{"id":681,"date":"2017-06-21T00:10:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-21T00:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2017\/06\/21\/messin-about-on-the-thames\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T04:59:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:59:47","slug":"messin-about-on-the-thames","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2017\/06\/21\/messin-about-on-the-thames\/","title":{"rendered":"Messin’ About on the Thames"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nTuesday, June 20, 2017<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nRichmond, London<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nMessin\u2019 About on the River.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Today was devoting to getting out of the city of London
\nand messin\u2019 about on the Thames.  <\/span>All
\nregular readers of this blog know that each time I am in London, I tick off one
\nmore aspect of it that I have yet to uncover. 
\n<\/span>The area around Richmond, on the banks of the Thames is known for the
\ngrand \u2018country\u2019 estates that were built in the 18th<\/sup> century by the nouveau riche<\/i>. These are: Syon House,
\nOsterley House (and Park), Ham House, Marble Hill House and Strawberry Hill
\nHouse.  <\/span>Each is more interesting that the
\nother and every single one of them is different. Now, over the years, I have
\nseen them all\u2014except the last. So, this day was devoting to ticking that item
\noff\u2014viewing and visiting the Gothic Revival confection that was entirely the
\nbrainchild of Horace Walpole, son of Robert Walpole, once Prime Minister.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nAwake and Off:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Shahnaz and I awoke at 7.45\u2014this meant that I could not
\nlive up to my intention of attending the 8.00 am Mass at St. Paul\u2019s
\nCathedral\u2014something I hope to do at least once while I am still based in
\nHolborn ( and not jet lagged). We did not waste too much time. Quick coffees in
\nour room followed by a hearty Indian breakfast of kheema parathas<\/i> (made by Shahnaz\u2019s cook and carried by her from
\nBombay to India), saw us out the door by 9.15 am and walking to Holborn Tube station\u2014only
\nto find that it was closed. We were advised to do the ten minute walk to Covent Garden and pick up the train from there. We rode it to Hammersmith from where
\nwe took Bus No. 33 that deposited us at a stop called Shepherd Vale which was
\njust next door to the entrance to Strawberry Hill House. We reached there at 11. 15\u2014which meant we had taken exactly two hours to get there by
\npublic transport. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nExploring Strawberry Hill House:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>As soon as you enter the premises, you are struck by the
\nwhite-washed exterior of what looks like a Gothic castle.  <\/span>Indeed, as Horace Walpole, designer and owner
\nof the property wrote, in a letter in 1750, \u201cI am going to build myself a
\nlittle Gothic castle.\u201d The Thames had not yet been \u2018cannalized\u2019 then. It was,
\ntherefore, much wider than it is today and its waters practically lapped the
\nhouse. Not anymore. The river seems to have receded, a lot of Walpole\u2019s
\nadjoining acres of property have been sold and are now privately owned and much
\nof his former acreage is built up. It is virtually impossible to gain even a
\nslight glimpse of the Thames from the house today. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Entry to the house and gardens (which includes a
\nself-guided tour and the services of voluntary docents in each room) is a steep
\n14 pounds. But it is, I believe, worth it\u2014for you end up walking through the
\nrooms of a one-of-a-kind house that is as idiosyncratic and gimmicky as can be
\nimagined. We bought tickets and made our way into the \u2018Discovery\u2019 Room where a
\nshort video on the history of the house and its ongoing restoration was
\nplaying. Equipped with a little bit of knowledge, we began our tour.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nWhat is Strawberry Hill All About?<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n     <\/span>Strawberry Hill House is pure indulgence:
\nit is the fantasy of a very wealthy man who could afford to give in to his
\nwildest whims. Using the services of the finest architects and artisans of the
\nperiod, he set about creating a home that he filled with his collections of art
\nand artifacts\u2014from engravings and paintings to sculpture and ceramics. The
\nrooms themselves were, in his time, striking for their use of magnificent
\ndecoration from plastered and papier
\nmache<\/i> ceilings to heavily patterned damask wall-coverings. The windows are
\nfilled with painted glass that he acquired from cathedrals and churches all
\nover Europe. Furniture was either in keeping with 18th century tastes or a
\nthrowback from the Medieval past. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nThe
\nhighlights of the house are the Library with its knights on horseback painted
\non the ceiling and its bookcases designed with Gothic tracery–all painted
\nwhite–and the Long Gallery where the fan vaulted ceiling is made entirely of papier mache<\/i> and heavily gilded.  <\/span>Fireplaces in the house are inspired by the
\nburial monuments of royalty in cathedrals all over the country from Westminster
\nAbbey to York Minster. One bedroom is remarkable for a heavily gilded picture
\nframe that was carved by the great Grindling Gibbons (a favorite artisan of
\nmine)\u2014it is a portrait of Horace\u2019s father Robert and his mother. This room also
\ncontains a portrait of Horace Walpole\u2014a reproduction of the original that is in
\nthe National Portrait Gallery\u2014and another of his best friend, the poet Thomas
\nGray (who wrote the famous Odes including the one in the Country Churchyard). <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\nAs
\nthe docents in each room kept telling this, this is a \u2018theatrical\u2019
\nhome\u2014everything about it is so dramatic that it was meant to stop you in your
\ntracks. It was also meant to be a place of illusions: what you think is
\nplaster, is paper. What you think is marble is a compound. The only room
\ndesigned by Robert Adams, for instance, has a fireplace inspired by Florentine pietra dura<\/i>: white marble that is inlaid
\nwith what looks like semi-precious stones, but is, in fact, another compound.
\nThere is a room called the Tribune which was actually once a consecrated
\nchapel\u2014when Roman Catholics set up a monastery in the house. Indeed, the house
\nhas gone through several avatars<\/i>: it
\nwas a residence, a printing press (Horace Walpole founded the Strawberry Hill
\nPress here), it was a writing retreat (he wrote his novel The Castle of Otranto<\/i> in this house), it was a monastery. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>It takes a good two hours to see the house if you wish to
\nlinger in each room, read all curatorial notes and listen to every anecdote
\nthat docents are eager to share about the home and its eccentric owners. It is
\nalso a tiring two hours and by the time we were done, we were beat. We wished
\nwe could have wandered through the gardens that are in their summer glory at
\nthe moment\u2014but we have arrived in London while the UK is going through a nasty
\nheat wave. Although it was not quite as awful today as it was yesterday, we
\nwere still uncomfortable when we were moving. Nibbling on granola bars (as we
\nwere also very hungry by 1.30 pm), we found our way to the bus and got off at
\nSt. Margaret\u2019s (just before we arrived on Richmond Bridge). <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nScouring Thrift Stores for more DVDs:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>St. Margaret\u2019s is one of those upscale Thames-side
\nvillages that have an elite population that make superb contributions to their
\nlocal charity shops. It is a good place to shop for all sorts of goodies and
\ntoday, I hit the jackpot when I found a pure silk, genuine Cartier scarf that
\nretails for no less than $350 in a thrift store for 8 pounds! I also found so
\nmany really great European TV series such as The Killing<\/i> (the entire First Season for a pound) and Friday Night Dinner<\/i>. As we drifted from
\none store to the next, Shahnaz too found all sorts of trinkets to carry back to
\nBombay. Had I the space and the need for one, I would have grabbed a beautiful
\nItalian leather designer bag for just 45 pounds! But this is the sort of thing
\nthat I have to sadly let pass.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nLunch in Richmond at Wagamama<\/i>:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Crossing Richmond Bridge on foot (the oldest bridge on
\nthe Thames and a prototype for so many stone bridges across the country), we
\narrived at Richmond Town Center. But not before we took pictures of the
\nbeautiful Embankment with its lovely waterfront buildings and its steps leading
\nto the banks. Once on The Quadrant, the high street with all the shops, we
\narrived at Wagamama<\/i> and Shahnaz
\ndecided we would have lunch there. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Nothing was more welcome on the blistering day (although,
\nthankfully, there was a breeze playing) than the large bottle of Asahi beer
\nthat she suggested we order: we split it and drank deeply of its cooling
\ncontents. We then scoured the menu for something else we could share and found
\nthe new Pad Thai Salad. This had no resemblance at all to traditional Thai Pad
\nThai (which we both love), but it was hearty (studded liberally with chicken
\nand prawns) and it was absolutely delicious with its sweet sour dressing and
\nsprinkling of fried shallots and peanuts. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nClimbing Richmond Hill:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Fortified with our delightful lunch, we marched ahead
\ntowards the next item on our agenda: the climb up towards Richmond Hill to see
\nthe famous View of the Thames from the peak. It is a very gentle slope which
\ndid not make for a very strenuous climb. At the top, we looked out over
\nPetersham Meadows to the tranquil spot where the Thames forms a sort of
\nhorse-shoe as it curves around a small island. Many painters including Turner
\nand Constable were inspired to paint this view in different seasons. We took
\nmany pictures from this vantage point and gratefully sank down on one of the
\nbenches overlooking the meadows and the river. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Had we more time and had the heat not been quite so
\nenervating, we would have carried on walking towards Richmond Park with its
\nfamous herds of deer. Instead, Shahnaz suggested we start back: I had to get
\noff at Knightsbridge to pick up my phone from Chelsea and then had the dinner to
\nattend which would kick off our Colloquium activities tomorrow. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nJourney Homewards:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Going downhill was, of course, much easier on our feet
\nand lungs and in no time, we were back on The Quadrant waiting to board a bus
\nto Hammersmith. It came in no time and off we went. From buzzing Hammersmith, the
\nPiccadilly train line took us eastwards into the city. I got off at
\nKnightsbridge, easily got a hold of my phone from Jimmy the Porter, at my
\nfriends\u2019 building in Chelsea, and took the Tube back to Holborn. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n <\/span>           <\/span>In
\nless than an hour, I was back in my hotel room, getting my clothing ready and
\ntaking a shower.  <\/span>I left the hotel half an
\nhour later and arrived in time for the dinner.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nDinner with NYU Colleagues at Hubbard and Bell:<\/i><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>The venue chosen for our dinner that would kick off our
\nLondon Colloquium was Hubbard and Bell<\/i>,
\na lovely restaurant near the Holborn Tube Station end of High Holborn where we
\nwere assigned a large private \u2018apartment\u2019\u2014read Private Party Room. There were a
\nfew people already present when I arrived and within minutes, I found a gin and
\ntonic in my hand\u2014tinkling with ice and spiked with a twist of lemon. Nothing could
\nbe more refreshing in the heat. After much socializing and meeting with a lot
\nof my colleagues from New York and a number of new faces (colleagues from other
\nNYU satellite sites such as Florence, Paris, Washington DC, Berlin, Accra and
\nBuenos Aires), we settled down at long tables to partake of a wonderful meal.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Large communal platters of starters including crab
\ncrostini, crisps with hummus and pesto and a green salad. Mains included cod in
\na lemon sauce, roasted broccoli jazzed with chilli flakes, bavette steak with
\npotato gnocchi and more salad. Dessert was pistachio profiteroles, a chocolate
\nand passion fruit roulade and a cheese board with fruit.  <\/span>How absolutely charming! Wine did generous
\nrounds as we had a fruitful first exchange with old friends and new ones. It
\ntruly could not have been a more congenial gathering.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>And so ended another exciting day in London. Back in my
\nroom, I reviewed my presentation for tomorrow and sat down to scribble this
\nblog. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Until tomorrow, cheerio\u2026  <\/span>  <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tuesday, June 20, 2017 Richmond, London Messin\u2019 About on the River.             Today was devoting to getting out of the city of London and messin\u2019 about on the Thames.  All regular readers of this blog know that each time I am in London, I tick off one more aspect of it that I have yet… <\/p>\n

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