I was looking for breakfast at Downing College when I came across William Wilkins.  I’m not sure I had seen him before: the scholarly grandson of a Norwich builder, son of another William Wilkins who designed the Master’s Lodge at Caius, he travelled widely in Greece and Asia Minor between 1801 and 1804.  Downing was nearly his first commission on his return.

I assume it’s a version of the E.H. Bailey bust in the Fitzwilliam, but is more powerful:-

For those who missed the service of commemoration for Vanbrugh’s tercentenary, you can watch it on YouTube. 

I particularly recommend the magnificent address by Richard Chartres, the former Bishop of London, who managed to perfectly convey Vanbrugh’s roots in the City of London and the character of English nationalism at the time, as he described it, ‘of the rise of Great Britain from a second-rate, peripheral, European power to an intercontinental hegemon’:-

https://youtube.com/live/GJLc47jMY_A?si=tm0a78UQAvA-lqB1

And he unveiled an excellent plaque too:-

John Goodall, the architectural editor of Country Life, has done an exemplary podcast about Vanbrugh (see below), including thoughts about the restoration of Castle Howard:-

https://share.google/jON6pTmvonxJRSJav

The tercentenary of Vanbrugh’s death is today. There is a service of thanksgiving this afternoon in St. Stephen’s Walbrook where he was buried and where a commemorative monument will be unveiled.

Roz Barr and Will Gompertz are expected to be on the Today programme this morning at 8.50.

The walk out to the Temple of the Four Winds:-

And back:-

It was the launch of Castle Howard’s exhibition Staging the Baroque today: an opportunity to see the exhibition again and enjoy Castle Howard in cold, bright sun:-

We went to Harewood to the opening of Charlotte Verity’s exhibition, The Season Following – a beautiful and impressive collection spread over a long period, but with a particular concentration on recent work from her intense and fastidious observation of nature, plant life and foliage surrounding her garden and studio in Bruton:-

Charlotte Verity: The Season Following – Harewood House https://share.google/enqez0RG6YCyng4Vf

I have never previously been to Harewood, north of Leeds; nor was I able to get a good sense of its Adam interiors and impressive collection of paintings on a cold, dark, rainy evening:-

I’m not sure you will be able to open this link unless you have a subscription to the FT.

It’s an article by Charles Spencer on Vanbrugh, concentrating to an extent, as implied by its headline, on the owners of his houses, one of whom, the current Duke of Marlborough, is, I assume, his cousin.

Spencer has written a book about the Battle of Blenheim and clearly has a good understanding of Vanbrugh’s personality and cultural milieu.

Not so sure about the fuzzy photographs.

They should maybe have illustrated it with Nick Howard’s amazingly beautiful and atmospheric aerial photographs of Castle Howard in all weathers which you can find on Instagram.

What it’s like to live in one of Sir John Vanbrugh’s masterpieces –

https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/f6a38386-a57a-4c89-916d-dec1e3fad15b via @FT

One of my favourite local shops is Breid, the bakery in a railway arch opposite Weaver’s Fields, which has gradually expanded its range of offerings to include malt bread at the weekend and sinfully delicious vegan chocolate biscuits. Its owner, David Miller, would deliver a loaf of bread over the gate on his way home during lockdown – hard to remember those days when I didn’t even dare go out for a loaf of bread.

I found out from the local digital newspaper (The Tower Hamlets Slice) that he has now opened another branch at 9, Morgan Street in Bow, charming and equidistant from us, a walk away through Mile End Park:-