Today was All About Turner (and Richmond-on-Thames)

 Today was All About Turner (and Richmond-on-Thames)

Richmond-on-Thames, London

Friday, May 20, 2022

    We had JMW Turner--that's Joseph Mallord William Turner--on our minds today as we scoured locations familiar to him and dear to my heart. I took Llew for the first time to Richmond-on-Thames, one of my favorite parts of London. I like to think of it as the Greenwich (Connecticut) of London as it is a posh and highly affluent suburb that lies just beyond the confines of Greater London and within the country of Surrey--just like wealthy Greenwich lies just beyond the confines of New York State and in the State of Connecticut in the US. Kissing Richmond are the equally wealthy neighborhoods of Isleworth, Twickenham and St. Margaret's. All these lovely little hamlets sit on the curves of the Thames and can boast quiet homes that entwine themselves around tree-lined canopied lanes surrounded by sprawling, emerald parkland. Every opportunity I get, I go to Richmond, as I have done for years when my friend Stephanie lived here and we would go off every weekend in her spiffy Lexus after I had taken the Tube from Central London to meet her at Richmond Station.  Indeed, those were the days...

Long Journey to Richmond:

    Today, Llew and I awoke at 7.30am, ate breakfast (M& S Muesli with honey yogurt and milk, bagel rounds with the passion fruit curd I had bought at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and some decaff coffee)--very good, very delicious and a great way to fuel up for another extensive day of exploration on our own two feet. But, of course, as Richmond lies at the end of a Tube line, it is expensive to get there on the Tube. The bus is a far more sensible option and for just 1.65 pounds each, we were there from Paddington. We took Bus No. 27 from Sussex Gardens to Hammersmith Bus Station where we changed to the 190 as I always used to do. This enabled us to go through the leafy suburbs of Chiswick and Barnes before we arrived at Richmond. It was raining steadily and we hoped we'd not have another soaker of a day. As it turned out, we need not have worried. By the time we reached Richmond, on another lovely ride through Mortlake, past the homes of Hogarth and Lord Burlington at Chiswick House, we were high and dry.  Yes, it took us two hours to get there, but we loved the rides through parts of London we would not otherwise have explored, we had a chance to chat non-stop and we managed to stay out of the rain. Besides, our first goal was a visit to Turner's House on the Thames and it did not open until 12 noon anyway--so we had heaps of time to kill.

    As soon as we got off the bus on The Quadrant (Richmond High Street, as it were), we spied an M&S. Llew thought it best to do his shopping when the opportunity presented itself--so in we went. Shopping accomplished, we headed straight to the cafe. The weather and the long ride made it the perfect time for a hot chocolate and a sultana scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Yummmmmm! It was the perfect pick-me-up before we headed off to get some more shopping done. No, not at M&S (I was not in the market for clothes, shoes, perfume or make up), but for all sorts of odds and ends that Llew could not even believe I needed to buy in London--good quality Cellotape, good quality packing tape, self-adhesive hanging hooks, good quality glue! I found all these at next-door Robert Dyas and so that's where I parted with more cash.  

Off to Turner's House:

    This bit of shopping done and with a fueling snack in our tummies, it seemed the right time to catch the 110 bus that took us over Richmond Embankment and Bridge and into the lovely hamlet of St. Margaret where I am always attracted to the vintage jewelry available in the upscale shops there.  But as this would detract from our mission, onwards we went to the bus-stop. The house is very clearly marked and the helpful driver told us where to get off--on Sandycombe Road. Off we got and just a few steps down a very quiet, winding lane, we were at the white picket gate to Turner's extremely modest, brick-fronted home. 

Exploring Turner's House and Garden:

    Turner is the UK's most beloved painter and when the country was asked, a few years ago, to name their favorite painting, his "The Fighting Temeraire" (in the National Gallery) just narrowly won out (over Constable's "The Haywain"--also in the National). The winning painting presents an image of an old battleship, the Temeraire, whose war-time glory days were behind it and who was being retired down the Thames. It was being pulled by tug boats to its final resting place when thousands of people thronged both banks of the Thames to clap and cheer it towards its well-deserved rest. Turner had witnessed this happy-sad spectacle and had painted the scene to represent the end of an era. Seeing the painting in the National and knowing the story behind it, one is jerked to tears and I always marvel at the swirl of water in the river and the churning of the skies above that Turner achieved in soft amazing colors. 

    So, you see, the Thames always had special place in Turner's heart. He came from a humble, working class background and the crudity that would follow him all his life was very evident to see in the movie Mr Turner in which Timothy Spall brilliantly played the painter. He did have a small home in Central London but once he became successful as an artist and had gained some measure of fame and fortune, had begun hob-nobbing with equally successful contemporaries such as the architect Sir John Soane, he thought of purchasing a country retreat into which he could escape each weekend to paint. The suburb of St. Margaret near Twickenham came to mind as he looked for a property in the midst of what was then just productive, agricultural land leading down to the river banks. He bought the plot and began designing a home. So, to enter the house he subsequently named Sandycombe House (after the lane on which it stood) is to become acquainted with Turner as Architect! Who knew? No doubt, he had the advice and assistance of his friend Sir John Soane, but the vision was largely his. He completed the home in 1813 when he moved in and he lived there steadily off and on for a several years while still retaining his London home.

A Guided Tour of Turner's House:

     Turner's House, as a spot of tourist interest, is a very recent phenomenon. It was a privately owned residence until the year 2001 when a Professor Harold Livermore who lived in it, decided to bequeath it to the Turner Trust. They converted it into a house that would be preserved for posterity as it is the only property still standing that Turner actually occupied in his lifetime. He did also spent a lot of time in Margate in Kent (but that home has long been demolished). The Trust has done a lovely job in attempting to reproduce for the visitor the sense of what it might have been like in Turner's time. It conducts guided tours at 1, 2 and 3 pm and we had a very sweet guide who took us through the rooms. Other than Llew and myself, there was only one other single visitor, a young Oriental woman from America, who was on the tour. 

    The house is very small indeed, but it is functional. From what I gathered, Turner had a troubled personal life and the only person who ever lived in this home with him was his father. There is a small reception room on the ground floor where we purchased tickets for 7 pounds each and which functioned as Turner's living room. There is a fireplace here and a set of four engravings by him. Next door, is a second small room that would have offered sweeping views down to the Thames across abundant fields. Today, there are other suburban homes that occupy prior farmland. There is also a lovely dining room that still sports a plaster sculpture of an original work by John Chantry that would have actually graced the wall above the mantlepiece in Turner's time (sculpted, of course, in marble).

    Downstairs, down a winding flight of spiral stairs, is the kitchen with another fireplace and a large dresser that holds a collection of china in the Blue Willow English pattern that was very popular in Turner's day.  

    Upstairs, we made our way to the second floor bedrooms--Turner's is well-furnished with a four-poster bed with lovely hangings and the adjoining bedroom, a really tiny one, would have been occupied by guests (mainly his father). The wall paper in all of the rooms are reproductions, based on the real designs of Turner's Time. In fact, the guide pointed out that the wallpaper in Turner's bedroom was exactly the same color and design as the one in Jane Austen's home in Chawton in Hampshire (that I have also visited). The tour does not take long but the guide does try to fill up time with anecdotes about his life. What merges is the profile of a very hardworking artist who carried his sketchbooks in his pocket everywhere he went, sketched incessantly and then returned home to work and produce his masterpieces. As everyone knows, Turner was especially interested in the effect of light and was impacted by modern technology in which engineering had resulted in speed. His canvasses are filled with the sense of Nature at odds with man-made inventions that bring movement to his work. Swirling clouds, churning seas, restless oceans, gathering storms--portrayed against the seascapes of boats and birds or landscapes of recognizable architectural monuments (St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Bridge)--these are the stuff of which Turner's magnificent paintings are made. After his death, his entire oeuvre was bequeathed to the nation and they remain today at the Tate Britain at Millbank in London. There, in the specially created Clore series of Galleries, the visitor can partake unreservedly of the grandeur of Turner's work and, in turn, be puzzled, worried and charmed by it. A perfect sequel to a visit to this house would be a visit to the Tate and, I resolved right there that I would take Llew there tomorrow (if indeed we do not have the time today).     

Getting Down to Marble Hill House:

    Since the lane at the other end of the house leads directly to the parkland that fronts Marble Hill House, I took Llew there so that he could at least see this other stately home that I had visited a few years ago. There is an account in this blog of my visit there--so do please go to:

https://rochellesroost.blogspot.com/2016/08/marble-hill-house-on-edge-world-music.html

 should you want to know more about Marble Hill. In fact, every year, and on each trip to London, I include a visit to one of the seven houses on the Thames that are lovingly looked after by various private trusts and opened up for the public's perusal. Among these are Osterley House (at Isleworth which I had visited with my friend Thomas), Marble Hill House (which I had visited alone before), Strawberry Hill House (which I had visited with my friend Shahnaz), Syon House (which I had visited with my friend Janie) and Ham House (at Richmond, which I had visited alone before). All that is now left is a visit to the Orleans House Art Gallery (which is not open yet and which I shall keep for another time).

    Llew and I posed for pictures on the front lawns of beautiful Marble Hill House before we retraced our steps back to the 110 bus stop going in the direction of Richmond. However, we did jump off at St. Margaret's village and began browsing in the thrift shops there and I was delighted to find a brand-new Radley leather bag that I bought immediately and a couple of beautiful necklaces. So you see, it does work to spend time (if one can afford it) in these shops in the wealthy neighborhoods. 

    We then walked out to Richmond, came to the High Street (Quadrant) and found lunch at Five Guys where we bought the most delicious veg burgers we have ever eaten. As Llew is now looking for a mainly veg diet, I am joining him in this endeavor. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and were ready to begin our climb up Richmond Hill towards Richmond Park from where you get stunning views of a curve of the Thames at Richmond--a scene that Turner painted repeatedly.

Climb up and Exploration of Richmond Hill and Richmond Park:

    The climb up Richmond Hill is gentle and delightful. Initially, you pass by a bunch of lovely florist and antique shops and then the residential buildings are seen. These are beautiful 19th century buildings in red brick and white granite with wrought-iron balconies that sit alongside lovely, mature plane, maple and oak trees that are proudly wearing their new season's foliage. I enjoy walking under these trees, embraced by the warmth of Nature, before I actually get to my destination.

    When we did reach the top of the hill and arrived at the lookout point that offers lovely vistas over the entire area--not just the Thames which curves most appealing at this point but also out past the entire area all the way to Windsor Castle, Heathrow airport and Hampton Court Palace. Turner, as I have said, often set up his easel here and represented the Thames at this point, quite often in his work. All this lay ahead of us with sweeping terrace gardens stretching all the way down to the river banks. We also learned, at  this point, that the area was named Richmond because an earlier visitor to America had returned to this area to find that it reminded him of the beauty of the town of Richmond in the State of Virginia outside of Washington DC and so decided to name the settlement after the one in Virginia.

    And behind us, what did we have? Why, Mick Jagger's house, of course. He too loved this area and the gorgeous view that was afforded him directly from his living room window. As Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones grew up in Richmond, it was not surprising that he decided to buy this home when it came on the market. Today, his ex-wife Jerry Hall lives in the home and must be aware about visitors like us who constantly stop to take in the view of the house.

    Leaving this area behind us, we walked forward towards Richmond Park which lies just a five minute walk away. This sprawling park land used to be the hunting ground of King Henry VIII. It was here that he used to trail and hunt deer, shoot woodcock and other game birds. However, it was "Mad" King George III who converted it into a public park--which is why the gates of Richmond Park carry his insignia. We walked in the park for a few minutes, caught sight, in the distance, of some of the herds of deer for which the park is famed, and decided to make our way downhill and return to London.

Back to London on the Bus:         

    So, once again, we retraced our steps home. I would have liked to get directly to the Tate to see the Turner collection there, but Llew was tired (as was I) and I needed to find out whether the Tate had late Friday opening. That would have made it ideal to see on the same day; but, unfortunately, it did close at 6.00 pm and we would never make it back on time.

    So off we went on the 190 bus again to Hammersmith Bus Station from where I made my way to Superdrug to look for my OPI nail polish--alas, no luck! We re-connected on to the No. 27 bus which we rode to Edgeware Road from where we got off at M&S to pick up ready meals for our dinner at home. We picked up a Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie and a pack of vegetable samosas. 

    When we did get back home and tried to heat our meal, which was not supposed to go into the microwave but into a regular oven, we messed up with the appliance and tripped up the system. But, just a little while later, after we finally found the fuse box (hidden in the smaller washroom), we managed to switch it on again. This time round, we heated our food in the microwave and ended up having a really nice meal while watching episodes of The Staircase with Colin Firth and Toni Collette. 

    It was after 11.00 pm that we went to bed after another really superb day spent mainly outside London.  

    Until tomorrow...cheerio!