Hove

It seems I am in good company as the wallpaper with dragons, phoenixes and birds of paradise was also George IV's favoured design. These rooms have been restored to their original design and the wallpaper has been reproduced from original fragments and printed in the traditional way.

It was this wallpaper that MOH thought was similar to our bedroom curtains. There are similarities I'll admit but sadly our bedroom curtains aren't anywhere near as extravagant.

We moved through the upstairs rooms and into Queen Victoria's apartment with the Queen's bedroom, the Maid's room and the closet which reflect their appearance between 1837 and 1845. It was Victoria who sold the pavilion to the town of Brighton in 1850 as it didn't provide her with sufficient space or privacy...

I was clearly having a yellow day as I loved the wallpaper in this room. I would quite happily have this in my house today - I'm not sure where, but I think I could find a place for it. Isn't it gorgeous?

Photo credit: Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton and Hove

So already my senses were zinging, and I'd already learnt so much more about this fantastical looking palace. And then with a walk around the Exotic Creatures temporary exhibition in the Prince Regent Gallery we learnt even more. It was here I learnt of the Royal connection to London Zoo in Regents Park. A connection I'd not made before, but obvious now. It seemed a diplomatic gift in 1827 of a living giraffe most likely prompted the early zoo.  I know, what to do hey when you're gifted an giraffe? Happens all the time...

So what a visit. I hadn't expected to learn quite so much or to be quite so amazed by its interiors, or to discover once again how the designs from this most opulent of palaces was still influencing pattern today.  

Once outside I couldn't help but look up at the underneath of the the dome just outside the entrance hall. It's definitely a grand statement of an entrance and exquisitely detailed.

We left, as you do via the gift shop where my yellow attraction continued. Everything I was drawn to was yellow and we very nearly left with a tray, yellow of course but I resisted as the tray we have does what a tray needs to perfectly well. It's only fault it seems is that it wasn't yellow, so not even I could discard it on such a whim. Sadly.

So if you're in Brighton and want to be amazed by some of the most opulent interiors, then a visit to the Brighton Pavilion is just the thing. You can find opening hours and more visiting information on their website, where you also get to admire more lovely yellowness too!

With thanks to the Royal Pavilion for the use of their interiors photos.

Turning wrapping paper into cards

Remember my visit to the Geffrye museum, where I bought this stunning notebook? Well I also bought this gorgeous wrapping paper there too, with absolutely no intention of using it for wrapping paper, despite how lovely it would be to receive a gift wrapped in this.

I had something else in mind entirely. 

But before I get onto that let me share with you that folded wrapping paper is one of the things I dislike immensely. It's a small thing but one that really annoys me. I didn't want this one rolled either as it would be too awkward to carry and continue to take pictures of the museum (there'll be another post on this at some point), I asked the man in the shop if I could fold the paper myself.

He looked a little bemused by my request but agreed nonetheless and carried on taking my card payment. And I set to work folding it neatly so that none of the "seed packets" had a fold in. Suddenly I was aware I was being watched and I looked up to see the man in the shop watching intently, looking even more bemused than before.

Worried that I'd offended him somehow I asked if everything was ok. Thankfully it was but he said he'd never seen someone fold wrapping paper with such care and precision. I imagine he thought me a right nutter, so I explained that I planned to make some cards with them. I'm not sure this did anything to change his opinion of me, but I was happy that the folds were where I wanted them to be and ready for the project I had in mind.

So far I've only made a few into cards, but there's plenty more to come I'm sure.

Each has a slightly different feel, which I'm happy with. I've experimented with texture on the Watercress and Peas card by adding black and cream tulle as a background. And on the Okra card I've sponged one corner for a bit more interest. I'm pleased with how each of them have turned out, and now I just need to be brave enough to part with them when the time comes!

And you never know I may get all inventive when I eventually send them and add either a few seeds or perhaps a recipe. I'm sure there'd be more that I could add too.  I'd love to know what you think and if you have ideas for complementary inclusions.