We were in Wonderland last week at London’s V and A for a quite superb exhibition of one the Victorian age’s most astonishing writers, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by his nom-de-plume of Lewis Carroll.

‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ can be interpreted in several ways depending on one’s age, attitude and milieu. The exhibition explores these different perspectives on one of the world’s most translated and popular books, appreciated alike by children and adults.

My introduction to ‘Alice’ came as a Christmas present from our then family doctor and friend Iris Copeman. Part of the ‘Collins Classics’ series the olive-green covered book contained illustrations which had been redrawn from Tenniel (who was also ‘Punch’s’ principal political cartoonist) but still remained very attractive. I fell in love with Alice at my first read and have regularly returned to further re-reads: I always seem to find something new and amusing in this extraordinary tale which in many ways reflects so many wishes (including my own) to experience a world where madness may be transformed into sanity.

The V and A exhibition also re-reads Alice in a sequence of psycho-techno areas. First are the essential facts underlying the book: the idyllic summer boating trip which inspired it, the photographic apparatus, and the Christchurch college lecturer’s notes on logic which found their way into Alice Liddell’s adventures underground. For me the most precious part of this section were the original sketches Carroll made for ‘Alice:’ sketches which were elaborated into Tenniel’s memorable illustrations.

‘Alice’ was first filmed in 1903 as a ten minutes feature, the longest of its time. It’s a wonder that this movie has survived (although somewhat damaged ) and it was fascinating to discover all the story’s main features including the White Rabbit and the Queen of Hearts so clearly represented almost one hundred and twenty years ago in celluloid.

Many ‘Alice’ films have followed; in particular Walt Disney’s loveable 1951 full-length cartoon and his studio’s harsher techno-realist 2010 version with Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham-Carter.

The crème-de-la-creme of digital technology was used to enliven the Mad Hatter’s tea party (although we had to search for the hare along the walls of the exhibition).

Costumes from various productions were well-displayed and much else from musical and theatrical productions including photos and posters was on show.

My university days coincided with the flower power era and ‘Alice’ obtained new significance for us students especially as far as the caterpillar and his hookah were concerned.

Alice also appeared in the first avant-pop LP I ever bought: Jefferson Airline’s ‘Surrealistic Pillow’ (although for some strange reason the English issue didn’t include the best song on it: ‘White Rabbit’ sung by the unsubduable Grace Slick who, at the age of 81 is still very much with us).

I opine ‘Alice’ to be one of the best exhibitions I have seen at the V and A. This may be because it took such a long time to come to the public after its gestation because of the pandemic and that unprogrammed wait matured it. Maybe, too, it was because the exhibition made use of the best of the latest digital technology. In this regard I had the greatest fun with virtual reality when playing a game of croquet with hedgehogs, although the flaming pink flamingo was not so cooperative!

As with so many events today one must book on-line beforehand for this ever curiouser and curiouser exhibition. It’s open until the end of the year and opening times are:

Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 10:00 – 17:00. Last admission 16:00.

PS We did manage to discover a few more rabbits in our own den……

I love old shops that haven’t changed in years. It’s really sad when they close down because of the inexorable onslaught of rising business rates, expanding chain stores and supermarkets. Even worse happens when the proprietors feel they should ‘update’ their ‘look’ in the mistaken attempt to attract more customers. There was, in this respect, a wonderfully forties-style bar in Fornaci di Barga which decided to ‘modernize’ and move to newly-built premises with consequent total loss of character.

in the UK and more specifically in Wales several shops have managed to retain their ‘olde worlde’ charm. I single out Newtown’s branch of W. H. Smiths which has happily retained its original 1930’s atmosphere.

London, too, has its fair share of ‘period’ shops, especially in less frequented areas.

This is one of my favourites: D. L. Lewis, a chemist in Ealing, West London with decor and fittings dating from 1900 when Queen Victoria was on the throne. The shop has virtually remained intact since that time (although, of course, the stock it sells has been updated!) The pharmacy’s display cabinets and herb drawers are quite exquisite.

Can you think of any similar ‘time-warped’ shops near where you live? Of course in Bagni di Lucca Italy where I reside there’s the ‘Antica Farmacia’ owned by Massimo Betti and founded in 1709.

PS. That bust of Napoleon in Ealing may refer to the French perfumes sold there but also conveniently links up with his sister who enjoyed staying at Bagni di Lucca.

London’s Roman Temple of Mithras is now enriched with a further Eastern cult through Korean artist Do Ho Suh’s recreation of the ancient Buddhist shrine of Sach’onwang-sa in his city of Gyeongju.

Originally enwrapped with multi-coloured silk fabrics, now reincarnated in shimmering waterfalls of perspex and almost seaside-resort-like contours this structure adds further mystery to an area of London enfolded in arcana and where the stone, the capital’s original centre, is also found.

At the Bloomberg centre near Cannon street station.
Opening times:
Tuesday – Saturday 10.00 – 18.00
Sundays 12.00 – 17.00
First Thursday of the month 10.00 – 20.00
Closed Mondays, Christmas & New Year bank holidays

Ends 22 Jan 2022

I just don’t get this: “Face masks must/should/are recommended to/are suggested to/are advised to/be worn”. Such are the ambiguous signs that greet the traveller in London. In this ever-serious situation pandemic signs should NOT be unclear.

As someone who, although double-vaxed, wears their mask in enclosed public spaces I am constantly working out where I can sit in London’s tube, or peruse the National Gallery’s masterpieces, with reasonable safety. I recently had a maskless person sit next to me in the Tube (although other seats were available). My invitation to ask him to wear his was met with hostility and accusations that I was a nutter. (Perhaps I was for asking him!) Now if a similar situation happens in public transport I try to move elsewhere. As a particularly vulnerable case (my friends know for what reason) I just cannot take any chances. But who is to blame for this situation? And where are those TFL inspectors who are supposed to check up on passengers not wearing masks?

It’s all so much clearer in Italy where I was earlier this year. There I’ve met railway officials more interested in knowing whether I had my face mask on correctly than whether I possessed a valid travel ticket!

Why not have ‘masked’ and ‘non-masked’ areas instead, rather like those former ‘smoking’ and ‘no smoking’ railway carriages!!!

incidentally, on the BBC news this morning I hear that Doris is tightening up on mandatory face masks in readiness for the probable upsurge in covid cases.

Here is some feedback from readers of this post.

“And then people get in a huff if you give an English sigh or disapproval or walk to a different seat because of them. Yesterday there were two East European builders both maskless very close to me wearing my mask. A lady got on maskless and was happily, stupidly, rudely and likely illegally eating right opposite me. After 10 minutes one of the builders has a cough or two and this woman has a look of absolute horror before going to the furthers corner of the carriage. Serves her right if she has caught Covid from it, she gave no consideration to anyone else and if she had a mask on then would have minimal worries. Personally I’d go a bit Chinese and be allowed to submit photos footage of non-mask wearers and get a cut of the fine 🙂”

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“Agree with you and even the temperature/mask recognition on entering supermarkets and other premises will not open the doors unless you pass the correct reading.”

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“How selfish and uncaring of that person, millions of people have died of this terrible disease and it is disrespectful that they did not respond I am sure to your quiet request.”

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“My wife has refused to ride the tube since the current pandemic began. We ride in buses on the top deck opening all the windows near our seats. We have ridden in the cross-London Thameslink main line train service at off-peak times.”

Yet, in spite of the soaring Covid infections and the public transport notices about wearing face masks and social distancing this is what we encountered the other day on the Underground:

We spent a pleasant afternoon last Sunday walking around Carshalton as part of London’s enterprising Open House weekend, when many less-well known sights in the capital are open free of charge to the public. We visited the town’s water tower and eighteenth century magnate John Fellowes’ pleasure gazebo with its exquisite Delft-tile decorated plunge bath, an orangery, a gothick hermitage, a sham bridge, the village pond and some sweet cottages.

Our guide around the Carshalton estate was Jean Knight who has written a book on the subject available for purchase at http://www.carshaltonwatertower.org.uk. The estate is now largely occupied by two girls Catholic schools whose headquarters are in the grand house once owned by John Fellowes who made (and lost) a fortune as an international merchant during the infamous 1720 South Sea Bubble.

The gardens comprise a part-time lake based on the original formal canal designed by Charles Bridgewater, the landscape architect.

The water tower and its bagnio, or plunge bath, brought me memories of Bagni di Lucca where I have resided for many years. The water, supplied by the several local springs, however, is rather colder than the hot thermal supply in Italy! I just wonder how Fellowes’ guests, after their grand tour, would have appreciated the rather cooler bathing in England. What I found particularly fascinating was the old water wheel which supplied the bath. I suspect, however, that many guests just turned up for cards and drinks since Fellowes was a convivial host.

The hermitage, a typical eighteenth century gothick folly, might never have had a resident hermit but under the Catholic schools it was adorned by religious statues and pilgrim processions would take place. On this special occasion a resident artist was present.

The bridge is a sham one since it only serves as a dam and water cannot flow under it. It remains very picturesque all the same.

I feel grateful that a local group of volunteers have saved these unique features and been able to continue the originator’s plan of providing a place of delectable bathing and amusement to this day when the water tower and its lovely rooms are now hired out for wedding receptions and period film settings.

A day at Ealing’s Walpole Park with Pitzhanger Mansion, Sir John Soane’s neo-classical country residence which, as an architect, he designed himself (as he also designed the world’s first purpose built art gallery, our old school Dulwich College’s picture gallery). The mansion is currently an amazing restoration project financed by the lottery fund.

Hand-painted Chinese style wallpaper has been lovingly recreated according to Soane’s original decoration project.

A conservatory, a portico and that extraordinary entrance lantern have all found their place again.

The adjoining Opie exhibition themed on the French village was quirkily light-hearted too.

Somehow our visit took our mind off the terrible events which happened twenty years ago. Sometimes we need to escape from these hard times just to survive…

Sir John Soane’s statue at the Bank of England.

His curtain wall at the Bank the only original part still standing after Sir Herbert Baker’s vandalistic reconstruction.

Tivoli corner at the bank’s North-west corner. A nice spot to linger in for those dreaming of Rome’s Pantheon.

Behind the Bank of England is the Wren church of Saint Margaret Lothbury, another little gem of restrained English renaissance architecture.

Saint Margaret’s organ was built by George Pike England in 1801. Restored in 1984, it retains its original case and contains almost all of the original pipes. It is perhaps the most beautiful Baroque organ in London and its organist, Richard Townend, has presented more than a thousand concerts on this sonorous instrument.

Every Thursday there are concerts at lunchtime and this is the program we heard last Thursday September 9^th.

It was a truly enthralling mixture of French, Italian and English pieces. During the interval Richard gave us a short lecture in his typically humorous and illuminating style in which he contrasted the three organ schools. Naturally the British school came out best and certainly the Boyce and Stanley voluntaries sounded particularly brilliant on the Georgian organ.

After over a year of plague which has closed the doors of so many churches and concert halls in the world the London organ festival is triumphantly returning. Again it will be again be possible to take refuge every lunchtime from the returning wear and tear of metropolitan life by listening to good music in churches, each of which is an intimate masterpiece. We shall certainly try to attend a few of the following concerts to be given at Saint Margaret Lothbury by international celebrities.

Angelic voices

within small immensities

envelop our heart.

—

Down at London’s Mount Pleasant Postal museum yesterday. Riding on the original E(xpress) Mail(train), Sandra sorting out post on the Night Mail train, remembering that we once used to send each other holiday postcards, collected postage stamps, waited for the telegram boys on their BSA motorcycles and so much more of pre-digital nostalgia!I

What’s the best thing to do during a London heatwave? Head for a Lido! These gorgeous art-deco installations, so fashionable in the nineteen thirties and the scene for the charming Rodgers and Hart 1926 musical, after a period of decline have come back into their own. Our favourite one? Charlton Lido!

THE LIDO

In summer’s light the lido elongates
fresh turquoise-dappled water to high sun.
Liquidity of wavelets captivates
and melts a splash of swimmers into one.

Ideals of expired years, young nature’s skin
unsheathed, pretended a new age of health
while war-clouds hung and hid mad fiend within
and river maidens lost their golden wealth.

Lank flowered dresses are undraped and breasts
and seaside conversations dream away
for secret gardens, lonely sands and quests
in search of that which stays pale flesh’s decay.

Entowelled by suburban rose-flanked wall
star-glinted water clasps me in its thrall.

FP.

London’s late summer ‘heatwave’ continues with temperatures touching thirty centigrade. What better place to cool off in the capital than Richmond by the Thames with its leafy river front, its expansive green spaces, its informative local museum and its reminiscences of the former royal palace there.