Tea at Trianon: Friendship at Highclere

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

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Friendship at Highclere

From Lady Carnarvon:

Moving on, over the last few years we have tried to innovate at Highclere. This is never easy when the “business “ is sustaining an antique castle which, in every way, needs to stay true to itself, cannot move and is a traditional industry welcoming visitors. Yet of course like every business we do need to think ahead and as the bills to restore are never-ending I regard it as a challenge to have a bright idea.
One endeavour was to create our Highclere Castle Gin business which developed into some possibly increasingly eccentric virtual cocktail parties during covid and is now forging ahead and commended for being outstanding. I also write books, each project something I really enjoy except when the deadline approaches. There is a new Downton film and some smaller requests to film, all of which is wonderful but more is always needed. Putting it all together, I thought Highclere can go 3D and go where no other stately home has ever gone. In fact not many others have quite followed this path at all yet. Filming a room in 3D takes some time and, given the number of cameras on the one 3D camera, it is a process which has to be done in one take only. If I go wrong, I can feel the tension although the words are “don’t worry Lady C let’s do it again”. The next step is for the expert filming team to download each video which takes days. (Read more.)