MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS EEL PIE ISLAND AND EEL PIE ISLAND MUSEUM...

Eel Pie Island and Eel Pie Island Museum are not to be confused- as the latter is not on the former.  Puzzled?  Read on...

Eel Pie Island is an island situated in the Thames at Twickenham.  It is accessible by boat or by a bridge on the north side and its name comes from the eel pies which were served on the island in the 19th century.  Its earlier names were (in order) Parish Ait and Twickenham Ait; the latter co-existing until at least the 1880s.  Charles Dickens mentions Eel Pie Island in Nicolas Nickleby (1839).

The island was the site of Eel Pie Island Hotel, a 19th century elegant building which hosted ballroom dancing during the 1920s and 1930s.  It reopened in 1956 as a jazz venue, hosted by trumpeter Brian Rutland.  It later became a rock and R&B venue, until 1967.  Famous names who performed on the island include: The Rolling Stones, The Who, Screaming Lord Such, George Melly, and Acker Bilk.  The club closed as the owner could not meet the cost of repairs to the hotel, but briefly reopened in 1969 as a heavy rock/ progressive rock venue, playing host to the likes of Black Sabbath, Hawkwind and Genesis.  By 1970 it had become home to the UK's largest hippy commune, until it was destroyed by fire in 1971.

Nowadays, the island has 50 homes, 120 residents and a couple of boatyards, as well as nature reserves at both ends.  The plots are are privately owned and some operate as artist's studios and small businesses.  The island was seriously devastated by a fire in 1996.

The last time I was in Twickenham was (I think) in 1996.  I accessed the island via a bridge which had been seriously compromised by a utilities contractor (British Gas, if my memory serves me correctly).  

The bridge was removed and replaced by this incarnation, in 1998.

Standing on the hump and looking towards London...

And over towards Middlesex...

Steps leading down into the water.  This is so the residents can access their boats.  For a while it would have been the only way to go back and forth- I read somewhere that the island was without a bridge for something like eight months.

Looking back to the mainland and the birds are enjoying their feast.  It brought to mind a day when I was in our local park feeding the ducks, aged four or five, when my mother told me off for slinging in a whole slice of bread! 😄😄

The cottages on the island are super-cute!

Does Liz Hurley live here?!

I haven't seen a postbox like this for many years...

Crocodile house and I have absolutely no idea what the legs and bum signify! 😆

I liked the lions standing sentinel at the front of this establishment, but had to be a bit sneaky taking the photograph, as a lady was raking leaves from the garden path and I didn't want to be too intrusive.

I blew this photo up.  Weirdly, I've been known to have dreams about this island.  It's amazing what information the subconscious retains!

Saying goodbye- maybe for another twenty-odd years...

Eel Pie Island Museum is on the mainland (as I found out after searching for it on the island- duh!)  Its curator is Michele Whitby, a lifelong resident.  It opened following a very successful pop-up affair in 2015.  The outside of the building is nondescript, but the inside is very informative, lively and a lot of fun.

Here is the timeline you see down the entrance hallway...

A selection of records on the facing wall...

Press cuttings...

Corridor, and the way into the main room...

Picture of the Island ferry, from days of yore.  This looks like a relaxing way to travel- but more of a pain in the butt than using a bridge!

A trombone in the hallway...

More trombones in the museum...

Drumsticks...

Jazz cabinet.  Acker Bilk and George Melly both get a mention...

The hotel looked quite a genteel establishment...

Memorabilia which has more to do with work of the island's residents and the role of the Thames as a working river...

I'm not sure about the significance of this 'faces' artwork as I didn't recognise anyone!

This corridor is dedicated to The Rolling Stones; probably the most successful band ever to play on the island.  The Small faces also got a mention, though.  That surprised me as they're from Little Ilford- not far from where I live in east London.

I love this jazz cartoon (although I'm not a great fan of jazz...)

Memorabilia.  I own a lava lamp not too dissimilar to the one in the photo...

Wall of fame and the SuperDean.  This roll call denotes the dates of every gig played by every band on the island.  The Rolling Stones feature a lot!

Inside the museum there is a lovely, laid back atmosphere, with records being played on an old record player.  A fair bit of chillin' out seemed to be going on, by some of the other visitors.

If you're in the area, the museum is certainly worth the £3 entrance fee they charge and half an hour of your time.

I'll finish this blog with a photo of a pub on the way back to the station.  It's called The Cabbage Patch and I thought the name and sign were brilliant.😊  I had something to eat in here in 1996 (they do a good roast, if I recall correctly) but we didn't bother this time and simply hopped onto the train home.

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS STRAWBERRY HILL HOUSE & GARDEN...

The Lost Treasures of Strawberry Hill is a temporary (running until February 2019) exhibition staged by the trustees of the house.  Normally shown as an empty shell, the aim of the exhibition is to display some of Horace Walpole's most famous and important masterpieces in the atmospheric interiors he designed for them.

The 'Great Sale' was held in the grounds in 1842 (after the then owners, John and George Waldegrave, who were related to Walpole through the illegitimate daughter of his brother, Edward, had spent most of the family fortune) and left the house virtually stripped of its contents.  The building was bought by neighbouring St Mary's University, Twickenham, in 1923.

The curators undertook a major treasure hunt to find the collection, some of which was in public museums around the world and some hidden away in private collections.

Horatio- known as Horace- Walpole (1717-1797) was the 4th Earl of Orford and son of Sir Robert Walpole, the first British Prime Minister.  He was a politician himself, as well as an antiquarian, passionate collector and social commentator.  He was also a man of letters and wrote The Castle of Otranto (1764), which is considered to be the first Gothic novel, and which was inspired by Strawberry Hill.

Largely designed by Walpole and his group of friends, the house was Walpole's summer villa and, to use a modern-day colloquialism, his 'baby'.  Created between 1749 and 1790, it predated the Gothic Revival of the early 19th century.  He filled it with a massive collection of paintings, decorative arts, curiosities and antiquities; collecting objects not only for their beauty, but also their historical interest and the stories they told.

Horace Walpole described  Strawberry Hill as "The castle (I am building) of my ancestors."  But it was certainly not for his ancestors as he never married and died childless.  Some reports mention that he could have been homosexual, but the general consensus is that he was asexual.

Walpole, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, circa 1756-57.

It was a lovely late October day when me and my SuperDean took ourselves off to Twickenham and visited, having pre-booked.  Here is the house front, with a touch of added glare...

Walpole rebuilt the existing house in stages, in 1749, 1760, 1772 and 1776.  Gothic features such as crenellations and towers outside, and elaborate design inside were used with the intention of creating a 'gloomth'.

I loved these mini-arches.  It's possible to clamber underneath them (although I didn't give it a go!)

The side of the house...

The back, and I thought it was a pity that this tent, which acted as a visitors' reception centre, had been put up, spoiling the view.

Piece of useless information:- Whilst updating my portfolio when working as a freelance designer, I once designed a collection called 'Gloth', which is a marriage of both goth and glamour.  I am quite macabre and my college final major project was also quite Gothic, in that it was influenced by the romantic aspect of Dracula- that point where he goes to kiss his victim's neck (or so she believes) and instead goes in for the kill.

I called it 'The Seduction Metaphor' and it was inspired by this Bela Lugosi 1931 film still...

Back to main subject, and I loved this stained glass window.  They feature all over the house.

Gothic tower...

As we were a bit early, we looked around the gardens first.  It is not known what happened to the original Shell Seat.  It was recreated by Architectural Heritage using layered laminated oak strips to form the shell.  The gardens were designed to be 'riant' (cheerful), to add a touch of contrast to the gloominess of the house.

Me having an Amphitrite moment...  Or am I just being shellfish?! 😃😃😃😃

I spied these stone and iron steps, peeking through the trees.  The adjoining building is the aforementioned St Mary's University, Twickenham.

The Cedar of Lebanon.

The Lime Grove.

This was the small garden directly in front of the house, inside the wall.

We then ventured into the house, which was breathtaking BUT.... and it's a big BUT... photography, even without a flash, wasn't allowed.  I've come across this before, at other tourist attractions (notably the Brighton Pavilion) and it's something to do with conditions imposed by those lending the artefacts.  

It's something I find REALLY annoying.  I mean, what do they think I'm going to do- photograph a Hogarth, blow it up to full size, frame it and try to sell it on eBay as an original?  I don't think so!!!!

I don't really like using PDFs but, as I have no choice, here are a handful I like...

The staircase...

The Blue Bedcamber.  When I was there, this had a recreation bed in it but, outside of the exhibition, appears to be kept empty (hence the reason photographs were allowed then)...

The Blue Breakfast Room.  This had a stunning ceiling, consisting of dyed silk velvet draped upwards and held tight in the centre of the room.  It had a Turkish tent kind of feel and was added after Walpole's time.  This was probably my most favourite room...

Coming in at a close second was the Holbien Chamber.  Cardinal Wolsey's sixteenth century red cardinal's hat sat in a case in the corner...

The Gallery had paintings on display.  The house abounded with gorgeous pictures and portraits by the likes of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir Peter Lily, Anthony van Dyck and Hans Holbien, to name but a few...

The Tribune.  Many treasures were on display here as it was originally designed, in 1761, to show off various personal memorabilia.  A gold locket containing a lock of hair belonging to the youngest surviving daughter of Henry VII, Mary Tudor (1496-1533, not to be confused with Mary I, also known as Bloody Mary) is on display here.  Unfortunately, I missed seeing it!

The promotional pamphlet also mentions a 'magic mirror' used by Dr. Dee, Elizabeth I's necromancer, to conjure up the spirits.  But I didn't see it and it's not listed in the exhibition guidebook, even though a bit of Googly research tells me that this obsidian disc should sit in the Great North Bedchamber.  Oh well...

As it's quite a small house and garden (it will only take up an hour of your time) I do think that the £18 admission fee (£16 if you pre-book) was a bit steep.  Having said that, I enjoyed the exhibition immensely, although I was seriously annoyed by the no photography rule.  I would definitely return, but AFTER the exhibition is over- I saw all I had to see of these artefacts and want to take some pictures of the rooms!  

We finished our Strawberry Hill excursion with a walk back to central Twickenham through the picturesque Radnor Gardens.

Radnor House was totally destroyed by a bomb in September 1940, during World War II.  Only a few walls, indicated by commemorative stones remain, as does this summerhouse.

The gardens and the war memorial...

Views over the Thames...

I'll complete this blog with a close-up of the war memorial- quite fitting, as in eleven days' time it will be the centenary of the end of World War I.

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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