Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Overlooking Broadway

This is a view of the Broadway Tower, built as a "folly" -- an architectural ornament -- in the late 18th century.  It was used as a workshop by the writer/designer William Morris in the 19th century, and today is privately-held as a local museum and nature reserve.  The second photo is a view from the Cotswold Way, overlooking the village of Broadway.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

My Lecture in Broadway

Despite the rainy afternoon, people came to the United Reformed Church yesterday to hear my talk about Mary Anderson and the small but very active colony of American artists who populated the village of Broadway in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Everyone in the village was kind and gracious to me.  This morning I went for a walk on part of the trail called the Cotswold Way, above the village, where I met some sheep, who were not at all interested in any lecture I might or might not deliver.

Monday, October 5, 2009

My Return to Broadway

Broadway, Worcestershire.  I was last here in 2000, to do some research on Mary Anderson de Navarro, an actress born in Louisville who had her stge debut at 17 in New York, and then became a sensation in London.  Known for her portrayals of Shakespearean heroines, she was a much-beloved figure on both sides of the Atlantic.  When I was here in 2000, I was privileged to visit her family home in this beautiful Cotswold village, and I stayed at a lovely bed-and-breakfast called the Olive Branch.  This afternoon I was welcomed back to the Olive Branch and tomorrow I am to give a program about Mary Anderson and the group of artists, American and British, who gathered around her.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Adventures on a Blustery Day

It's finally feeling like autumn.  Today Jane and I walked up to the neighborhood of Muswell Hill, passing a recently opened gift-and-tea shop that reminded me of my old shop Westminster Alley in North Carolina, except that we had no tea room and we had Vera Lynn playing rather than Gershwin.  But we had a lovely tea, and then Jane found a little "Let Me Write" notebook on whose cover was a picture of "Jane's Teashop" -- how could I not buy it?  Then we wandered through the shops and bought some groceries at Marks & Spencer, and stopped at the Bald-Faced Stag pub on the way home.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Speaking about the 1890s in an 1894 building . . .

Was thrilled to see the sign outside the Bishopsgate Institute that my lecture was sold out!  Wonderful Victorian building, of which I am given a tour by Lucy, who has corresponded with me for several months about my lecture.  The Institute has served as a learning and cultural center for over 100 years.  The halls are decorated with beautiful Art Nouveau tiles, and there is a gorgeous library being renovated.  The audience for my lecture is composed of men and women in a wide age span -- they ahve very good questions about social class and how professional opportunities varied for women of different backgrounds.  I was pleased with how the evening went -- but also know how I can tailor the next lecture to give more equitably-spaced attention to each of the women covered in my book.  More adventures in London tomorrow!

I'm in London!

So proud of myself -- I took the Underground from Heathrow airport into Central London.  My first destination was my publisher's representative on Henrietta Street in Covent Garden.  I get off at Leicester Square and without a map find my way to Henrietta Street, where I have been on numerous prveious occasion.  I am pleased that my memory has gotten me here!  After checking in with Andrew, my rep, I go for a walk to Cecil Court and show Mr Drummond the paragraph I wrote about him in my book.  In the evening I have a lovely visit with the American Women's Club at their headquarters in South Kensington.  They are very welcoming.  The current members have discovered decades-old archives of the AWC, which I did not see on my previous visit (at a different location) 20 years ago. They invite me to come back next week to examine the archives.  Then I take a taxi to Jane's flat and we have a happy reunion! 

Monday, September 28, 2009

Pausing While I Pack . . .

Over the past 20 years, I have been fortunate to travel to England a number of times -- have used the resources of the British Library, the Women's Library in London, and archives at the Imperial War Museum and the English-Speaking Union.  I have seen where Elizabeth Banks and Mary Anderson and others lived.  And I even found that elusive 1894 young woman's magazine, by pure serendipity, on a bookseller's display in Manchester!  So it's been more than research -- all right, it's obsessiveness.

And now I am going to have the chance to share my research, taking it back to England.  I am about to embark on a trip during which I am scheduled to give talks at the American Women's Club, the Bishopsgate Institute, and the Women's Library, all in London.  In addition I am scheduled to speak in the gorgeous village of Broadway, in the Cotswolds, where Mary Anderson lived for many years.  This is the culmination of a great deal of planning and I am very excited, especially about seeing people who helped me with my research so many years ago.  Stay tuned for updates!