Tuesday Tea and Tomes: Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory

Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory purchased in the UK coincidentally after visiting Holyrood Palace

Our Tuesday tome is "Three Sisters, Three Queens" by Philippa Gregory and we're pairing it with English Breakfast tea from Hampton Court Palace because it's strong and hearty like the women in this page-turning historical fiction. These Tudor sisters married kings, but all suffered the losses of husbands and children and were victims of poor alliances and isolation. In addition, they endured physical pain hard to fathom, exemplified by Margaret Tudor's weeks long journey from Scotland to England on horseback while eight months pregnant with a broken hip.  

Pair this book with a hearty tea such as English Breakfast

English Breakfast may not be strong enough!

The intertwining stories of the Tudor sisters - King Henry VIII's older sibling, Margaret, his younger sister, Mary, and his wife, Catherine of Aragon - are told from Margaret's perspective. She recounts standard sibling issues - love, jealousy, competition and empathy -  but in the very non-standard environment of life at Court.

Outside Holyrood Palace, once home to Margaret Tudor

I purchased this book while vacationing in England and Scotland in May, not knowing that most of the story took place in Scotland and, a great deal at Holyrood (and Edinburgh Castle) which we visited while in Edinburgh (see June blog story, Hurray for Holyrood for more on that palace).

The Coat of Arms at Holyrood Palace

Many of us were introduced to Philippa Gregory with her very popular book, "The Other Boleyn Girl", early in the new millennium. It was clear to her fan base (of which I am one!), Gregory writes about the Royals, but she is clearly the queen of historical fiction.  After The Other Boleyn Girl,  I read another  half dozen of Gregory's books in succession. After a few years' break, and while away from home, I found comfort in an old friend and I'm so glad I did.

The Holyrood Palace Abbey where Margaret Tudor married James IV, today ruins only remain

Margaret Tudor was two years older than her brother Harry, the future King of England, but she left her home country  at the age of fourteen to marry James IV, the King of Scotland.  It was James IV who restored Holyrood in anticipation of his English Queen and they were married in the Holyrood Abbey, the frame of which still stands today.

At the opposite end of Holyrood, Edinburgh Castle is the other anchor of the Royal Mile

Mary, the younger Tudor sister,  came up from behind and was wed off to the King of France. She was eighteen and he was the advanced age of fifty-two. 

Katherine waited  her turn at a second chance to marry a future king, after her husband, Arthur, the Tudor's eldest, died within six months of their marriage.

Edinburgh Castle at night

Although the three sisters were rarely all in the same room at the same time, let alone the  palace, they exchanged letters to express their feelings and concerns. Margaret and Catherine poured their hearts out, describing fears of abandonment and infidelity, while, in shallow contrast, Mary described the latest in fashions in her childlike scrawl.

Chris stands in front of Arthur's Seat, the peak of hills in Holyrood Park.

Three Sisters, Three Queens is a fascinating account of Royal life in sixteenth century Western Europe, and one that reinforces that life was not so easy, even if spent in castles and palaces. As we were leaving Edingburgh, with our GPS mounted on the dashboard of our rented car, no matter the challenge of driving on the wrong side of the car and on the wrong side of the road, and the heavily trafficked roundabouts we navigated on a bank holiday weekend, I was not eight month's pregnant with a broken hip riding on horseback.  It may be good to be Queen, but I'll settle for 21st century non-nobility.  

Leaving Scotland to journey to England, like Margaret Tudor once did.

Challenges of driving the country roads in the UK are not as difficult as riding by horseback with a broken hip.

Going way back with Chatsworth: Afternoon tea and tour of the 'real' Pemberely No. 2

Chatsworth, home to Bess of Hardwick, Deborah Mitford and Mr. Darcy

Chatsworth and I go way back and it was a thrill to finally meet this great estate in person.

Not only does Chatsworth have a fabulous alter ego as Pemberley, the impressive home of Mr. Darcy in the "Pride and Prejudice" movie featuring Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFadyen, but its real life history is equally amazing.  I've been a fan of both fictional and factual residents for years. When I visited Chatsworth in May of this year, I felt like I was reconnecting with an long time pen pal - so many stories shared over the years and, now, we got to meet face-to-face.

Saying "hello" to an old friend.

Chatsworth began with Bess of Hardwick in the mid-16th century. Bess, a native of Derbyshire, came from modest means, but through ambition and strategic unions (four marriages), she became the second richest woman in Elizabethan England.  She convinced her second husband, Sir William Cavendish, a man who amassed great wealth taking down monasteries as a commissioner under Henry VIII, to build Chatsworth in her home county. It was this union that started the Cavendish dynasty and today the estate is still owned by descendants of Bess and Sir William.

A portrait of Bess of Hardwick hangs in Chatsworth.The home is still owned by her descendants.

I knew of Bess and some of her famous family line, including Deborah Mitford, through a couple of page-turner biographies by Mary Lovell:  "Bess of Hardwick" and "The Mitford Sisters".(Coincidentally, I was introduced to each book through separate sources, my mother and my former boss - see blog from May, 2016, Mother's Day: One for the Books).

The Mitford Sisters by Mary Lovell. Deborah Mitford was Duchess of Chatsworth

When I was writing for an on-line newspaper, I interviewed Mary in 2014  shortly after the death of Deborah Mitford, who had married the 11th Duke of Devonshire and heir to Chatsworth.  Mary had personally met Deborah and was given access to some of the family's archives. Deborah's son is the 12th Duke and currently resides in the family estate. It's still a private home, although open to the public for tours.

Bubnell Cliff Farms, a charming B & B on the Chatsworth estate. "Neighbors" are peaceful and laid back.

We, of course, toured the manse, but also, to immerse ourselves the Derbyshire experience, we stayed at Bubnell Cliff Farms, a working farm and bed and breakfast on the estate of Chatsworth. It's just a two mile drive (or 30 minute walk) to the great home and certainly gives you the feel for the English countryside way of life. Bubnell is cozy, peaceful and as laid back as the cows who stroll the grounds of the  B &B.

Morning tea time from our room at Bubnell Cliff Farms

After a relaxing night at the inn and a delicious hearty breakfast, we took our short drive to Chatsworth where history and fantasy collide in over 30 rooms of art and antiques, in particular the Sculpture Gallery, created by the 6th Duke of Devonshire in the early 19th century.  It is here, that Kiera Knightly's Elizabeth Bennet takes a turn about the room and blushes at the sight of some of the unadorned statues in Mr. Darcy's home.

Keira Knightly's Elizabeth Bennet tours the Sculpture Gallery

The Sculpture Gallery may make a lady blush. 

In fact, Matthew MacFadyen's Mr. Darcy's bust still remains at Chatsworth and is displayed in the gift shop. Visitors are warned, "please do not kiss".

Matthew MacFadyen's Mr. Darcy bust resides in the gift shop with a warming: Do no kiss!

Other highlights of the tour: the beautiful dining room, one of the first indoor showers set up in a guest room and the tulip vases.  We learned the latter were very  popular in 17th century when "tulip mania" swept Europe. The market plummeted as quickly as it rose, and thus is considered one of the first examples of an economic bubble.  (Think of it as today's Bitcoin).

One of the highlights of Chatsworth, the beautiful dining room.

An early indoor shower in the guest room

Tulip vases, a sign of wealth. Compare with today's bitcoin.

The last, but certainly not least, of the highlights was afternoon tea on the grounds (was there any doubt?).  In the array of shops and eateries around the mansion, we stopped at the Flying Childers restaurant which offers a "Wedgwood Afternoon Tea". Scrumptious scones and savories, along with deliciously brewed tea, are served on exquisite Wedgwood china.  Channeling our inner duke and duchess was not difficult here.

Afternoon tea at the Flying Childers. Tea, sweets and savories are served on Wedgwood china.

An amazing visit to another  place that brings together so many connections that I ardently admire and love. 

Ah, yes, Chatsworth and I do go way back and I certainly hope we get to go back very soon!

Chris and I were first in line on the day we came to tour. We'll be back!

Lyme Park: Afternoon tea and tour of the 'real' Pemberley No. One

BBC's Pemberley, home of Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy and our first of two Pemberley visits

 “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

Although that great line was delivered by Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet, it could easily be applied to how I feel about the real "Pemberley's". I love and admire the two we visited in May: Lyme Park and Chatsworth, both stand-ins for the fictional dwellings of Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice in BBC's 1995 mini-series and the 2005 film version starring Kiera Knightly, respectively.

Fresh air and strong tea were on order after our harrowing trip to Lyme Park for afternoon tea

If a tour of the 600-hundred year old estate, featuring the famous pond that Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy dipped into just before unexpectedly (but oh so delightfully!) running into Elizabeth Bennet, is not enough to admire, throw in afternoon tea and the opportunity to don Regency apparel and one must declare, there is so much to love at Lyme Park in Cheshire, England.

The impressive façade of Lyme Park will be familiar to BBC's P & P aficionados, but interior shots were filmed elsewhere

Although the outside of Lyme Park is very familiar to BBC Pride and Prejudice aficionados, we learned the interior scenes of Pemberley were filmed at Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, the town that became "Meryton" in the same series.

In the 1880's, Thomas Legh made Lyme Park the grand estate we see today.

The actual inhabitants of Lyme Park were the Legh family, dating back to the 1400's. 

Thomas Legh inherited the estate in 1798 when he was just five years old. During his occupancy, he expanded Lyme to what it looks like today. Descendant Richard Legh, the Third Baron Newton, donated the home to the National Trust in 1948. 

Imagine Mr. Darcy requesting Elizabeth Bennet to play the piano-forte 

We began our particular journey to Lyme Park from our hotel in Windemere in the scenic Lake District of northern England. We learned, to our great dismay, the British GPS works a little differently than in the U.S.


Perhaps with not enough attention to detail, we typed in "Lyme Park" on our dashboard-mounted GPS and just let it take over. 

As we got nearer to our final destination, while navigating over a dozen roundabouts on a traffic-heavy bank holiday, we realized the terrain was getting flatter and the surroundings a bit more suburban. We were totally confused when we were routed to a townhouse complex where motorcycles lined driveways. This didn't look like the country estate of Mr. Darcy. Just where were we?

The intersection just off the "other" Lyme Park in Yorkshire

I wasn't sure if I was going to LOL or OMG when our GPS declared we had arrived at our destination. I looked up in horror to see the street sign before us -  "Lyme Park" (!) was clearly written in black and white.  We had been directed two and half hours out of our way to a subdivision in North Yorkshire!

I quickly called the "original" Lyme Park to see if I could reschedule our afternoon tea reservation to later in the day. The hostess was so accommodating, she said we'll have it ready whenever you get here.

Afternoon tea at Lyme Park can be enjoyed in the garden or in the cozy cottage tea room that once was used for salt storage

Sadly, our GPS misstep caused us so much precious time, that we didn't arrive until almost 3:00, just when they shut down the Regency closet. This is the magical place where you can dress in period clothes and then walk the grounds. 

However, that was the only disappointment of the visit. The afternoon tea was delicious. You can choose to dine inside, (a space  that once served as the salt storage room but is now a pretty, cottage-style tea room) or outside in the garden.  Since it was such a beautiful day, we chose the latter. And, after that harrowing road trip, fresh air and strong tea were in order.

Afternoon tea fare at Lyme Park

Thankfully, we still had plenty of time to tour the estate and its interior was beautiful and impressive. It's filled with antiques and decorated in much the fashion you would expect the aristocratic Darcy clan to reside in.  

Beautiful dining room inside Lyme Park

Finally, no trip to Lyme Park is complete without a stop at the pond where Mr. Darcy took his alluring swim.  Like any Colin Firth/Mr. Darcy devotee, I took a stroll about the pond on the chance he may return and emerge again. 

Still waiting for Colin Firth/Mr. Darcy to emerge from the pond.

Oh, yes, I do declare, there is ever so much to admire and love about Lyme Park! 

 Stay tuned for more Pemberley love in our next blog and our visit to Chatsworth.

Babington's Tea Room in Rome: Our visit to this English tearoom with Italian flair featured in Tea Time Magazine!

BTS' Barb and Rachel Gulley visited Babington's in Rome last year

Although tea may not be the first drink that comes to mind when you think of Italy, when we visited last year, we found a few exceptional tea venues including Babington's in Rome.  I had the great pleasure of experiencing a delightful afternoon tea at Babington's last September while interviewing, Chiara Bedini, co-owner of the tearoom, for Tea Time Magazine. The article is in this September/October issue of Tea Time Magazine!

We wrote about  the fascinating history of Babington's, featured in the September/October issue of Tea Time Magazine

 Almost a year ago, I traveled to Italy with  my daughter (and BTS Marketing and Ops Manager), Rachel, and my husband, Chris. We explored Venice, Florence and Rome, the latter being home base for most of the trip. Our hotel was on Via Margutta, a five minute walk from the Spanish Steps and, at it's base, another Roman treasure, celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, Babington's Tea Room and Café.

Babington's has a history as rich as it's afternoon tea pastries. The tearoom was the creation of two British expats, Isabelle Cargill and Anna Maria Babington,  who came to Rome to forget the past and seek new adventure.  Their story is told in the most recent issue of  Tea Time Magazine (that you'll just have to get a copy, if you don't already have a subscription, and read about these amazing entrepreneurial ladies). Without too many spoiler alerts, this tea room survived many challenges yet remained a family business throughout the years. Today it's still run by descendants of Isabelle Cargill, cousins Rory Bruce and Chiara Bedini.  It was Chiara who met us last fall and opened the tea room's entrance doors that lead us into this enchanting afternoon tea venue.

Afternoon tea tablescape, delicious artistry!

Interviewing co-owner, Chiara Bedini, who could easily be mistaken for one of the celebrities that patronize Babington's

Chiara showed us to our table in the front of the tea room and sat with us while we enjoyed Babington's afternoon tea fare and other tasty items on their menu. Our hostess is beautiful - with blonde hair that naturally flips up at her shoulder and frames her elegant features - and could easily be mistaken for some of the celebrities that patronize Babington's.  Chiara told us her grandfather was a director for MGM studios in Italy and she remembered playing with children of famous actors when she was young, including one that became a celebrity herself, Jamie Lee Curtis.





In the back of the tea room, where we met up with Rory, Chiara showed us the guest book where many of the rich and famous have penned their autograph.

Chiara with cousin and other co-owner, Rory Bruce

Chiara opens up the guest book where some of the  rich and famous visitors have signed in

We loved the tea room and its tea so much, we stocked up on some of Babington's signature blends, including Roman Holidays, a delicious mix of black teas with rose and vanilla.  We also came back later in the day with friends, Rik and Carol D., who were,  coincidentally, vacationing in Italy and  our stays overlapped by one day. What better way to spend the afternoon with buoni amici than having tea at Babington's?

Babington's in the morning for the interview, back with friends in the afternoon.

In a meta move this weekend, I took to my outdoor patio, where my souvenir "Via Margutta" sign hangs alongside our front gate, and enjoyed a cup of Roman Holidays while reading the Babington's article in Tea Time Magazine.

Meta morning, drinking Roman Holidays tea in my own Via Margutta patio

We hope you enjoy reading about Babington's as much as we did writing about it.

And, of course, there's LOT more to savor in this edition of Tea Time Magazine.

And, as always, Godetevi il tempo del tè miei buoni amici!