Fox-Strangeways

Some time ago I was doing some research about Holland Park. In the course of reading up on its history and development, I came across a series of Earls of the British peerage with possibly the most fabulous surname ever: Fox-Strangeways.

Okay, actually, technically, officially, it's Fox-Strangways but in my mind I inserted an "e" because... well... it just transforms it from being pretty awesome into entirely marvellous.

Here's one of them, Henry ol' chap, 5th Earl of Ilchester, as caricatured in Vanity Fair:

Henry Fox-Strangways in Vanity Fair, 1882 (Image source)

And where do you think these Fox-Strangways folk lived? Well, right here, of course:

Holland House in 1896 (Image source)

You can't make this stuff up.

I am now contemplating changing my surname to Fox-Strangeways. I wonder if there's a dashing Fox-Strangways bachelor still out there, carrying on the family name? If so, I could marry him and then "accidentally" slip in a convenient "e" when I fill out the official forms to change my name. Alternatively, I could just have my name changed by deed poll anyway, but that might seem a little bit... affected.

In the meantime, I've decided to set myself to drawing a character of my own creation called Lord Fox-Strangeways. I'm not sure if he's going to be human or vulpes yet... I might let you know how I get on, depending on how he turns out.

Liverpool-bound

I'm heading to Liverpool this weekend for a girly "City break" with friends.

Diagram of Mersey Tunnel - looks to be contemporary with its 1920s-30s construction! (Image source)

We're staying in a hotel which was described in a review as "Isambard Kingdom Brunel meets Carrie Bradshaw".  As one of us is a structural engineer, one of us is a surveyor and one of us is an architectural historian, and as we're fully intending to be drinking cocktails and being stylish as always, we decided that it was the perfect place for us!

But before then, and in honour of Remembrance Day, I thought I would share some details from the Cenotaph in Liverpool. (Image source can be found here)

Potted Peabody History

For those unfamiliar with the Peabody Estate, here's an extract from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography for George Peabody (1795-1869):

In Britain Peabody's major philanthropy was centred on housing. He wanted to leave London some token of his affection for the city. He thought first of an elaborate system of drinking fountains; then he considered helping Lord Shaftesbury's ‘ragged schools’ for the children of the very poor. In the end, Shaftesbury convinced Peabody that it was more important to provide better housing conditions for the working classes, and in March 1859 Peabody decided that his gift would be a number of model dwellings. By means of the Peabody Donation Fund he gave £500,000 towards building houses to be inhabited by poor Londoners who had good moral characters and were good members of society. The first block was opened in Spitalfields in 1864, and it was soon followed by buildings in Chelsea, Bermondsey, Islington, and Shadwell; by 1882 the fund owned 3500 dwellings and housed more than 14,600 people, and by 1939 there were more than 8000 dwellings. In 1962 the queen mother unveiled a plaque to Peabody at another new Peabody estate in Blackfriars. Peabody was made a freeman of the City of London, the first American to receive this honour, though he turned down the offer of a barony from Queen Victoria. In 1867 the US congress conferred a gold medal on him. Popular subscription raised the funds in England to provide the statue of Peabody in the royal exchange, which was unveiled by the prince of Wales in 1869.

So now you know.