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Victorian

    Charles Edward Wilson’s Beautiful Watercolors of Country Life

    Charles Edward Wilson (1854–1941) was a British painter known for his charming watercolor depictions of rural life. His works often feature scenes of children and young girls engaged in everyday countryside activities, capturing a nostalgic view of Victorian and Edwardian England. Wilson exhibited at prestigious institutions like the Royal Academy of Arts and the Royal Watercolour Society, gaining recognition for his delicate and harmonious style. His paintings, including “Home Sweet Home” and “Shelling Peas,” remain highly valued, fetching significant prices at auctions. Today, he is admired for his evocative portrayals of country life and his lasting influence on 19th-century British watercolor painting. h/t: vintag.es Source

    Architecture Wednesday: Weird Wild Philly Home

    I love the idea of living in a house that used to be “something else.” I mean, a barn turned t=into a home? Sign me up. A blacksmith shop turned into a home? Get me that mortgage. An old Victorian in Philly? Yes, ma’am, Maddie, come to tea …., and by tea I mean gin. But this home—three bedrooms and three bathrooms in 3,800 square feet—in Philadelphia, used to be a Victorian house and a barn and a Blacksmith shop, I kid you not, and now it’s Victorian and rustic and kind of Art Deco and a bit castle- and barn-like. Unassuming from the street, you might wonder what lies behind the Art Deco-inspired wall of cascading colorful flowers. The door opens and you get your first peek at the entry gardens and realize, Who needs a McMansion when you can have all of this? This is the unexpected blending of a 1877 blacksmith’s shop, a renovated stone barn with a Frank Weiss-designed glass atrium, and Victorian home full of stately splendor tucked within lush grounds that rival the most spectacular gardens. The former blacksmith’s shop has been outfitted for the most modern-day use: a state-of-the-art two-car garage with polymer flooring, a new electrical system including garage doors controlled by an app, plenty of storage, and the ability to install a car lift for a third car. The barn and house have been combined to create the most exquisite 3,800 square feet of living quarters with an Art Deco connection installed in the 1970s that adds visual interest and light as well as merging the two buildings into a single home. A foyer of warm wood leads to the sunny two-story atrium with flagstone flooring and a custom Deco bar. You enter the formal living room, its stainless steel and antique brass hooded gas fireplace and cozy sunken seating area invite you to have a seat and a cock-a-tale and relax on a cozy winter evening in front of the fire. There are the original stone walls of the barn and a coffered ceiling, with a  floating staircase to the primary suite. Custom double doors from the foyer lead to the Chinese garden enclosed with cedar walls and timed antique lighting, the perfect spot for a morning cup of coffee. The dining room features a wall of windows overlooking the garden and seating for 12. Down a short hallway of exposed brick and skylights, is the tidy and practical kitchen featuring flat panel European-style cabinetry, a Subzero refrigerator, and an island for food preparation and gathering.  The original walnut staircase separates the kitchen from the Victorian sitting room-breakfast room with a decorative fireplace and built-in bookshelves, and also leads upstairs to a bedroom, a bathroom and a loft space above the dining room that also has views to the garden. In the main living area, you head upstairs to the primary bedroom; a true sanctuary, featuring skylights, a wood plank ceiling, and a striking curved gas fireplace. There are custom floor-to-ceiling closets and an open spa-like bathroom featuring a Kohler steam shower, Italian marble counters, a sunken soaking tub with custom German fixtures, glass-tiled floors, and a separate, private water closet fit for a king or a queen with a Toto toilet-bidet with heated seat and a TV.  A kitchenette with built-in Brew Café coffee maker, a Subzero refrigerator, and a Fisher and Paykel dishwasher gives staying in for the night a whole new meaning while up another flight of stairs is the luxurious Swedish dry sauna rounds out the suite. As for the grounds; pastoral and private, the courtyard is completely enclosed and beautifully manicured. The perennial gardens are what dreams are made of, while flagstone patios offer space for entertaining and sculptures add visual interest. It really doesn’t get better than this. Plunk down $2.5M and it’s all yours. To really see the house click here for a Virtual Tour Dwell

    History of the Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair

    Along South Audley Street, the charming Grosvenor Chapel makes you feel like you’re suddenly in a little village in the heart of the West End. Mayfair was developed by the Grosvenor family from the 1720s and this church is the last surviving example of a proprietary chapel in the area. Its foundation stone was laid in 1730 by Sir Richard Grosvenor and it opened the following year. Richard was the son of Sir Thomas Grosvenor who married Mary Davies in 1677 and thus secured her property, a large but marshy swathe of land west of the City of London. Turns out it was a spectacular investment as today it covers Mayfair, Belgravia and Pimlico. In April 1731 the chapel opened, the design most likely by Benjamin Timbrell, a local builder who was one of four men granted a 99 year peppercorn rent by the Grosvenor Estate. When this lease was up in 1829 the church became a chapel of ease under the parish of St George’s Hanover. On the 1746 John Rocque map you can see the newly completed chapel (circled in yellow) and some empty spaces towards the bottom of the map where more streets form the Grosvenor Estate were not yet finished. John Rocque Map of London 1746 (layersoflondon.org.uk) In the 1799 R. Horwood map the streetscape is now complete and you can see the adjacent St George’s Burying Ground. R. Horwood Map of London 1799 (layersoflondon.org.uk) It closed for burials in 1854 and is now the charming Mount Street Gardens. Inside the Grosvenor Chapel At first glance, the interior seems very plain, flooded with light from the mostly clear glass windows and painted a stark white. The oak organ case dates from 1732 but contains a Georgian-style organ which dates from the 1990s. The plain marble font is from 1841. During the early 20th century some subtle but effective changes were made throughout the interior by Sir John Ninian Comper (1864-1960). Comper was a Scottish architect, famous for his work in the Gothic Revival style and almost exclusively working in ecclesiastical settings. One of his most enchanting London chapels is the St Sepulchre chapel within St Mary Magdalene in Paddington. In 1912-13 Comper added a screen which separated the chancel from the nave, creating a Lady Chapel which is normally only found in older, Catholic Churches. Other elements include the rood, an image of the Crucifixion creating a focal point for the congregation. You can also admire three stained glass along the south wall. Comper was hugely celebrated for his stained glass work, creating windows in Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. If you’re like me, you’ll love a tiny detail to spot and a trademark ‘signature’ of Comper is the inclusion of strawberries as a nod to his father. John Comper (born 1823) was a 19th century Scottish priest who worked closely with the most marginalised people within his community. Declared a ‘Hero of the Faith’ he died in 1903 after suddenly falling ill while distributing strawberries amongst local destitute children. As a loving tribute to his father Ninian Comper included a strawberry in every piece of stained glass he made from 1903 onwards. If you’re wondering why there are some Catholic-feeling aspects within a Protestant church, let me explain the historic context a little… Anglo-Catholicism The addition of more traditionally Catholic elements in puritan-style churches was part of a much larger movement which began in the early 19th century and was known as the Oxford Movement after a number of influential theologians based at Oxford University. Someone who regularly preached here was Bishop Charles Gore (1853-1932) who was part of the evolving Anglo-Catholic movement, which emphasises the Catholic, pre-reformation heritage of the Church of England, while sitting within Anglicanism. Some Anglo-Catholic churches in London include St Paul’s Knightsbridge, St Bartholomew-the-Great, St Margaret All Saints, St Pancras Old Church and St Magnus the Martyr. Interior of St Pancras Old Church. We usually visit on my Kings Cross walking tour. You can read about St Pancras’ definition of Anglo-Catholicism here. Memorials in the Grosvenor Chapel Within well-heeled Mayfair, it’s no surprise that the Grosvenor Chapel can boast a history of famous parishioners. Local worshippers include Florence Nightingale, whose blue plaque can be found on nearby South Street. John Wilkes, the radical politician, had a memorial tablet by John Flaxman can be see in the north gallery. Outside the main entrance of the church is another plaque which remembers its American connection. From 1938 until 2008 the US Embassy was based around the corner on Grosvenor Square. Today the building has almost finished its renovation as the new Rosewood Chancery Hotel and is scheduled to open later in 2025. Grosvenor Chapel on Screen Less of an historic connection, but I must tell you about the Grosvenor Chapel’s supporting role in an iconic British cinema moment. The Grosvenor Chapel is the church used for the marriage scene of Peter and Juliet (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kiera Knightley) in Love Actually. After the ceremony there’s a surprise when muscians including trumpets, flutes and a whole choir suddenly appear, serenading the couple with a rendition of The Beatles “All You Need is Love” Related Blog – St Olave’s Hart Street For another church which feels like you’re stepping into a small village parish, read about the long and fascinating history of St Olave Hart Street here. Latest Blog Posts History of the Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair Along South Audley Street, the charming Grosvenor Chapel makes you feel like you’re suddenly in a little village in the heart of the West End.... 34 Haymarket | London’s Oldest Shopfront? 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