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Dido Elizabeth Belle: Kenwood and Beyond
The Brimstone Butterfly’s post about Dido Elizabeth Belle dating from December 2009 has proved to be a perennial favourite. Intrigued by the interest it occasioned, I have delved further into Dido’s...
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Apartment 39 Hampton Court. September 2011 (Revised)
To make the most of Open House London the Brimstone Butterfly had to plan her weekend with all the rigour of a military campaign. Consequently, I realised that with judicious planning I could cram in...
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The Brimstone Butterfly's Hampton Court: The Duke of Cumberland Suite...
It is one of those frustrating paradoxes of the 21st century that the authorities try their hardest to wean people off using their private cars, but then make travel at weekends in London on public...
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The Brimstone Butterfly's Hampton Court: The Windsor Beauties (Revised)
The Communication Gallery at Hampton Court Palace was so named because it linked the King's and Queen’s apartments. The walls are lined with dark oak timber panelling with an egg and dart motif and...
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Hurray for Bollywood!
The Indie short that my friend and I made earlier in the year has continued to enjoy success at art house film festivals around the world. Last month it was shown simultaneous in Mumbai, India and in...
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The Brimstone Butterfly's Hampton Court: The Georgian Rooms
Last month the laws of succession were changed enabling the first born of the British monarch to inherit the throne, regardless of sex. How very different the course of English history might have been...
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Doing porridge.
As an adult I have always lived in a tiny space, though not through choice but necessity. Whenever visitors first came into the bedsit I used to rent they would invariably declare it to be “cosy.” In...
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Happy Birthday Mandip , Caro and Bram Stoker!
Mandip and I share a birthday with Bram Stoker. I wonder if that makes us the Brides of Dracula by default. Anyway, here are a few fireworks we set off by the lakeside at Brimstone Butterfly Towers to...
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The Brimstone Butterfly's Hampton Court: The Royal Mews
On Wednesday the Brimstone Butterfly became an unofficial writer-in-residence at Hampton Court. On a whim I decided to try and write an entire piece for my blog, or at least start one, from within the...
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The Brimstone Butterfly's Hampton Court: The King's Staircase
In 1677 when Princess Mary, the daughter of the future James II of England, was informed she was to be married she did not know which was worse: being forced to leave the lively Restoration Court for...
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The Brimstone Butterfly’s Hampton Court: The King’s Apartments
The fire which swept through Hampton Court on Easter Monday in 1986 proved both a tremendous challenge and an unexpected opportunity for the curators faced with the daunting task of restoration. The...
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Leonora Christina
For the Brimstone Butterfly writing a post often becomes something of a personal voyage of discovery. Thus, it was that a simple description of King William III’s apartments at Hampton Court Palace led...
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Kensington Palace: Return to the Enchanted Palace
Kensington Palace is being extensively renovated. In the interim it is the venue for an interactive exhibition called “The Enchanted Palace”. On my one and only previous visit I found myself having to...
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The Brimstone Butterfly's Tower of London:The White Tower
A number of months ago the Brimstone Butterfly found herself with time to spare after a meeting near the Embankment in London. Having my historic royal palaces membership card on me, I decided to...
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The Lady of shallots.
Winter brings out the recluse in me. I am like a bear who wants to return to her dark cave and simply go to sleep. Fortunately I usually have to venture out onto the big wide world at least once a week...
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The Brimstone Butterfly’s Hampton Court: The Kyngs beestes
One of the most iconic images at Hampton Court is that of the heraldic beasts adorning the bridge across the moat. Before encountering them the modern visitor passes under the Western gates built in...
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In other words a Happy New Year from the Brimstone Butterfly!
Gëzuar vitin e ri عام سعيد urte berri on новым годамчестита нова година šťastný nový rokOnnellista uutta vuotta שנה טובהШинэ жилийн баярын мэнд хvргэеwênd na kô-d yuum-songoسال نو مبارک feliz año...
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A king's, an earl's and a pauper's library.
Over the past couple of weeks the Brimstone Butterfly has flitted between three very different libraries. Being in close proximity to my beloved Kenwood House I could not resist paying a visit to the...
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Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.(Revised February 2012)
Flitting to and from the ancient market town of Kingston upon Thames every fortnight, the Brimstone Butterfly will often alight upon the venerable 1650s wooden staircase, which once adorned the Crown...
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The Brimstone Butterfly’s Spencer House: Part one
This post has been brought to you courtesy of a certain friend. They know who they are. Thank you. For some reason I had not realised until fairly recently that the general public could visit the 18th...
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The Brimstone Butterfly’s Spencer House: Part Two
At the top of the stairs our little party entered the Music Room.Dominating one room was a portrait of Colonel Gray, who had John Vardy kicked out of his job at Spencer House to be replaced by James...
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Going out in style!
Are there ever days in which you simply want to curl up into a ball and die? On a variation of such a theme, one Ghanaian woman has decreed that on her death she wishes to spend eternity with her...
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Apsley House Part One: In which the Brimstone Butterfly meets her Waterloo
When I was young I was quite green with envy when a work colleague announced that she and some fellow students were going to take tea with a Duchess at Apsley House, the ancestral mansion of the Dukes...
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Apsley House Part Two
Just in case it should slip any visitor’s mind what Wellington’s most famous exploit was, he had Wyatt build him the Waterloo Gallery. It is 90 feet in length and two storeys high. In the Duke’s time...
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Metamorphosis: The last flight of the Brimstone Butterfly
The following is the last blog written by Caro before she died, which she asked us, her friends, to post for her. We are glad so many of you appreciated this her Brimstone Butterfly blog.. The...
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