{"id":440,"date":"2013-07-30T08:19:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-30T08:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2013\/07\/30\/ambling-in-albertopolis\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T04:59:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:59:30","slug":"ambling-in-albertopolis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2013\/07\/30\/ambling-in-albertopolis\/","title":{"rendered":"Ambling in Albertopolis"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nMonday, July 29, 2013<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nBattersea, London <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Waking up to the sound of trains is
\na novel experience but a nice romantic one. There is a railroad line that runs
\njust outside my window here in Battersea and planes on the Heathrow Path, not
\nto mention helicopters ascending and descending over the helipad poised over
\nthe Thames where river boats ply all day long\u2014all these journeys, these to-ings
\nand fro-ings are deeply romantic to me.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>I worked for three steady hours
\nafter a muesli brekkie. Waking early provides me with the opportunity to do
\nfocussed editing work and to redraft my proposal to the publishers. I also had
\na request letter for a transcript to draft and sundry other email
\ncorrespondence items to complete. Before I knew it, it was 11.30 am\u2014where does
\nthe time go? It was great to have Alexander, Roz\u2019s son, for company as he
\npottered around on the lower level having come in after 2.00 am last night. He
\nleaves for Oxford (where he lives) later today. As I worked on my laptop, I
\nwatched birds\u2014a variety and a great multitude of them in Roz\u2019s garden\u2014Alexander
\ninformed me that the small yellow ones are probably blue tits\u2014go figure! There
\nwere also large strange ones I\u2019d never seen before\u2014wood pigeons, he said. Llew
\nwould have loved it.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>At 11. 30 am, I was at the bus stop
\nintending to get to Vauxhall to take the Tube to start my ambles around Albertopolis
\nas the area around the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum is called. But I
\nhave become strangely proficient in the use of the red buses and when one came
\nalong proclaiming \u201cSouth Kensington\u201d as its destination, I was on it like a
\nbonnet! It was a lovely ride\u2014through Chelsea (I love the King\u2019s Road and Fulham
\nRoad and could dally on them forever) and the Bluebird Cafe where I have been
\nintending to eat for ages and into \u201cSouth Ken\u201d which is Little Paris, really,
\nwhat with the plethora of French shops that have cluttered the area.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nRevisiting the V&A:     <\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n           <\/span>It wasn\u2019t long before I entered the
\nV&A that looked very different from what I remembered. It didn\u2019t take me
\nlong to realize that a whole new wing had been added to it on the right\u2014a wing
\nthat was under renovation while I had lived in London\u2014it turned out to be the
\nnew Medieval and Renaissance Wing that was opened soon in late 2009, soon after
\nI left. Naturally, I had to take a tour of it and to my good luck, there was
\none beginning in just two minutes: a special tour of the Medieval and
\nRenaissance Wing. It wound around the Museum\u2019s treasures\u2014from the court on the
\nground floor where the guide pointed out the Italian medieval stone wells, the
\nstema (signature stone) of Pope Leo X and Giamdebologna\u2019s Samson Wrestling the Philistine<\/i>\u2014which is one of the museum\u2019s
\ntreasures. (Indeed, it did not take me long to discover a wonderful leaflet
\nentitled \u201dTwenty Treasures of the V&A\u201d that points visitors in the
\ndirection of its most notable items in a collections whose number is staggering.
\nAnd naturally, I resolved that I would return tomorrow to do a self-guided tour
\nof them as instructions and directions are very clearly marked on the leaflet.
\nHowever, one does now have to pay one pound for the Floor Plan (as also in the
\nNational Gallery)\u2014so it is now worth holding on to these after one\u2019s visit
\ninstead of consigning them to the trash bins.  
\n<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Upstairs, our tour took us to a
\nstone Gothic Altar, to the Gloucester Candlestick (made of gilded base metal
\nusing the lost wax technique), to the stained glass window panels from La
\nChapelle in Paris (not clear how they got to the V&A), to completely
\ndifferent stained glass panels from the Church of the Stained Blood in Bruges
\nin Belgium (also not clear how they got to the V&A), to the massive
\ntapestry entitled The Boar Hunt<\/i>\u2014one
\nof a series of four that details all kinds of medieval hunting (bear, boar,
\ndeer) among lords and ladies dressed to kill (pun intended), a most unusual marble
\nbas relief<\/i> of the Ascension of Christ<\/i> by Donatello in a space
\ndevoted exclusively to his work (as the V&A has the most works by him
\noutside of Italy) and finally a studiola with very interesting ceramic ceiling
\nrondels by Lucca della Robbia that portrays the 12 months of the agricultural
\nyear. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>By then, it was nearly 12. 30 pm and
\nI rushed downstairs to the Information Desk to join the Introductory Tour which
\nis what the Museum\u2019s Highlights Tour is called. This docent, named Deborah, was
\nsimply amazing\u2014passionate and energetic and so knowledgeable. She started with the
\nArdabil Carpet<\/i> which is dimly lit for
\njust 10 minutes on the hour and the half hour\u2014it is indeed the largest carpet
\nof its quality in the world and arrived in the V&A via Persia and Los
\nAngeles (having fallen temporarily in the possession of J. Paul Getty).
\nUpstairs, we paused at the terracotta Bust
\nof Henry Tudor<\/i> that remained in the possession of his son Henry VIII and stopped
\nat the Hereford Altar Panel<\/i>\u2014a confection
\nof Victorian design in multi-media: metal, studded semi-precious stones,
\nmarble, gilded wood, terracotta (figures of Christ and the angels) meant for
\nthe church and designed by the great Sir George Gilbert Scott but never installed
\nthere. This vantage point gave us an opportunity to gaze upon one of my
\nfavorite works in the Museum\u2014the softly colored Chandelier by Dale Chihuly<\/i> that cascades over the Main Information
\nDesk echoing the soft colors on the Victorian stained glass window panes from
\nwhere Chihuly took his inspiration when commissioned the work.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>In the Renaissance and Medieval
\nGalleries (constructed in imitation of the Millennium Dome installed in the British
\nMuseum), she pointed out the New Court<\/i>
\n(with its fountains and its sculpture), we skimmed past the Casts Court<\/i> that was temporarily closed
\n(the casts are taken from the world\u2019s greatest sculpture so that the V&A
\nhas plaster casts of Rome\u2019s Trajan Column<\/i>
\nand Florence\u2019s David<\/i>, both by
\nMichaelangelo and by Donatello and loads of Gothic altars from French
\ncathedrals including the famous entrance to Chartres
\nCathedral<\/i>. We saw the side of a timber building from Bishop\u2019s Gate in
\nLondon that was left untouched by the Great Fire of 1666 and then went on to
\nthe Back courtyard where we saw a new bronze sculptural installation named The Three Graces<\/i> by a contemporary sculptor
\nGeorg Baeslitz\u2014a truly ugly installation that the guide said was \u201clike Marmite\u2014you
\neither love it or hate it\u201d. And I hated it! <\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>From there, we moved on to the
\nIndian Wing where she led us to Tipu\u2019s
\nTiger<\/i> (of course!)\u2014maybe the museum\u2019s best-known object: a music box that when
\nwound plays the sounds of a tiger\u2019s roars and the screams of the Englishman who
\nhe is mauling to death–really gruesome but a good indication of the hatred
\nwith which the English were held in Mysore where Tipu Sultan fought hard to
\nkeep them at bay. The large wooden music box is entirely Indian made and very
\nimpressive indeed. She also pointed out Shah
\nJehan\u2019s nephrite Jade drinking cup<\/i> exquisitely carved with a lotus base and
\nthe detailed head of a ram on the handle. And finally our tour ended at the Raphael Cartoons<\/i> on long-term loan from
\nthe Queen to whom they belong. Commissioned by the same Leo X who built the
\nSistine Chapel, they are colored drawings in tempura by Raphael for the
\ntapestry weavers who ultimately wove the masterpieces that hang in the Vatican.
\nThe V&A has one of the tapestries and it is hung right opposite its Cartoon
\nillustrating the manner in which the finished tapestry was a mirror image of its
\ncartoon.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>I cannot leave the V&A without
\nvisiting its splendid cafeteria which is probably the best in the world. It is
\ncomposed of what is known as the Morris, Poynter and Gamble Rooms, each of
\nwhich has been designed and decorated by one of the great Arts and Crafts
\npractitioners of the day. I particularly loved the ceramic walls and the
\nstained glass windows and I settled down with a cheddar, celery and apple scone
\nserved with butter and a lovely pot of Darjeeling\u2014which served as my lunch, to
\nenable me to take in the grandeur of my surroundings. How much I love the
\nV&A, I realized, and what a treat it is to return to this place, time after
\ntime. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nOff to Pick up my Suitcase:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Leaving the museum unwillingly behind
\nme, I arrived at South Ken Tube station (using the useful underground passage way
\nthat links the V&A with the station) in order to get to Abbey Road to pick
\nup my suitcase from Raquel\u2019s place. I was there in 20 minutes and was
\ndisappointed not to find anyone at home. I cleared out my case and the fridge
\nthat had a few of my food items in it and was on my way walking towards the
\nTube station in order to get my case to my new digs in Battersea when along Grove
\nEnd Road came Raquel with son Jonas and a huge shopping trolley in tow\u2014she had
\njust gone to the supermarket. We had a long and affectionate reunion on the
\nstreet but because my case was heavy, I did not return to her place. Instead, I
\ncarried on to Battersea and was amazed to reach there in about half an hour.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>A rest and a nap was called for
\nafter hauling my 20 kg case across London (although I have to say, given the
\nlifts and escalator everywhere, I did not have a hard time of it at all) and
\ncurled up on my bed on the top level of the house for my 20 minutes shut-eye. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nA Walking Tour of  <\/span>Alberotopolis:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nAt
\n5. 15pm, I left the house with camera, map and Oyster card in my pocket and on
\nthe bus I went back to South Ken to start my Walking Tour of Albertopolis\u2014as the
\narea is known. It was the brain child of Prince Albert (Victoria\u2019s beloved
\nhusband), a German who brought with him all the culture and polish of the
\nGerman court to an England that was in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. Marrying
\nEngland\u2019s manufacturing genius with Europe\u2019s artistry seemed like a no-brainer
\nfor Albert who came up with the idea of the Great Exhibition (of 1851) to showcase
\nthe amazing wonders that man was capable of creating. He was also a dedicated lover
\nof architecture and in founding the Royal Academies of Music and Art and Geography
\nand Organists and Science, what he created was a miniature town\u2014full of
\nwondrous red brick buildings with elaborate black wrought-iron balconies
\n(slightly imitating the French windows of neighbors across the Channel), fancy
\nstucco embellishments and often exuberant carvings. And that is Albertopolis. I
\nthought so much of Chriselle, because on her last trip to London when she had
\nvisited the area with me, she had simply fallen in love with it and with its
\narchitecture and couldn\u2019t get enough of it.  <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nEveryone
\nknows the story of how heart-broken Victoria was when she lost Albert to
\ntyphoid when he was merely 41 and how determined she was to create a memorial
\nto him that would stun the viewer. Well, my walk wound me around the spherical
\nRoyal Albert Hall where there was a serpentine queue waiting for Standing Room
\nto see the BBC Prom concerts that occur throughout the month of July and into
\nAugust. I was sorely tempted to stand in it myself because for a mere five
\npounds, I could have listened to a world-class orchestra\u2014but I had told my
\nfriend Roz I would be home with her for dinner. <\/span><\/div>\n
\nSo
\ninstead I took pictures of the wonderful sculpture of Albert at the back of the
\nHall and made my way to Kensington Gore\u2014the road in front which is dominated by
\nGeorge Gilbert Scott\u2019s brilliant Albert Memorial designed to look like a
\nmedieval market cross\u2014but lavishly gilded. Albert who has recentlty been re-gilded
\nsits there in larger-than-life mode with the catalogue of the great Exhibition
\non his knee (brilliant idea!) on a dais surrounded by at least 200 personages
\nfrom the past that represent art and science and learning and flanked on four
\nsides by marble sculpture that represents Asia (elephant), Africa (camel),
\nEurope (bull) and America (bison). It is a truly an extraordinary piece of work
\nand I felt the same kind of awe that I feel at the Taj Mahal as I circumnavigated
\nits splendor. Many many pictures later, I was finally ready to leave and take
\nthe bus back to Battersea where I reached at almost 7.00 pm.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nRoz
\nhelped me throw in a load of laundry and then I was ready to go on a long walk
\nagain, at her suggestion, along the Thames Path. What a great suggestion it
\nwas! We strolled, on a perfect summer\u2019s evening with only the slightest hint of
\nrain in the air, to the waterfront, past the helipad to arrive at the lovely Georgian
\nchurch of St. Mary where William Blake had married and on to her \u2018local\u2019, The Woodman of Battersea<\/i>, where I had \u201ca
\nswift half\u201d pint of Guinness and she sipped a Sauvignon Blanc and we gabbed
\nnon-stop as we tried to catch up on all that has happened in our respective lives
\nsince the last time we chatted. It was a simply fabulous evening with a dear
\nfriend of whom I am really fond.<\/span><\/div>\n

         <\/p>\n

Back home, where Oscar, Roz’s beautiful Burmese cat is making himself very much at home on my lap, at nearly
\n10.00 pm, we had a very light but very delicious dinner: smoked salmon with
\nbuttered bread and salad with ice-cream for dessert. What a great day! At close
\nto midnight, I reviewed and responded to email and fell asleep.  <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span> <\/span>  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monday, July 29, 2013 Battersea, London             Waking up to the sound of trains is a novel experience but a nice romantic one. There is a railroad line that runs just outside my window here in Battersea and planes on the Heathrow Path, not to mention helicopters ascending and descending over the helipad poised over… <\/p>\n

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