Chiswick House & Gardens

Chiswick House (pronounced CHIZZICK), completed in 1729 and located in the west of London, is a glorious example of Neo-Palladian architecture.  Originally home to the Earl of Burlington, and then occupied by the Dukes of Devonshire, the design of its grounds helped establish the world-wide popularity of the English landscape garden.

The National Gallery

Today we paid our 2nd visit to The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.  Founded in 1824, its collection of over 2000 paintings spans from the mid-1200's to 1900.

Portrait of P. Ryder, by Christen Kobke, noted
artist of Denmark's "Golden Age"

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, 1833, by Paul Delaroche,
French painter of historical scenes

The Umbrellas, 1881, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Forest Path, by Paul Cezanne, French Post-Impressionist

Van Gogh's Chair, 1888

18th-century Italian artist Canaletto, most famous for his scenes of Venice

Cambridge

Cambridge is our 2nd excursion beyond London.  About 45 minutes north via National Rail, it is home to the illustrious University of Cambridge, founded in 1209.  Unfortunately, more than halfway into the day, our camera's memory card failed; lost were some lovely images of the River Cam, which snakes its way thru the city.  With a newly acquired card we continued our exploration of this truly magical place.

Forest Hill

This day found us strolling in Forest Hill, a village in south-east London.

Humanity in the House of Circumstance, neoclassical mosaic adorning
 the facade of Forest Hill's Horniman Museum.

The Horniman Museum, opened 1901, designed in the Arts & Crafts-style,
 noted for its unusual collection of Victoriana.

Early museum patrons.

The Conservatory, 1894.
Now part of the museum's cafe.

View of The Shard in downtown London from the grounds of the museum.
The bandstand dates from 1912.

An enclosure for a few animals is on site.

An alpaca!

Can you see the gourd?

In the Horniman Gardens.  They cover 16 acres.