{adventures in Merry Ol'}

Excuse my absence from the blogosphere. I've been busy with conferences, family, friends & research. Highlights of the week included...well everything! I had an amazing weekend with my cousins visiting great estates in the countryside; perused first editions of Vasari's 1550 and 1568 Lives in the BL and got my hands on the only surviving statute of the Order of the Ermine, written by Giovanni Pontano & signed by King Ferrante in 1487;...AND visited with friends I haven't seen in ages--some from high school and some from grad school. So where to start? Photos of grand estates.
We visited Strawberry Hill, which I had studied in undergrad but it's only been recently opened to the public. It was built for Horace Walpole--son of a PM & the first author of a gothic novel. The architecture reflects his interest in the gothic--completely made in the neo-gothic style:

{gothic pointed arches at Strawberry Hill}

{entrance hall}

{stained glass}

{fantastic grisaille neo-gothic wall paper}

{the great hall, Strawberry Hill}

{my cousins outside Strawberry Hill}

Also fantastic is Ightham Mote (pronounced "Item Moat")--begun in the 14th century, it's an amazing medieval home completely surrounded by a moat. It has been added to over the years so there's 700 years worth of interior decoration styles...  love love love!

{Ightham Mote}

{bells for the servants}

{the ceiling painting in the chapel dates to the 15th c and is original}

{I fell in love with this 18th century chinese hand-painted wall paper}

Well there's plenty more to report, but will end here for now.
cheerio,
L