10-30 Heavenly things

It’s the last gasp – we’re flying out in 3 days, so there’s a kind of desperation in the air. There’s so much more to do! There’s so much more to see and do!

So we set out to our favorite bakery for breakfast then parted ways. I did a bit of window shopping then headed to the V&A. I had considered going back to the Diva exhibit to photograph the outfits, which I neglected to do last time, but opted to go to other galleries instead. I started in the ceramics gallery. The things on display are from all over the world and go back to 1550 BC. The galleries go on endlessly; it’s a feast for the eyes. Honestly, a ceramics aficionado could spend a day here at least.

Vase with luster, Manchester, England 1914-1923 Painted by Richard Joyce, Pilkington's Tile & Pottery

Vase, London, England 1905 Decorated by Mark V. Marshall, made by Doulton & Co,

"Signs of Storm" Helsinki, Finland made by Kati Tuominen-Niittylä

Vases Derby, England designed by Ken Eastman, made by Royal Crown Darby Porcelain Co

"Listening to the Waves" Takayuki Sakiyama, 2022

Wall tiles from Spain

When I say there's a dizzying collection, here's what I mean:

Vase, Minton, Staffordshire pâte-sur-pâte decoration by L.M. Solon 1898

When I left the ceramics gallery I passed a room I'd never seen that shows old silent films. One, from the early 1900s was showing scenes of daily life in Victorian England. I stayed to watch one about the Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition, including footage of the fire when destroyed it. What a shame that the screen was filthy. It looked as though someone(s) had spit on it or sprayed something on it then added handprints. Ick.

I then headed for another of my favorite galleries: furniture. It’s not a terribly large gallery, but it’s so well arranged. They spotlight different techniques and methods for building and decorating furniture and, in what I think is genius, they have interactive video displays that teach about the various materials from which furniture is built. There are audio stations at various places in the gallery; I listened to an architect talk about how Frank Lloyd Wright insisted upon designing the furniture for the homes he designed. He was obsessed with making sure that every element of the home fit perfectly together. When I saw the ornately decorated pieces I thought of my mother who was a decorative artist. And the incredible woodworking and parquetry made me think of Steve Sample who was enthralled by woodworking.

Armchair 1936 Marcel Breuer; made by P.E. Gane Ltd, Bristol, England

Forgot to note the provenance, sorry!

Designed by John Henry Belter, about 1856

Cabinet, Northern Europe (possibly Paris or Antwerp) about 1650

Cabinet (armoire étagère) Louis Majorelle about 1900

I love the detail of the dragonflies on the Majorelle piece.

Another thing I loved was that every now and again, there would be a video of how something was made. Apologies for the slightly shaky hand.

The last gallery I visited was the glass gallery. It turns out that it's probably my least favorite part of the museum because so much is crammed into so small a space. The same is true of the ceramics gallery, but because the ceramics are opaque it’s somehow easier to see the pieces. My favorite thing in the gallery was a light-box piece from Edinburgh made in 2012 by Jeff Zimmer.

Rene Lalique

Rene Lalique

To my mind, one of the best parts of the glass gallery is the staircase with the glass rail.

I wandered up to the members’ dining room but it was packed to the gills, so I texted Bruce to see if he was up for a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral. He was, so we met there. They charge £23 per person to go inside, which I found rather steep. It is a magnificent place though, and the audio guide is free. The cathedral was designed by Sir Cristopher Wren. in 1675 when he was 43 and building began shortly thereafter. Construction was finished in 1710. During its last stages, when the dome was being completed, Wren was too old to climb the stairs to inspect the work so he was hoisted up in a basket, the way they hoisted up building materials. (Love that!)

After touring the main floor of the Cathedral, we walked up the 250 steps to the whispering gallery, which is at the base of the dome. I made my way about 20 feet around the gallery then had to sit because acrophobia kicked in. I told Bruce that, in retrospect, I thought it was a good thing that I was too sick to go up in the balloon in Kenya. He ventured up to the next higher gallery, which is on the outside of the building. Yeah, no. No way would I survive that. He skipped the highest viewing point because his vertigo had started to kick in earlier in the day and looking down at the steps was making him feel a bit queasy. We're such an impressive pair, LOL. So down the 250 steps we went and down a bit further into the crypt, where the good and the great are buried. Most of the memorials were for bishops, archbishops and other church officials and for war heroes. On the main level, there’s a place behind the alter that is a memorial to all the Americans who served in the 2nd World War. It was quite touching. We took the tube home and spent a quiet evening in.

The alter dedicated to the Americans in WWII:

John Donne's tomb:

Florence Nightingale's tomb:

The view from the top: