London's Tabernacle, Thames, Tea and Tanks: Our Last Day in the Capital

| Our last sight we saw in London: the Imperial War Museum. |

2015 England Trip Travel Journal Entry
Sunday, March 22

We made it to the Met Tab (aka Metropolitan Tabernacle) again. I must say that although it seems more formal than what I have become used to at home, compared to evensong at Westminster it feels almost informal! It certainly feels more alive and more like a place where everyone is happy to be. The sermon was from Romans 2:1-19. I understood and learned more about the passage than I had before. Dr. Peter Masters certainly loves the Bible! That is quite evident.

Inside the Metropolitan Tabernacle

We had a lovely afternoon at the Kitchen Door Cafe and the charity shop nearby. :) Our bus went through Clapham Common (ref: Poirot), then on the way back we stopped by the river side and got a marvelous view of Vauxhall Bridge and the city up the Thames.

A view of Vauxhall Bridge from the south bank of the Thames.

The Battersea Power Station on the left (an unexpected surprise – and a film location on 'Sherlock').

The Cafe was cozy and whimsical, with our bright spotted and striped tea pots and cups in red and blue. The tuna and sweetcorn and cheese sandwiches on soft whole wheat bread were scrumptious. We got a slice of coffee flavored cake and of Victoria Sponge, plus a delicious scone. We were stuffed!

Mom, before we devoured our cake and sandwiches.
At the Kitchen Door Cafe.

And me... :)

Our happy tea cups and pots.

Another delicious scone...

We also enjoyed listening in a bit to the group of twenty-somethings at the table behind Mom, and planning for Paris from the Rick Steves guide that Mom had just found in the charity shop.

Inside the Kitchen Door Cafe.

Next was the IWM, also known as the Imperial War Museum, which is not far from our flat. It is rather a powerful experience visiting that place. The first thing to catch your eye is the display of life-sized plane hanging from the ceiling – real planes, as in a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain. Yes, that kind of real plane.

A Spitfire from the Battle of Britain.

Outside the IWM - it was a lovely last day in London.

Guns, planes, tanks, boats, cars and the like were all over the place! It was heartbreaking to walk through the WWI exhibit. The weapons and uniforms, and especially the faux trench with a real tank seemingly about to land on your head and crush you made me shudder, thinking of the misery those soldiers suffered through.

A WWI nurse's uniform - just like Lady Sybil's. :)

The WWII exhibits had a less melancholy air about them, and the 'Family in Wartime' exhibit was almost cheerful, even considering the air raid shelter. There were even a couple original dresses to see!

Living room memorabilia in the 'Family in Wartime' exhibit.

A real Enigma machine!!

Original WWII fashion.

© 2015 Anna Morton

My Evening with the Poldark Family

I'll take any excuse to dress up, so when I heard there would be a two hour finale of Poldark on Masterpiece last Sunday, I pulled out my cookbook with 18th century recipes and my Georgian dress out of my costume trunk to have a party with my fellow #PoldarkPBS Twitter fans.

These Sunday nights with Poldark with my fellow tweeters (is there an official title for people on Twitter?) have been immensely enjoyable, and getting two hours of Poldark family drama, complete with tears and smiles, plus an 18th century dessert eaten while wearing 18th century clothing meant that this particular Sunday could be no less than a memorable one.

My latest completed historical clothing project was a robe à la Polonnaise, and I have been looking for an excuse to wear it. What better occasion could there be than the season finale of the year's most popular period drama? It was not only for fun; I was also conducting an experiment to see just how comfortable (or uncomfortable) wearing this style of garment would actually be. I have had plenty of experience wearing Regency gowns and all that goes with them, and I consider them to be reasonably comfortable. But the Georgian style has always appeared to be a bit more confining in its fit. Happily, I discovered that this was not the case! It is quite maneuverable, along with being as reasonably comfortable as the attire of the Regency.

Trying to live like an 18th century lady. It's actually comfortable!

I think that personal experience with a particular historical style can really give a person a valuable understanding of what it was like to live way back when. History and so many of the people who lived it are gone forever, but it is possible to value them and learn from them, and one fairly easy way to do that is by dressing in their clothes and eating what they ate. Those two things especially give us insight into their lives because they are activities they did every day. They can tell us so much about humanity. That is the deeper reason that I take the time and effort to do historical reenacting.

Now on to the trivial reasons. Making the food is fun, and it is almost always delicious! I used a recipe from a book titled The Delectable Past by Esther B. Aresty. The book was a birthday present – one of my favorite kinds, too! It includes modern adaptations of recipes from the Roman times to late 19th century America. Someday soon I hope I get to try some of the Renaissance recipes! (Another excuse for a party...)

I chose my recipe from the chapter on 18th century England, of course, and since Poldark was on after dinner, I chose a dessert entitled Snowballs. The main ingredient might surprise you, as it is not coconut, icing sugar, meringue or even whipped cream – it is an apple. Yes, an apple peeled, rolled in cinnamon and sugar, covered with meringue, cored and filled with jam, and enveloped in pie crust. The end result was delicious! I cooked two apples for ten minutes at 450º, then for forty minutes at 375º, but they weren't quite done, so next time I would leave them in a bit longer. They also definitely need to be covered loosely for the last half of the baking time because the crust really begins to brown.

The finished product really looks quite impressive – especially if they are set in a silver dish atop grape leaves, if I say so myself.

My Snowball (apple) covered in meringue and cinnamon and sugar, and filled with jam.

The Snowballs just before entering the oven...

Vòila! They were rather like glorified mini apple pies.

Yours truly tweeting away about #PoldarkPBS.

The inside of the Snowball.

Enough about my efforts – the show was excellently done! The finale was executed in the same spirit of realist drama, idyllic cinematography, and complete emotional chaos. Poldark never allows you to relax. Something either life-changing or life-ruining is always around the corner for someone living on that rocky Cornish coast. I won't give any spoilers, but you can rest assured that the last episode of this series has lost no drama since that which hit us in the first! I would say it has either gotten worse or better, depending on your opinion of the style of a series that takes its viewers on an emotional roller coaster ride every week.

I myself do not like it when there is even a hint a show adds dramatic twists for no reason. If it tries to make itself interesting by doing so, it will almost certainly draw from me a bit of scorn and a move for the stop button. I say all that to make this point: Poldark is composed of legitimate drama. The story of Ross Poldark himself seems especially believable, and Aidan Turner inhabits the character so well. I almost forget that I am watching an actor!

Poldark may be a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but the realistic quality of the ride makes it all the more thrilling! Not to mention more of an inspiration for historical reenacting!



© 2015 Anna Morton

Historic Clothing in the Victoria and Albert Museum

Mid-18th century "Court Dress"

Here are more pictures of my favorite pieces in the fashion gallery of the Victoria and Albert Museum. (I apologize in advance for all the reflections in the glass - but unfortunately it was impossible to avoid them entirely.)

To be around actual clothing worn by actual people from the past gives me the most incredible feeling. It is the past preserved - a little piece of history that as I stand before it opens up an entire world. Knowing it belonged to a person who was just as human as I am, who wore this piece of clothing as they were living their life, interacting with their family and friends, walking on the streets where they lived and drinking tea in their homes drops me into their life for a moment. To me this is what is so special about a mannequin in a museum with some clothes on it.

Now I am done with my rhapsodizing and philosophizing: on to the clothes! The photo above was oldest piece, dating from the mid-18th century. It is "court dress," which, as you might guess, is what was worn in the royal court. It was even more than the popular style, it was required. I don't know what they did if you failed to meet the requirements, but I suppose they simply didn't let you in. It isn't very practical, but you must admit that it makes a statement!

The gallery was arranged chronologically, so the next piece is from a bit later in the 18th century. This blue damask gown has lots of that gathered trim that I like so well. There is something so distinctly Georgian about it, too.

A Georgian gown, circa 1760s.

Ah, the robe a la polonnaise! Possibly my favorite historic fashion. This was the fashion of Jane Austen's parents, George and Cassandra. It has cleaner lines and a more classic shape than earlier Georgian styles, adding to its elegance and practicality, and giving it a more timeless style than the oversized skirts and plethora of ruffles and trims that preceded it.

Robe a la Polonnaise, circa the 1770s and 1780s.

The typical Polonnaise skirt that can be looped up, as it is here, or left to hang straight.

Even the underpinnings are a work of art in the 18th century! I knew this, as I have attempted my own, but I was impressed by just how tiny everything was. There were dozens of boning channels, and the armhole was lined with what looked like leather, which I think is rather a marvelous idea, since that part of the garment would have a lot of wear and tear.

The work of art that is a set of 18th century stays.

 Here is a most familiar style. If you have seen 'Pride and Prejudice,' you know when we are: the unique and fabulous Regency! Practical, elegant and with a most distinct style, the dresses of the Regency were a result of a sort of revolution in fashion, discarding the more restrictive shapes of the Georgians in favor of more natural (think: Rousseau) shapes. I think women, once they got over the shock, must have rejoiced at the freedom of movement they could achieve in this new fashion. :)

The first dress in the gallery is a day dress of the middle Regency, with a straighter skirt than those of the earlier Regency, and a practical print. Jane Austen may have worn a dress like this when she lived at Chawton Cottage in 1810.

A middle Regency printed day dress.

More of the day dress.

 This is an early Regency style, with a closer resemblance to the portrait dress of the 1790s in its fuller skirt. It was difficult to see or get a shot of the front, but I believe it is a crossover gown made in a simple white muslin.

An early Regency crossover gown.

This early Regency gown illustrates the long classical silhouette of the era.

 This gown illustrates the transition from the Regency to the Romantic style, with the waist being lower and the sleeves larger. It was a spectacular piece! The detail was mesmerizing. I could tell this would have belonged to a very wealthy young lady because of the sheer amount of expensive trim. :) All of that intricate lace and gold work all over the entire dress would have cost a fortune.

A dress circa 1820 transitioning between the Regency and Romantic styles.

Oh, the detail!

A walking dress from the same period. Another point of transition that can be seen in this dress is in the line of the skirt, especially in the hemline. It doesn't just hang from the waistline, there are corded petticoats and techniques used to stiffen the hem so that it has a more unchangeable A-line shape, hanging rather like a bell when the person wearing it is walking.

A walking dress, circa 1820.

 

 And now we come to the fully-fledged Romantic fashions! The sleeves make this unmistakable. The style went back to the natural waist, accentuated by more petticoats (and the big sleeves).

Dresses from the Romantic era, circa 1830s.

A more perfect example of Romantic underpinnings may be impossible to find in this day and age. Upon first seeing this I may have been more excited than I would now care to admit... But it reveals all of the secrets to the silhouette of the Romantic era! The sleeve pads, the stays, the corded petticoat - now it all makes sense. Especially the sleeve pads. It seems almost ingeniously simple, now, but for a long time I wondered how they successfully kept those enormous sleeves puffed.

Secrets revealed: the underpinnings of Romantic era fashion.

I had to get a close-up.

Next in the gallery was the fully-fledged Victorian era with its tiny waists and big skirts. I am by no means an expert in Victorian fashion, so I cannot regale you all with its style details or particularly distinctive elements. I have only seen some period dramas that had these exact same styles in them. For example: this next dress looks almost identical to a dress Margaret Hale wears in the BBC adaptation of 'North & South' (except hers is a print and no skirt ruffles). I have always thought it was a lovely style, so to see an original dress in that same style and in person was quite exciting. :) It was a wedding dress and made out of a fine, thin muslin.

An early mid-Victorian gown, circa 1850.

This one was rather eye-catching... It is quite a fabulous color! This is mid-Victorian, worn in 1869-70, and style has moved on to the hoop skirt. A person can tell that the next style will be the bustle by looking at how the skirt is made. I personally think this style is a bit more elegant than a bustle, but we won't get into that. :) I think hoop skirts would be rather awkward to wear, too, actually. But those were the styles!

Mid-Victorian gown, circa 1870.

If you have seen 'Lark Rise to Candleford' you will understand when I say that this ensemble reminds me so much of Dorcas Lane. It must be from exactly the same era, the late Victorian - probably the early 1890s.

Historic fashion: "It's my one weakness."

Here is an ensemble from the elegant and opulent Edwardian era. This skirt and blouse were worn in 1910-12, just before the Titanic sank and the drama of 'Downton Abbey' begins.

Edwardian ensemble, circa 1910-12

I thought this dress and this hat were two of the most elegant pieces in the gallery. That gown has such exquisite work on the thinnest  of thin white muslins, draping so gracefully. This is another piece in the Edwardian section of the gallery.

I think that hat belongs at the Ascot races in 'My Fair Lady.' :)

Edwardian evening dress and hat.

The roaring 20s! I don't need to point out the distinctive elements of this style or how it changed from the decade before. The biggest change may be the lack of material below the hemline... It reminds me of something Lady Edith Crawley might wear. She does seem to favor green and coral shades.

A dress of the roaring 1920s.

Now we're into the 1940s and the somewhat more conservative wartime styles with straighter skirts and squarer shoulders.

Fashion during WWII

With the arrival of the 1950s came a return to glamor in the every day fashions. That tweedy ensemble is most tempting...

Glamorous 1950s fashions.

We have now reached the end of my photos from the gallery, and I hope that getting to look at the fashions of the past has inspired you to go to London to see it or sew a new historical costume or just do something exciting! (Watching a period drama wouldn't be a bad idea...) Clothing can teach us so much about the past and the people who lived through it, and I am indeed grateful to people who, like the V&A Museum, preserve things like this and put them out for all the world to see.

© 2015 Anna Morton

At The Tower in the Dark

Ta-da! The Tower Bridge in it's all it's nightly Victorian splendor.

2015 England Trip Travel Journal Entry

Friday, March 13

Logistics: 

1. The 133 bus to the Monument stop
2. Walk along Lower Thames St./A3211, going left at the fork to get on the A100 to find The Kitchen@Tower
3. The Tube from Tower Hill Station to South Kensington Station on the District Line 
4. The Tube home from South Kensington Station to Victoria Station on the District Line
5. The Tube [continuing] home from Victoria Station to Brixton Station on the Victoria Line

The Brixton neighborhood.

We had just the half hour we needed to find The Kitchen@Tower restaurant by our 4:30 reservation. What lovely ladies work there! And the food is beyond lovely. We were given seven of the most delicious homemade cakes, including scones with real clotted cream, and even an extra plat of sandwiches after we'd run of the first batch. It was a comfortable friendly atmosphere. Loved it.

 

Mom is excited about our abundance of dessert.

My second cup of tea to assist in devouring my scone.

The Kitchen@Tower gets five stars from us! Delicious!

Loved the windows and the eclectic furniture.

 Then we had one of those "*gasp* Look! Another old famous building!" moments once we walked out and simply turned to our right. It was the mighty Tower of London! It is beautifully menacing, even in the dark. We walked around it's perimeter, running into the Tower Bridge while we were at it, looking like the fairytale Victorian creation that it is. :)

The regally infamous Tower of London.

Daffodils can even make the Tower look more cheerful.

The Tower and its Bridge.

 

It was COLD! But it's impossible to not enjoy yourself when you're in a moment like this.

 

With our old pal the Tower Bridge. :)

The south bank of London glowing in the dark.

We shivered our way onto the Tube, making for the Victoria and Albert Museum, which was happily open til 10:00 on Fridays! Well, open except for all of the European galleries, of course... At least the fashion gallery was open late, which fully made up for it. It was fascinating. Another surreal experience of going back in history. They had real pieces from the Georgian era, Regency, Romantic, early, mid- and late Victorian, Edwardian, roaring twenties - then the fashions go downhill until they crash in a wreck of 1980s style. :) 
 

One stunning dress from about 1820.

I love the 18th century fashions!

A very smart Edwardian frock.

Anyone for tennis in 1920s style? Me, please!

The workmanship is the most impressive thing to see, with tiny stitches and intricate working of trims and buttons and fastenings on luxurious silks, wools and muslins. A historic costumer's delight!

The great entrance hall of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

We looked at a bit of sculpture, but it was getting late, so we headed home to get ready for Stratford! Between putting food together, buying tickets and passes and doing laundry, it was nearly 1:00 when we turned the lights out.



 © 2015 Anna Morton