Rue Britannia And The Search For Avalon

Before we exit the month of May (where is the time going?), I thought I'd share with you a couple of quintessentially British events we've enjoyed; one an artistic expression of the nation's obsession with class (specifically what it means to be working class) and the other, an event intended to evoke a romanticised vision of England in days gone by.  I may be digressing here, but if pushed to nominate songs for a soundtrack for each event, I would nominate God Save The Queen and Common People for our first event and the latter would feature The Village Green Preservation Society and most definitely Roxy Music's Avalon.  But enough of my feeble, cryptic attempts at suspense building, let's dive in.  

Last Thursday - the fifth consecutive warm and sunny day - we headed into Birmingham to catch local Black Country artist Dion Kitson's first major solo exhibition, Rue Britannia, at the Ikon Gallery, housed in a Grade II listed neo-gothic school building.  The exhibition is summarised as "Incisive, enterprising and laced with sharp wit, Kitson's artistic practice dissects British class and identity, reshaping its visual hallmarks and traditions across sculpture, installation, film and found objects."  

Growing up as I did in a working class family, art wasn't front and centre of my life.  My Dad was a history buff and we would visit castles, old battlegrounds and museums, but I don't ever recall being taken to an art gallery as a child and to this day, I'm painfully aware of gaps in my knowledge.  Dion clearly has a deep understanding of how the art world can be intimidating - even alien - to great swathes of a population still underpinned by our stubbornly entrenched class system.  The environment was warm and welcoming.  Our arrival just so happened to coincide with Dion's and we said a brief hello before he took to the stairs with a gaggle of exhibition visitors trailing behind. 

 

Inside on the top floor, there were four distinct spaces displaying Dion's work.  Playful and provocative, this included a pebble dashed living room inspired by the one in his Dad's council house (and yes, the original living room was pebble dashed), prints created from scratched bus stop windows... 

...and Dorothy's ruby slippers slung from a suspended telegraph wire.

We bumped into Brummy comedian (and now BAFTA winner) Joe Lycett by the bus stop windows.  Joe said of Dion - not to me but to the press (we're not close): "He understands the state of our nation better than anyone and why it is the way it is: funny and beautiful and dumb."

Visitors were encouraged to interact with Dion or each other over a game of pool (using mops, presumably because pool cues are expensive), as a nod to our beloved pub culture.

At times, the installations were so everyday, that you could be forgiven for walking straight past them.

We popped out briefly to grab a drink from the bar and returned to throngs of people...

...and Elvis, who had entered the building.  Befitting of the Rue Britannia exhibition, this Elvis was none other than "Yam Yam Elvis."  The expression "yam yam" might sound like an exotic vegetable, but it's actually used as a reference to someone from the Black Country, deriving from the local dialect for "you are" ("yo am" or "yam").  Incidentally, this wasn't the first time we'd witnessed a Yam Yam Elvis performance.  The last time he was on stage on the back of a lorry at a local VW show.  Such is life.

While I was fixating on Yam Yam Elvis, I suddenly became aware of another solemn figure standing next to me.  I hadn't spotted him initially and so the life size figure of a traumatised 12 year old Prince Harry (taken from the day he walked behind his mother's funeral procession), took me by surprise.  

Apparently, Dion has had a lifelong fascination with the Royal Family.

Here's Dion himself with his muse.

I deliberately didn't photograph every exhibit, because you really should go if you get chance.  It's playful, poignant, bizarre, beautiful and thought provoking.  So, job done!

Incidentally, such is the state of Birmingham City Council's finances, that the Ikon Gallery will have its funding cut by 50% this year and 100% next year.  For its 60th Anniversary, the gallery has launched a fund raising campaign.  You can read all about it here.

Ikon (ikon-gallery.org)

When Elvis had finally left the building, we headed downstairs and I photographed some of Birmingham's more colourful characters, including one Bob Teal, a wizard and Time Lord no less!

I also bumped into this gorgeous and creative woman, Ayesha.  We've followed each other for years on Instagram, but never met, although we immediately recognised each other and chatted like old friends about cats, photography, design and her latest passion, pottery.

 The evening took an even more unusual turn when Dion encouraged anyone willing, to join him at the pub.  Carried away on a tide of positivity, courtesy of good company, amazing weather and a glass of fizz from the free bar, we and around a dozen others, duly obliged.  I was hoarse the next morning from talking to so many different people.  A truly memorable night.

Two days later, we found ourselves in the grounds of Sudeley Castle in the Cotswolds, the burial place of Katherine Parr.  The Cotswolds has long been associated with high property prices and as home to the glitterati and aristo types, counting former PM Lord Cameron, TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson and supermodel Kate Moss amongst its residents.

We were there to see Avalon, the Medieval themed latest production directed by Cal McCrystal.  Considered one of the UK's national treasures, it's a great escape from everyday life for a couple of magical hours of thrills and circus skills.

We were joined by Vix and Jon and after a quick catch up in a sunny field over a beer, we headed into the big top to watch Merlin, King Arthur and co perform their hearts out.

As usual, I took way too many photos.  If you want to see more, click here:- kigswinford wedding photographer | Winter Peach winterpeach photography

We later accosted some of the key performers, cooling down after the show, who were happy to pose for a photo.  Merlin, aka Spanish showman Maximiliano Stia, messaged me on Instagram to ask permission to share this photo.  After all the fire eating, I expressed my concern for his throat.  He reassured me he was fine and attributed it to "the Merlin diet - eat the four elements."

Vix and I were channelling Medieval Chic; Vix in vintage Gunne Sax and a very pasty looking me in vintage Spectrum.

After a pub meal (our second at the 15th century Ye Olde Hobnails Inn), we said our goodbyes and headed home.  Back to reality...but not before passing this timeless scene.  

So there you have it.  Britain's great and good!

The Indian Influence

As I write, we're at the back end of a rare phenomenon in the UK - a sunny May Bank Holiday weekend!  The dawn chorus (and I've been awake to hear more than a few of those lately) has been more robust and musical, the brilliant morning sunlight has worked its way around the edges of our blackout blind providing that unmistakable glow of optimism and the smell of summer has wafted through the open bedroom window on a gentle breeze.  It's been nothing short of bliss.

Dandelion clock from the garden

We celebrated a good friend's birthday on Saturday evening at a BBQ (remember those?)  Birthday boy Ade was dressed in a poncho and cowboy hat and the fact that no-one batted an eyelid, gives you some indication of the history we have with this set of friends.  

On Bank Holiday Monday we visited an Indian Palace in the Cotswolds.  Yes, you heard right!  But more on that later.

Rewinding a little, our most recent gig at our favourite local venue, The Halls in Wolverhampton, was 90s sensation Kula Shaker.  If you didn't already know, the band takes its name from a 9th century Indian emperor.   Formed by Crispian Mills (daughter of English actress Hayley Mills, grandson of actor John Mills), the band has had a number of incarnations, one of which ended particularly acrimoniously.  This resulted in Crispian backpacking around India, a country which had a profound effect on him.  Consequently the band was renamed and the 60s/70s psychedelic rock they favoured, took on the influences of Indian instrumentation, mysticism and spirtualism.

Whilst we definitely appreciated Kula Shaker's sound at the time, the 90s was awash with great British bands and somehow, they weren't firmly on our radar.  We knew who they were, how accomplished they were, but our exposure was limited to their chart hits and the ruminations of a particularly enthusiastic friend.  However, when I spotted they were playing locally, some inner voice told me to book some tickets.

We decided to try out the hip North Street bar we'd clocked when we saw Johnny Marr a few weeks earlier and got quite comfortable in there, listening to this young DJ's excellent and eclectic choice of music.  

Gareth's opinion of the bar increased tenfold when the bar worker realised too late that she hadn't added his bag of scratchings to our bill and insisted he have them on the house.  As the saying goes, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

By the time we reached the venue, we were dismayed to discover that we'd almost missed the support act, The Dohl Foundation.  We were grateful to witness their closing track, but annoyed at ourselves for so badly mistiming this one!  

However, the main act blew us away.  There's a current phrase often bandied around to describe the offspring of famous people, who successfully carve out a career of their own in the public eye - "nepo babies."  Crispian Mills unfortunately fell victim to this in the 90s.  But this blonde, spritely 50-something laid waste to the tag by leaping around on stage like a 20 year old and playing like Hendrix himself!  The lighting was pretty special too.

At one point, Crispian had both his guitar and ukulele slung around his neck and alternated between the two.

For us, one of the standout tracks was their cover of Chura Liya You've stolen my heart), a song from an old Bollywood movie.  Now where did I learn that?  From Vix of course!  We bumped into Vix and Jon later in the set after the penny dropped that this must have been the gig she had eluded to in her recent blog, so I decided to message her.  Given the sheer excitement and chest thumping sound that this band produced, I didn't hold out much hope of a reply, but luckily she spotted my message and we were able to enjoy the last part of the gig and walk back through town together.  

I managed to film (with a steady hand) the Chura Liya performance in its entirety.  You can watch it here if you're interested.

Kula Shaker perform Chura Liya, Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, 25th April 2024 (youtube.com)

Since the gig, I've edited over 400 photos from an amazingly individual outdoor wedding and attended a wedding fayre.  Consequently, I've felt it necessary to once again reduce my screen time to some semblance of normality.

Anyway, back to the Bank Holiday weekend.  Yesterday we visited Sezincote.  We fancied a change from the National Trust properties we're so familiar with and opted for one from the Historic Houses list instead.  Historic Houses is a cooperative, not-for-profit association comprised of over a thousand independently owned and operated houses, castles and gardens of major historical importance.  Many, like Sezincote, are privately owned, lived-in homes.  This, for us, was part of the appeal.

Sezincote is, in essence, India in the Cotswolds - a 200 year old Mughal Indian palace, set in a romantic landscape of temples, grottoes, waterfalls and canals reminiscent of the Taj Mahal. 

After a 3 minute walk from the car park down a winding, sloping lane, visitors are directed to the entrance between two Indian cars.  

The maroon coloured car's interior provided me with an immediate distraction.  Check out this interior!

The house itself, completed in 1805, was built in a combination of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles.  It was the brainchild of  Colonel John Cockerell, grandson of the diarist Samuel Pepys.  Cockerell returned to England after amassing a fortune working for the East India Company, but sadly died three years later in 1798 and so the estate passed to his younger brother Charles, who had also worked for the company.  Charles commissioned his brother Samuel, an architect, to design and build a house in the Mughal style of Rajasthan, complete with minarets, peacock tail windows, jali-work railings and pavilions, also heavily relying on the extensive knowledge and skills of artist Thomas Daniell.

Over the years the house ("...always a happy house" according to our guide) has welcomed many notable figures, including the poet, John Betjeman.  Betjeman wrote of his visit to Sezincote: "Down the drive, under the early yellow leaves of oaks...the bridge, the waterfall, the Temple pool and there they burst on us, the onion domes." 

Queen Mary, another visitor (who appears in one of the framed family photos on a side table in the master bedroom) was a little light fingered and simply took what she liked on visits to Sezincote and other properties that played host to her, such was her sense of entitlement.  It is a matter of record that a tally was kept by a member of her staff and following her death, each and every item was returned to its rightful owner.

I jokingly suggested that I might borrow an exquisite Indian chair from one of the bedrooms and claimed that I was a descendant of Queen Mary's.  I'm not sure the guide believed me.  Tut tut!

There were also two horse figurines standing proud on a half moon table, which, we were all pretty staggered to hear, dated back to the 9th century Tang dynasty.  The guide suggested that they really should be in glass cases.  Given the resident cats' propensity for jumping up onto tables and breaking things, I'm amazed they aren't locked up in the safe!

Overall, the interior was impressive, but classical in style; predominantly Regency and Greek Revival at heart, though littered with artwork and Chinese and Indian antiques picked up on travels.

By now you've probably realised that photographs are not permitted inside the property, which remains a family home and at the centre of a thriving agricultural estate.

Given that it's really the exterior that truly screams "India" I was able to capture this at leisure.  

The extensive gardens were designed with the help of Humphrey Repton and the property is credited with influencing the design of Brighton Pavilion after a visit by the Prince Regent in 1807. 

Brighton Pavilion

We spent a sultry afternoon with friends Neil and Laura, wandering around the magnificent gardens, before retiring to the Orangery for cold drinks and cakes (mine a delicious orange and almond cake with edible flowers).

I'll leave you with my highlights.  

Brahmin bulls adorned the Indian Bridge.

My sneaky view from one of the bedrooms, looking towards the Head Gardener's "cottage".  Incidentally, the gardener was poached from a modest little dwelling in London town, commonly known as Buckingham Palace.

A closer look at the cottage, also created in Indian style.

The Grotto.

Surely the most beautiful Tennis Pavilion?

Snake Pool, with its three headed serpent.  Indian Bridge in the background.

The Tent Room was locked, but I got a glimpse through the window.

Onwards and upwards we walked, along the stream and pools flanked by bog plants and all manner of rare plants...

...to the Temple to Surya.  Surya had definitely been working her magic this weekend.  It was so good to cast off the layers and coats.

Queen Mary continued to speak to me from beyond the grave, whispering in my ear that I might want to take one of these incredible shells home.  I doubt I would have been able to lift if if I'd tried!

Soon it was time to head back to the Orangery....with its impressive curvature...

....bejewelled with tulips and housing tender climbing plants - and cake!

The Cotswolds really is full of surprises!  Who would have guessed that it was also home to the only Mughal Palace in Northern Europe?

Incidentally, you can also get married here (civil ceremonies) between May and September.  There's a choice of the Orangery which has capacity for 220 people, or the dining room looking out onto the Persian garden, for smaller gatherings of up to 70 people.  So if someone's stolen your heart, you might want to consider this place.  Magical!

Talking of weddings, I can't wait to share some of the photos from my latest festival style wedding.  Until next time!