Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Tuesday 23 February 2021

New chandeliers at Kensington Palace


I came across a short video from the Historic Royal Palaces agency which is about the design, manufacture and installation of four chandeliers in one of the State Rooms at Kensington Palace. They are there to replace long-lost originals from the time of King George I. Their design is a reconstruction based on an early nineteenth century watercolour of the room. The film shows the craftsmen involved in creating the four, and as always it is good to know there are still individuals and firms who can do such traditional work. This type of restoration work is something I always find very positive and which gladdens the heart.



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