Tea at Trianon: What To Do In Cornwall

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

Monday, February 24, 2025

What To Do In Cornwall

I really would love to go to Cornwall someday. From House and Garden:

Anyone of an artistic bent should head to St Ives where the light has been attracting artists for centuries. The Tate St Ives is worth a visit for the architecture alone, built on the site of a former gasworks; the imposing rotunda designed by architects Eldred Evans and David Shalev echoes the design of what was there before. Situated just above Porthmeor Beach where surfers catch waves and children play it is a tranquil spot to get away from the hustle and bustle of St Ives. Exhibitions include works from the Tate collection as well as that of contemporary artists. Nearby is the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden which is managed by the Tate. Take in the fantastic bronzes of the late Dame Barbara Hepworth, who was one of Britain’s most preeminent Modernist sculptors. Get an intimate peek into her former home, studio and garden. Quite rightly the bronzes in the garden remain where she left them giving a unique insight into how she arranged her work. tate.org.uk (Read more.)