Carlton Hobbs switches to Dish Soap Bars

In our continued search for ways to reduce our impact on the enironment, Stefanie recalled that during her time in Russia,she obseved people hand-washing their dishes using bars of dish soap, rather than liquid soap from plasic containers. Such had soap bars for dish-washing seem to be genrally unavailable even in health food stores.

However, a quick internet search yielded results: on etsy.com, Garden of Saint Francis, a natural goods vendor, was found to be selling homemade dish soaps composed of lye and coconut or palm kernel oil: http://tinyurl.com/3to7q3n

We have now acquired these and have begun using new bars of dishwashing soap that are proving to be both effective for cleaning and for environmental conservation. Just one bar of dishwashing soap is projected to last about as long as a 25 ounce bottle of dishwashing detergent, totally eliminating the need for any kind of plastic packaging.8 bars of soap can be purchased for $23, less than $3 per bar. Comparatively, even the cheapest online price for Seventh Generation plant-derived dish soap is nearly $4, a savings of a whole dollar. Even better than the price, soap bars save us from using the plastic containers holding the 25 oz dishwashing liquid. The Clean Air Council's data shows that in 2008 only 13.3% of plastic bottles were recycled (Waste and Recycling Facts, Clean Air Council, accessed 9/1/2011: http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html.) In 2005, a UN publication on the environment estimated that more than a staggering 13,000 pieces of plastic are littering every square kilometer of ocean on our planet (Jeftic, L. "Marine Litter." UN Environmental Program, 2005: http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/default.asp.) Imagine how that could be impacted by using 0 plastic containers of dishwashing liquid per year (if you average a new dishwashing liquid package every 3 weeks, that's more than 17 plastic dish liquid containers per year saved from becoming a part of the plastic pollution problem.)

Check out our use of the new soap bars in our dishwashing videos below.

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London Lodge Decoration

We have recently redecorated our gallery at 16 Bloomfield Terrace in London.

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Carlton Hobbs' White Roof

Summer has officially arrived, and we here at Carlton Hobbs are celebrating by painting a heat reflective white roof coating onto the roof of our gallery space at 60 East 93rd Street.

 

Why white? An informative article in the New York Times about the White Roof Movement drew our attention to the benefits of having a "cool" roof. The article details a family's amazement when their home's interior temperature dropped from 115 degrees to 80 degrees farenheit inside after treating their roof with a white covering. If energy bill savings aren't enough of a deterrent, the article goes on to state, then think about global warming: in the interest of slowing its effects, even Nobel Prize Winner and current Energy Secretary Steven Chu made a bid on television to convince audiences to "make it [roofs] white."  An asphalt roof in New York City, it is revealed, can reach a staggering 180 degrees farenheit! At Carlton Hobbs, we hope that by investing in a white, energy efficient rooftop, we can do our part to make our urban environment a little cooler and to do our part to consume less energy. Lots of time and energy went into the selection of covering and painting the layers on our first rooftop, pictured below, and we will spend the next few weeks covering the remaining roof spaces.

 

With something as simple as just repainting a roof, we hope that we can become part of a growing commitment of people to energy conservation and heat reduction in New York City, and the world.

 

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Preschool of America's Class Visit to Carlton Hobbs

Today, Carlton Hobbs hosted a group of preschoolers who came to visit our rescued dogs. The children got to meet Tallulah, Carolina, Tillie, and our newly rescued mixed breed, Ellie. They were reminded to treat animals kindly.

 

The class really enjoyed meeting our dogs, and we think the dogs enjoyed having them, too--especially Carolina!

 

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Carlton Hobbs' White Roof

Summer has officially arrived, and we here at Carlton Hobbs are celebrating
by painting a heat reflective white roof coating onto the roof of our
gallery space at 60 East 93rd Street.

Why white? An informative article in the New York Times about the White Roof
Movement drew our attention to the benefits of having a "cool" roof. The
article details a family's amazement when their home's interior temperature
dropped from 115 degrees to 80 degrees farenheit inside after treating their
roof with a white covering. If energy bill savings aren't enough of a
deterrent, the article goes on to state, then think about global warming: in
the interest of slowing its effects, even Nobel Prize Winner and current
Energy Secretary Steven Chu made a bid on television to convince audiences
to "make it [roofs] white."  An asphalt roof in New York City, it is
revealed, can reach a staggering 180 degrees farenheit! At Carlton Hobbs, we
hope that by investing in a white, energy efficient rooftop, we can do our
part to make our urban environment a little cooler and to do our part to
consume less energy. Lots of time and energy went into the selection of
covering and painting the layers on our first rooftop, pictured below, and
we will spend the next few weeks covering the remaining roof spaces.

With something as simple as just repainting a roof, we hope that we can
become part of a growing commitment of people to energy conservation and
heat reduction in New York City, and the world.

white roof.jpeg 70K   View   Download

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Serving up a Tile Painting, Rare

The production of painted tiles in Valencia has continued in one form or another since the Middle Ages.  The first known Valencian factory devoted solely to tilemaking opened in 1568.  Full polychrome designs introduced by Castille artisans had revolutionized the Spanish tilemaking industry and inspired new subject matter and more elaborate compositions.  Increased demand led several Valencian craftsmen to open tile factories, which at first were small, cramped workshops with a single kiln and a limited yield.  However, by the middle of the eighteenth-century, at the height of the Spanish Rococo period, the city’s tile factories had become the foremost in Spain, and were receiving commissions ranging from kitchen panels in the homes of the wealthy nobility to interior decorations in the Royal Palace in Madrid.

By the mid-1700s, the most important tile factory in Valencia was that of Vicente Navarro, located on Calle de la Corona.  Navarro is named in a mural in the convent of Santo Domingo de Orihuela in the town of Vernos that depicts the history of the tile industry in the 1700s.  In one scene, which shows bundles of merchandise marked with their makers’ names, one bundle reads: “Luís Domingo drew it… Vicente Navarro made it”.  Luís Domingo was one of the painters of the Academia, and his name being here linked with Navarro’s indicates that Navarro may have had collaborated with some of the most highly respected Baroque artists.

One of the best-preserved examples of Navarro’s style of Rococo kitchen tile paintings can be found in the Casa del Marqués de Benicarló, in Benicarló, Spain.  The exterior walls of the house, built in 1776 for the rich merchant Joaquín Miquel, were once covered with Rococo frescoes; and elaborately designed tile paintings were installed throughout the building.  The richest tile paintings were saved for the more private areas of the house, and the grand kitchen became home to the most impressive of all.

You can read more about this tile picture on our blog:

http://www.carltonhobbs.net/art/serving-up-a-tile-painting-rare/2010/02/17/

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A Forest of Ships: An Evening with Cybele Gontar

On the evening of Thursday, March 24, Cybele Gontar gave a lecture in our second floor gallery explaining the origins of Creole and Acadian furniture in Louisiana. Beginning with a history of the migration of settlers from the French provinces of Canada, France, and the West Indies, she traced the evolution of stylistic markers associated with these regional furniture traditions. Pointing to specific themes and embellishments, she noted the influence of engravings on the decorative traditions in cabinetry in the Creole/Acadian style, as can be seen in this side-by-side comparison of a silver engraver's portrayal of a heron and an inlaid Louisiana armoire detail of a heron among the reeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Gontar also commented on various articles of furniture, such as armoires and campeche chairs, whose origins stem from the fusion of these styles and the styles of Anglo-American settlers. Of particular importance from the late 18th century forward were furniture importation and the population migration from the West Indies.  Resulting from unstable social conditions, especially in Jamaica, many settlers with a French/Creole background migrated to New Orleans during the 17th and 18th centuries. Among these settlers was Jean Rousseau, a capable ébéniste (cabinetmaker) and a defining figure of New Orleans cabintery and of the Creole/Acadian tradition.

Ms. Gontar's lecture was informative and engaging. Afterward, a book signing was held for the new publication 'Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture 1735-1835. Hors d'oeurves evoking the flavor of New Orleans were passed as people enjoyed perusing the books and discussing the evening's lecture.

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'Furnishing Louisiana': Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835: A Lecture by Cybele Gontar

 

Carlton Hobbs is hosting the New York launch of 'FURNISHING LOUISIANA': Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835 at their New York gallery at 60 East 93rd Street, New York.

The opening night reception, on March 24th, will be preceded by a lecture on the subject of the book by co-author Cybèle Gontar, current Ph.D. Candidate in 18th and 19th century American Art at CUNY's Graduate Center.
 
Described by The Historic New Orleans Collection as its latest and most ambitious publication, this magisterial study evokes an era before mass production and ease of transport began to homogenize furniture design across America. From the early 18th through the mid-19th centuries, distinctive cabinetmaking traditions developed along the Mississippi River through a melding of French, Anglo-American, Caribbean, French-Canadian, and African influences. Furnishing Louisiana stands as tribute to the region's cultural diversity and remarkable artistry.
 
Featuring more than 1,200 full-color illustrations, Furnishing Louisiana presents a comprehensive catalogue of furniture forms produced in the upper and lower Mississippi River valley. The book also offers contextual essays on cabinetmakers, hardware, woods, inlay, the import trade at the Port of New Orleans, and the interior of the early Louisiana home.

Cybèle T. Gontar is a Ph.D. Candidate in 18th and 19th century American Art at CUNY's Graduate Center. Gontar holds an M.A. from Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in History of European Decorative Arts. From 1999-2007, she maintained the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts database through TMS. In 2002, she worked as a researcher for James Madison's Montpelier. She has written extensively for The Magazine Antiques, Antiques & Fine Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Currently she teaches Modern European and American art at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.

 Furnishing Louisiana is available for purchase at The Shop at The Collection, www.hnoc.org or (504) 598-7147; at independent booksellers nationwide; and through major online retailers. Retail price is $95 plus tax.

For further information regarding this event, please call 212-432-9000.

 

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Untitled

Carlton Hobbs was delighted to host an event held for private clients of Gurr Johns Fine Art Advisory and Valuation Firm last night. In anticipation of the event, we installed some prints of works handled by Gurr Johns on behalf of their clients. These include Le Moteur (The Engine) by Fernand Leger, Figures in a Landscape by Roy Lichtenstein, Reverie by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and The Virgin and Child with Grapes by Lucas Cranach the Elder.  Here you can view their placement in our galleries. It was most interesting to experiment with the juxtaposition of 18th century furniture and 20th century paintings.

 

http://www.gurrjohns.com/aboutus

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A La Française

For over 30 years The Sylvan Winds has earned both critical and audience acclaim for its spirited performances and innovative programming as one of New York's most versatile chamber music ensembles. 

The group has performed at numerous prestigious music halls and festivals, including the Weill Recital Hall, Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, Town Hall, Merkin Concert Hall and Symphony Space, and the Governor's Arts Awards. They have also performed at the White Mountains, Cape Cod and Caramoor International Music Festivals, have toured major university and chamber music series nationally including Amherst College, the Chicago Chamber Music Society, Rutgers University's Summerfest, and the University of the Pacific, as well as performing in Korea, including the Sejong Cultural Center.

Tonight they open their Spring 2011 Season at Carlton Hobbs with a concert entitled A La Française, featuring pieces by Rameau, Kriens, Chrétien, Cowell, Dvorak. The concert will also feature selections from Grétry's opéra-comique Zemire et Azor, which, interestingly is also the subject of five extremely rare faux tapestry panels in our collection, circa 1775. 

A favorite of Marie-Antoinette, Zémire et Azor was first performed at Fontainebleau in November of 1771 and was dedicated to Madame du Barry. It would later be performed for the emperor Napoleon.  The story was an adaptation set in Persia of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's tale 'La Belle et Bete' ('Beauty and the Beast') first published in 1756. The costume and décor illustrated in the panels follow the much imitated, extravagant A La Turc style promoted by Marie-Antoinette, which represented the height of fashion and opulence.  It seems extremely likely that the five panels were conceived as preliminary designs or maquettes for tapestries, probably for one of the great French factories such as Aubusson or Beauvais.

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The Sailor's Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

Before there was Hallmark, you might have received a "sailor's valentine" from your darling 19th-century seafarer across the ocean. 

Traditional sailor's valentines are keepsakes typically made of octagonal boxes, usually constructed of mahogany or cedrella (Spanish cedar), hinged together in pairs which open to reveal elaborate mosaics made of colorful shells covered by glass. T

he patterns often featured a heart or compass rose design, and included a sentimental message such as "Remember Me" or "Home Again." 

The romantic myth behind these tokens of affection is that sailors constructed the "valentines" for their sweethearts to pass idle hours at sea. This may be a possibility for their origin, however, the vast majority were actually produced as part of the souvenir trade on Barbados and other Caribbean islands, mainly between 1830 and 1890. Barbados was a port of call for American and English ships, and the sailors would purchase the valentines as tokens of love to bring back to their wives, mothers, and sisters. According to Sailors' Valentines, by John Fondas, the primary source for these souvenirs was the New Curiosity Shop, located in McGregor Street, Bridgetown, Barbados, owned by the English brothers B.H. and George Belgrave.

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Massive mirror on the wall...how'd you get hung up there in the first place?

This impressive baroque mirror, of carved and painted wood, is done in the manner of 

the celebrated sculptor Filippo Parodi (1620-1702). 

While it may look like a little reflective cloud, don't let the image fool you-- this massive mirror measures a whopping 8 1/2 feet wide by 9 feel tall (and a foot in depth)! 

Here are some photos taken during the installation of the mirror in our gallery. We needed ladders, a crane, and lots of manpower. 

And here is a look at the finished product: 

 At over 500 pounds, the mirror is hung (over an equally monumental desk) with a little help from some wooden supports.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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"One Small Step for Man"

A friend of ours recently brought to our attention an amazing exhibition that was held last Spring and Summer at the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne entitled Der Mond. Over 130 paintings, drawings, prints and photographs were exhibited, spanning 500 years of human personification of the moon through art and science. 

It is particularly interesting to us because our own painting of the moon (Mond, by Julius Grimm) was created by a scientific photographer that, after having produced countless lunar maps, decided to paint this extraordinary natural satellite with a blend of art and science.

The exhibition features a second painting of the moon by Grimm, a copy twice the size of our original, executed 11 years later and now hanging in Tübingen University Museum.  

We think it can be best summed up by Apollo 13 star, Tom Hanks, who subsequently wrote/directed/produced/narrated the miniseries From the Earth to the Moon,: "That going to the moon was not just a technological endeavor but an artistic one, like Michaelangelo's frescoes on the Sistine chapel ceiling."

(Photos: Mond, Julius Grimm, Carlton Hobbs LLC;  Apollo 11 Moonwalk; The Sheepfold, Moonlight, Jean-Francois Millet)

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James has us all wondering-- What will he wear at Masterpiece London?

Our glamorous friend, James Andrew, visited our gallery last week with equally hot photographer, Lars Stephan. 

James is currently featuring a "What is James Wearing in Paris" section on his blog (www.whatisjameswearing.com), but interrupted the series to spend some time on our grand staircase. The extravagant escalier

 get us all in the mood for the upcoming Masterpiece Fair in London, which James will be visiting and where we will be exhibiting from June 22nd through the 29th. It promises to become one of the best antiques and fine art fairs in the world and you can read more about our plans for the fair here!  

Lars Stephan's  images have been featured in numerous international magazines and his first solo exhibition was held last summer at Envoy Enterprises here in New York. You can view his portfolio on his website, www.larsstephan.com. 

Thanks to both of them for stopping by, and we hope many of you are able to hop the pond and enjoy this inaugural antiques show!

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On The Street Where We Live

Preserving the past is something that is extremely important to us.  Luckily, we happen to be located in Carnegie Hill, an area of Manhattan that is teeming with beautifully and historically preserved architecture. The land that used to be home to the Wechquaesgek Indians are now dotted with rowhouses in styles ranging from Neo-Grec to Renaissance Revival.

Our next door neighbors are in the process of renovating their building, and we couldn't be more excited that they are petitioning to have the Landmarks Preservation Commission approve a restoration which falls in line with the caliber of other façades on the block .  

One of our absolute favorite structures are the two joined clapboard houses located on East 92nd Street.  According to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, these were thought to be built around 1859 and 1860.

There are two other wooden houses still erect in Carnegie Hill believed to be constructed around 1852 and 1866.  Together, these four homes comprise the oldest buildings in the neighborhood.

Our own building was used for many different purposes in it's lifetime.  The design of the mansion was executed by John Russell Pope for Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt in 1930. The building went on to become the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations in 1957, and then the Lycée Française de New York in 1978.  The mansion has been listed on the National Registry of Historic Places since 1982.

Soon after our building was completed, two more impressive houses were built on the same block. Across the street there stands a Georgian townhouse built for George F. Baker Sr., president of First National Bank. Commissioned by his son, George Jr., the house was designed by architects Delano & Aldrich. The firm had previously completed the younger Baker's mansion (on the corner of Park Avenue and 93rd) in the same style and in the neighboring lot.

The second house was built for William Goadby Loew, who married the elder Baker’s daughter, Florence. Loew commissioned his English Regency-style house to be built next door to our Vanderbilt mansion.  It was designed by A. Stewart Walker in 1931 and was the last of the luxury townhouses.

With all the history present on our street already, we look forward to seeing our neighbors beautiful façade added to the list!

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Greening Our Spring Cleaning!

Now that spring has sprung, why not try a new approach to your spring cleaning? Instead of grabbing the Windex and 409 to take care of dull winter dirt, purge your house of all those toxic chemicals and clean with products that help you as much as the environment! 

We use all-natural, organic cleaners in the office; they are so much more gentle on the earth and work just as well! (Not to mention, they limit your exposure to awful toxins.) Some of our favorite products in the office are:

Seventh Generation Products

Based out of Vermont, this company is dedicated to being "socially responsible."  The company takes its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois: "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations."

The company also donates 10% of profits to non-profit community, environmental, health and responsible business organizations

ECOVER

This company was just nominated for the European Business Award for the Environment!  This company also offers a variety of cleaning products that are super green.  Even the company's main building has an entirely grass covered roof!

GET SERIOUS

An environmentally friendly stain, oder, and pheromone extractor for pets!  We like this product because it's non-toxic and enzyme free, and we don't want to expose our dogs to chemicals either!

We try to stay away from commercial cleaners that have harsh chemicals in them like, bleach, chlorine, formaldehyde, ammonia, and hydrochloric acid. In the past 40 years, at least 70,000 new chemicals have been released into the environment through new consumer and industrial products and food. According to the American Poison Control Center, more than 120,000 children were unintentionally exposed to harmful chemicals from cleaners.  Asthma, eczema, and other allergic reactions can be triggered by irritating household cleaners.

 

The warning labels on cleaning products aren't just chosen by chance.  These words are required by law to be on the bottles according to how harmful the toxins within are. 

CAUTION means...

An ounce to a pint may be fatal or harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin by an adult 180-pound man. 

WARNING means...

A teaspoon to an ounce may be fatal or harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin by an adult 180-pound man.

DANGER means...

A taste to a teaspoon is fatal if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin by an adult 180-pound man.

Mike Watson, Ph.D, a toxicologist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, says that household cleaners labeled as disinfectants must be registered pesticides with the EPA. Do you really want to spray pesticides in your home when other, less toxic products can do the trick? For many everyday tasks, there are readily available natural products that can serve the same purpose, may be less harmful, and may even cost less. For example, mixing one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in one quart of water makes an excellent glass cleaner! 

Whichever method you choose, remember to

(photos: www.ic.nc.gov; http://www.greenphoenixproperty.com/)

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With Spring Around the Corner, Carlton Hobbs LLC Gets Energized!

Here's a look at some recent internet developments for Carlton Hobbs LLC, and how you can be a part of our online community: 

We've updated our blog with fresh, fun posts as well as a slightly new look, and we're ready to hear from you! Don’t know the difference between a bergère and a fauteuil? Can’t remember what a particular style is called? Want to know more about the origins of Egyptomania? Let us know! We are happy to answer your decorative arts questions and write about the topics you recommend. You can send your questions and blog suggestions to: blog@carltonhobbs.net

Carlton Hobbs LLC is going green! We've started a new green initiative in the office to increase awareness and reduce our impact on all things environmental. You can follow us on Twitter for tips and tidbits (we also use the #GoingGreen tag) or visit our new Tumblr site specifically for our greenery. We've got a lot of ideas, including setting up our new compost bin as soon as all of this NYC snow disappears! In the meantime, Dana and Jess are bringing their coffee and lunch to work in reusable containers, and Mike is doing his part at home by using gDiapers for his little one. 

Lastly, we're always looking to add to our Twitpic page with items for our "Art in the Everyday" series. If you notice a doorway, contemporary object, or even a vegetable that resembles a piece of furniture or art, take a snap and let us know -- your "everyday art" could be featured on our Twitter feed!

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Running for a Breath of Fresh Air!

On March 21st, Dana will be running in the NYC Half-Marathon in support of the Fresh Air Fund! 

As a member of The Fresh Air Fund’s half marathon  team, she is training on behalf of New York City children who visit Fresh Air host families and camps during the summer.  Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million low-income New York City children.  Many Fresh Air children have never run barefoot in the grass, watched stars at night or gone swimming in a lake. One child explains, “You get to see all the stuff you can’t see in the city, like fireflies!” 

  

Dana was lucky enough to spend her childhood summers in the great outdoors and wants to bring the same experience to Fresh Air children who rely on generous individuals to make summer fun! 

By participating in this year’s NYC Half-Marathon she'll help thousands of children enjoy simple summertime pleasures…and train for the NYC Marathon in November at the same time!

You can check out her "fund-racing" page here:  http://freshair.kintera.org/danadonadio and thanks for taking a look!

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Blockbuster Reincarnations of the Country House

What do Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire, Wrotham Park, in Middlesex, and Syon House in London all have in common?

Besides their majestic beauty, individual sections of these estates were compiled to create the fictional Gosford Park in the award winning film of the same name.

The English countryside has always been a popular hunting ground for historically accurate movie locations.  Some of the more popular films being Pride and Prejudice (Basildon Park), The Remains of the Day (Dyrham Park), and The Hound of the Baskervilles (Knightshayes Court). 

Belton House, featured in a number of BBC period miniseries and Castle Howard, most recently filmed for Brideshead Revisited, are a few other country houses that have benefited from disguising themselves as movie sets.  Some mansions have experienced increases in visitor attendance up to 120%!   The Historic Houses Association celebrates these giants and encourages film crew invasions. www.hha.org.uk

Large country estates were most popular in the 18^th and 19^th century.  Used as a weekend or seasonal escapes for magistrates, aristocrats and sometimes clergy, the country house was an entire world of it’s own.  Some estates employed literally hundreds of people.  But while the striking country homes that decorate the landscape are no longer recreational get-aways for England’s Ruling class, they still create entirely new worlds through the magic of movies. 

Be sure to check our upcoming blogs for another look at the use of British country houses, as well as American buildings, in film and TV--and don't forget to let us know which famous buildings you recognize from your favorite period movies! 

Photos: Wrotham Park, ©2007 Wrotham Park; Dyrham Park, and Belton House. © The National Trust 2003-05 

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Goodbye Sweet Jasper

We are very sad that we had to let go of Jasper last Sunday, our sweet little man, our first rescued dog from Battersea Dog Home in London, who was with us for exactly 10 years and died aged around 17 years of age.

Among many other things, we remember him for spontaneously herding a group of baby ducklings and their mother for one mile to safety, while fending off air attacks from crows, for being a fantastic swimmer and even diving under water to fish out something very unpleasant, for playing frisbee at lunchtime with our incredibly handsome South African employees and then walking over to pee on the leg of a smitten young girl, who distracted them from their game.  He was loyal, extremely gentle and beautiful and knew straight away that Tillie was best used as a cushion. We will always miss him.

Image showing Jasper with Tillie last year.

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