London rolls out the bicentennial celebrations; Refreshed Apsley stars

Next Thursday marks the bicentennial of one of the most significant events in modern history.  An epoch-making battle that ended tyranny, established peace for more than a generation and laid the foundations for the prosperity and expansion of the British Empire.

Scratching your head in puzzlement?  We're talking about Waterloo.

Though it hasn't dominated headlines, there's been a slow bubble of news stories and television programmes, several museums have scheduled related exhibits and the Duke of Wellington's London home, Apsley House, has just re-opened after a major renovation.  The Bencards think there should be more of a fuss made, but then we're rather partial to this topic.  My husband is fascinated by the battle (read about our battlefield visit here), we're locals to the Wellington's country estate (covered here) and we even have a portrait miniature of the first duke in our sitting room.

Not surprising, then, that we found ourselves at the Battle of Waterloo memorial concert at the Royal Albert Hall last Friday night.

It was a professionally organised, light, fun collection of classical hits ... a trademark Raymond Gubbay production.  We didn't mind the froth, though we do wish it would have gone on a bit longer.  Paying £55 for a concert that zips you along and gets you out at the two hour mark, including interval, pushed a bit past my value for money mark.  I would have been happier if some of those musical extracts were a bit longer.

They were certainly well-selected extracts, artfully woven together in a script presented by Tony Robinson.  He recounted the tale of Waterloo and the events around it, from Napoleon's escape from Elba, through the personalities and details of the day's events, ending with the peace the allied victory brought to Europe.  The music, mostly contemporary with the events described, helped build the narrative.  Handel's See The Conquering Hero Comes, as played at the party Napoleon's surprise advance broke up.  French and British military marching tunes.  Suppe's Light Cavalry Overture to capture the rhythm of the battle charges.  A blockbuster ending with Beethoven's Ode to Joy.  (Here's where I think they gave too small of an excerpt.  If you're assembling a choir that big, why not give us the whole movement?)  Soldiers in Regency uniform popped in and out to add visual interest to several numbers, making an impressive contribution to Beethoven's Wellington's Victory ... a piece we should hear more ... by occupying the top level of the Albert Hall and accompanying the orchestra with musket fire.

It was an enjoyable evening, and a fitting salute to a momentous occasion too many people only remember tangentially, as a train station or a bridge.  This was a one-off performance, but here are other options for commemorating the bicentennial right now.

Apsley House, Hyde Park Corner 
This grand, Robert Adam-designed Palladian mansion is also known as "Number One, London", as it was the first great building Georgian travellers encountered when they arrived in London from the west.  Now it's a bit marooned in a sea of traffic and buildings at Hyde Park Corner, just another piece of monumental neo-classical architecture.  Millions pass daily without giving it a thought, and few people I know ... local or tourist ... have ever been inside.  Which is a shame, because this English Heritage property is a star sight on multiple levels.

If you're interested in Wellington and Waterloo, there's nothing like it.  This was Wellington's town
house.  (His descendants still have apartments here.)  He used it to entertain visiting statesmen ... most notably at the annual Waterloo commemorative banquet ... and here's where he displayed most of the treasure trove of gifts and war memorabilia he accumulated as the conquering hero.  The porcelain room and the massive, multi-part silver table service created as a thank you give from the Portuguese are both jaw dropping.  All the key players are commemorated in portraiture and also, in Napoleon's case, by a giant Canova statue that captures the man's dangerously overdeveloped ego in a glance.

Architecture fans can enjoy the interplay of one of London's finest Georgian interiors with some wildly over-the-top Regency additions.  I don't care much for the garish banqueting hall, but it is a sight to see.  Visitors who know the place from before the renovation will be delighted to see the Wellington banquet table and Portuguese service now set up here.  It transforms the room, making it and the art hung there much more impressive.  And speaking of art:  art lovers will find a worthy Old Masters collection with a great story.  Wellington captured the baggage train of the escaping Joseph Bonaparte, including multiple cart loads of loot from Madrid's royal collection.  After the war, the Spanish royals were so indebted to Wellington for saving them, they let him keep the paintings.

Everything's explained in a particularly good audio guide that comes with your admission fee.  It's a hand-held computer, about the size of a jumbo smart phone, that gives you multiple touring options and lets you drive your own visit.  Speed through, or dive into multiple levels of detail.  And everything is sparkling after a long closure for refurbishment.  Paintwork bright, gold gilt renewed, pictures cleaned.  English Heritage may not have as many great houses as the National Trust, but what they've done with this one is far more impressive than the experience most NT places.

Wellington:  Triumphs, Politics and Passions at the National Portrait Gallery

This small (three galleries) exhibit tells the story of Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington, through portraits, art and artefacts.  The portraits dominate, as you'd expect, and it's fascinating to see the man evolve from the romantic, slightly uncertain youth through the commanding general to the hard line politician and, finally, doting grandfather and pensive old man.  Little touches delight the most here:  a sketch book by a soldier from the Peninsular Campaign, open to one beautifully detailed page but with a video beside it showing more; a bombastic, laughably ridiculous allegory of Wellington in triumph that gives you a sense of just how extreme adulation of him was; the portraits and mementos of both his wife and his many female friends, illustrating the extreme charisma he was said to exert on the opposite sex.

Sadly ... and amazingly, given we haven't even gotten to the anniversary yet ... I've just discovered that this exhibit closed on Sunday.  But you could still pop in to the Regency galleries at the NPG to get a sense of Wellington and his times.

Bonaparte and the British: Prints and Propaganda in the Age of Napoleon at the British Museum
The British Museum, thankfully, is more generous with its time for the anniversary, with this show
open until 16 August.  And it's free.  It's low profile, however, getting little advertising and tucked away in the rear wing, so you do need to seek it out.  Anyone who is a fan of satire, PR or political cartooning should do so.

It's an excellent collection that plunges you straight into the contemporary realities of the time.  Then as now, political humour could put a finger on the pulse.  How the great men are presented ... by both friend and enemy ... tells tales of fear, respect and drama.  And senses of humour haven't changed that much in two centuries.  Many of the prints are still very, very funny.  This exhibit goes far beyond Waterloo, starting with the rise of the dashing young Corsican soldier to his inglorious exile on St. Helena.  As the show's title suggests, Napoleon is the driving force here.  It's almost the perfect companion to Apsley House; this exhibit delving into the French protagonist, the great house laying bare the English.

The 18th is coming.  How will you celebrate?  We'll no doubt be eating beef Wellington at the Bencard household.  Washed down with some Spanish or Portuguese wine.