Blake Museum is nestled in a little street near the heart of Bridgwater, only a few minutes walk from St. Mary’s Church at 5 Blake Street, Bridgwater, TA6 3NB. This was the home of Admiral Robert Blake (1598-1657) who was one of the most important men from this town. His bust is on display in St. Mary’s Church.… Read on
Happy World Poetry Day! In honour of this, I would like to share a 17th Century poem with you by Sir George Etherege: If she be not kind as fair, But peevish and unhandy. Leave her – she’s only worth the care Of some spruce jack-a-dandy. I would not have thee such an ass, Hadst thou ne’er so… Read on
Born in the beautiful city of Rome around 1550, Emilio de’ Cavalieri became a relatively popular composer of the Late Renaissance/Early Baroque genre. Cavalieri died on the 11th of March, 1602. I don’t have much more information about him, so…on to the music! Music Recommendations: I have the following album, which I enjoy listening to regularly: [amazon asin=B00005J7UX&template=image&chan=default][amazon asin=B0006FNF3I&template=image&chan=default]
The Duchess of Bolton looks vaguely familiar, does she not? If she does, it’s because she has a look of her father, the handsome Duke of Monmouth. This beautiful young lady married the 2nd Duke of Bolton in 1697. In the course of researching the lives of those connected to the doomed Duke, I found this charming image… Read on
Here’s something I made last night…
Leeds Castle in Kent (NOT in Leeds!) is a picturesque castle surrounded by water from the River Len. When I visited the palace, it was an ugly, muddy, rainy day, so unfortunately only one of the outdoor shots is good enough to post. Before you look at the photos, please allow me to apologise for being in most… Read on
One of the giants of Italian Baroque, Arcangelo Corelli’s music is a masterful example of this musical style. Born a posthumous son on the 17th of February, 1653, in Fusignano, he is therefore today’s Baroque Birthday Boy! Corelli worked hard and was accepted into Bologna’s much-esteemed Accademica Filarmonica (Source: Tafelmusik) which had been founded in 1666. With his great dedication to… Read on
If you love periwigs as much as I do, you’ll love this film. Periwigs galore! Set during the late Seventeenth century, The King’s Whore (1990) also known as La putain du roi, or La puttana del re, is based on the true story of French-born Jeanne Baptiste d’Albert de Luynes, Countess of Verua who became the mistress of Vittorio Amedeo… Read on