Tea at Trianon: About 'Belgravia'

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, April 16, 2020

About 'Belgravia'

From History Extra:

Belgravia is a fascinating place because it was the first new area for rich people that had existed in London for hundreds of years. It wasn’t part of old London. That land to the west of Mayfair had been fields so it was an expansion of the city, specifically with this new architecture, which itself is an iconic architectural style [grand terraces of white stucco houses]. The neighbourhood itself has got an important presence in the whole show. It’s named after the neighbourhood, it’s what’s going on behind the doors of those houses. (Read more.)

From ITV:

The creator of Downton Abbey is at it again with a new period drama called Belgravia. Set in the main during the Victorian era, the series shares its name with the wealthy area of central London on which it focuses. It's a tale of secrets, dishonour and mystery told over six hour-long episodes, every Sunday night for the next six weeks on ITV, and it starts this week. The novel itself was written by Fellowes and published in 2016. It is about the Trenchard family, who are invited to the Duchess of Richmond's annual and legendary ball held on eve of Battle of Waterloo, in 1815. What happens that night will set in motion events that will resonate for decades to come as secrets unravel. It is an intense family saga, and charged with delivering the drama are the actors Philip Glenister (Life on Mars), Tamsin Greig (three-time BAFTA nominee) Alice Eve, Harriet Walker (Atonement, Sense and Sensibility), Tom Wilkinson (Full Monty, BAFTA and two-times Oscar winner), and Saskia Reeves (Spooks, Luther). (Read more.)