CHARLES III’s coronation marks a break with tradition. For the first time, few dukes and duchesses will have a role. Historically, however, wherever there was a sword to carry, an orb to bear or a sceptre to hold, the highest-ranking peers in the realm were at hand to do the job; many are now celebrating this heritage by holding special coronation exhibitions.
Between 1702 and 1953, the Dukes of Richmond bore the 3ft-long Sceptre with the Dove —a gold rod representing the sovereign’s spiritual role—at seven coronations (out of a possible 12). Each of them carried the same sceptre—supplied in 1661 by royal goldsmith Roger Viner—in a rare feat of continuity.
The family’s historic role is the focus of this year’s exhibition at Goodwood, the Richmonds’ West Sussex seat. It includes a number of items rediscovered in January, such as the 9th Duchess’s coronation robes and two-yard train, as well as two page-boy uniforms from 1937 and 1953, right down to the silk tights they wore. Clementine de la Poer Beresford, curator of the Goodwood Collection, wants people to ‘get a feel for what it was like to be at a coronation—not that many people get to go to a coronation, but I want to make it accessible’. The current Duke, Miss de la Poer Beresford adds, ‘loves his history, and is so proud of his heritage—we have the coronets out on display all the time’.
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin May 03, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin May 03, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery