Back in early July, Sue and I paid a visit to Quebec House, Westerham, Kent. It is a National Trust property, and it is situated on the outskirts of Westerham in the western part of Kent.
Quebec House is the birthplace of General James Wolfe (he lived there from his birth on nd2 January 1727 until 1738, when the family moved to Greenwich in London), and is located on what is now known as Quebec Square. The house was originally called Spiers, but it was renamed after Wolfe's victory at the Battle of Quebec. The building is constructed of brick and its original structure was completed during the sixteenth century. However it was extensively rebuilt in the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.
We began by visiting an exhibition about General James Wolfe's life and achievements. This was housed in a building in the house's grounds, which is where the small tearoom was also situated.
The first part of the exhibition was a brief explanation about Westerham ...
.. and this was followed by a timeline of Wolfe's life.
The next section of the exhibition explained the background to the events that led to the Battle of Quebec ...
... and included some excellent illustrations of the troops who fought on both sides
There was also a glass cabinet containing 54mm-scale painted figures in the uniforms worn by the opposing sides.
I attempted to photograph these figures ... but my attempts met with varying levels of success.
The final part of the exhibition contained a copy of the famous painting THE DEATH OF GENERAL WOLFE by Benjamin West ...
... and examples of other painting and illustrations that were influenced by its composition.
We then made our way to the front entrance to the house ...
... where we saw a plaque that commemorated Joseph Bowles Learmont, the Canadian who bought the house and presented to the National Trust on his death.
The inside of the house has been restored to reflect how it would have looked during Wolfe's lifetime, including examples of the sorts of toys and games he might have played with ...
... and the sort of room where he would might sat and read.
One room contains items that relate to Wolfe's military career ...
... including replicas of a Tower musket, infantry grenades, and the uniform of an infantry grenadier ...
... and his dressing gown.
Quebec House is the birthplace of General James Wolfe (he lived there from his birth on nd2 January 1727 until 1738, when the family moved to Greenwich in London), and is located on what is now known as Quebec Square. The house was originally called Spiers, but it was renamed after Wolfe's victory at the Battle of Quebec. The building is constructed of brick and its original structure was completed during the sixteenth century. However it was extensively rebuilt in the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.
We began by visiting an exhibition about General James Wolfe's life and achievements. This was housed in a building in the house's grounds, which is where the small tearoom was also situated.
The first part of the exhibition was a brief explanation about Westerham ...
.. and this was followed by a timeline of Wolfe's life.
The next section of the exhibition explained the background to the events that led to the Battle of Quebec ...
... and included some excellent illustrations of the troops who fought on both sides
There was also a glass cabinet containing 54mm-scale painted figures in the uniforms worn by the opposing sides.
I attempted to photograph these figures ... but my attempts met with varying levels of success.
The final part of the exhibition contained a copy of the famous painting THE DEATH OF GENERAL WOLFE by Benjamin West ...
... and examples of other painting and illustrations that were influenced by its composition.
We then made our way to the front entrance to the house ...
... where we saw a plaque that commemorated Joseph Bowles Learmont, the Canadian who bought the house and presented to the National Trust on his death.
The inside of the house has been restored to reflect how it would have looked during Wolfe's lifetime, including examples of the sorts of toys and games he might have played with ...
... and the sort of room where he would might sat and read.
One room contains items that relate to Wolfe's military career ...
... including replicas of a Tower musket, infantry grenades, and the uniform of an infantry grenadier ...
... and his dressing gown.
What a marvelous tour; sounds like a great site to visit!
ReplyDeleteI must take my family to Louisbourg next summer, now that we live in Nova Scotia
ReplyDeletePretty cool! I especially enjoyed seeing the cabinet of figures and that grenadier mitre.
ReplyDeleteLouisbourg is a place to add to my list too.
Gonsalvo,
ReplyDeleteIt is a very nice house to walk around, and a guided tour only lasts ninety minutes or so.
All the best,
Bob
Irishhighlander,
ReplyDeleteI probably beat you to it! My wife and I went to Louisburg whilst were were in Canada on our recent cruise ... and we were both very, very impressed. If you do go, be warned; a day would only just about be long enough to see everything. We only had two hours, and only just scratched the surface.
All the best,
Bob
Jonathan Freitag,
ReplyDeleteThe figures were very well done, and my pictures do not do them justice. As to visiting Louisburg ... well my wife and I have been there and it is an exceptional place to visit.
All the best,
Bob