Tag Archives: Enchanted Manor

Craft – Mardi Gras Masks

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This craft project is inspired by the annual Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans, which is a popular cultural event that seems to be increasing in attendance every year.  These masks can be worn at a Mardi Gras themed party or would the perfect accessory for a Halloween costume party.  In this post, I will show two different masks craft projects which include a list of supplies and instructions.

(Special Note:  “Fat Tuesday” will be March 4, 2014.  For information about the origins and traditions of the Mardi Gras celebration, please check out the history of Mardi Gras section at the end of this post)

Mask #1

Supplies –

  • paper mask
  • brown felt
  • glue stick
  • glue gun and glue sticks
  • scissors
  • feathers
  • brads

Mask 1 - supplies

 Instructions –

  1. Apply the felt to the front of the mask.  Start by covering a small area on one side of the mask with glue, lay the felt flat on of the mask, moving from one side to the other, smoothing any bumps along the way.  Craft note: Be sure to leave a section at the top of the mask unglued in order to add the feathers.
  2. Trim the excess felt, cutting as close to the edge of the mask as possible.  Next, cut the eye openings.  Craft Note: The trick for cutting the felt is to use very sharp scissors.
  3. Then, working slowly around the mask, carefully hot glue the brads to the edge of the mask.
  4. At the top center of the mask, using a small amount of glue attach several feathers between the layer of the mask and the felt.  Once the feathers are arranged be sure to seal the area closed by gluing the felt over the feathers.

Mask 1 - finished

Mask #2

Supplies –

  • paper mask
  • blue felt
  • glue stick
  • scissors
  • blue sequins
  • self-adhesive flat-back blue crystals

Mask 3 - supplies

Instructions –

  1. Apply the felt to the front of the mask.  Start by covering a small area on one side of the mask with glue, lay the felt flat on of the mask, moving from one side to the other while smoothing any bumps along the way.  Craft note: Be sure to leave a section at the top of the mask unglued.
  2. Trim the excess felt, cutting as close to the edge of the mask as possible.  Next, cut the eye openings.  Craft Note: The trick for cutting the felt is to use very sharp scissors.
  3. Then, working slowly around the mask, carefully glue the blue sequins to edge of the mask, slightly overlapping them.
  4. At the top center of the mask, using a small amount of glue attach two butterfly antennas made from blue sequins between the layer of the mask and the felt.  Be sure to seal the area closed by gluing the felt over the antennas.

Mask 3 - finished

A brief history of the Mardi Gras

The celebration of Mardi Gras dates back centuries with origins in the pagan spring and fertility rites.  During ancient Roman times the Christians incorporated many of those pagan traditions into their own celebration preceding the season of Lent.  Lent is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday and it is a time of religious penance and fasting.  Traditionally, the week before Lent is spent indulging in food and drink with the culmination being the day before Ash Wednesday which became known as “Fat Tuesday”.  Over following centuries, the celebration spread to other parts of Europe in predominately Catholic countries.

Some historians believe the first American celebration of Mardi Gras (the French word for “Fat Tuesday”) took place in 1699 when two French explorers named Iberville and Bienville arrived in the New World.  The French settlement of New Orleans began celebrating the holiday of Mardi Gras with masked balls, lavish dinners and street parties.  For a brief period of time when the Spanish took control of New Orleans the celebrations were prohibited and strictly enforced until Louisiana came under the control of the United States and eventually this part of the country became a state in 1812.

The first officially documented New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration took place in 1837.  Then, in 1857 a secret society of prominent businessman called the Mistick Krewe of Comus organized a Mardi Gras torch-lit procession through the streets with marching bands and decorated floats which was followed by a grand ball for the krewe members and their guests and this set the tradition for all the future Mardi Gras celebrations in the city of New Orleans.

Almost from the start of the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans during the late 1800s, different secret social organizations or krewes were responsible for planning their own parades and balls.  Originally, the krewes had restrictive membership policies but currently in order to get a parade permit all New Orleans krewes must sign affidavits agreeing not to discriminate against new members.  Unfortunately, some of the older more established krewes continue to allow new members by “invitiation only”.  Each krewe takes their names from mythological characters and there are dozens of krewes with names such as Rex, Bacchus, Knights of Babylon, Knights of King Arthur, Corps de Napoleon and the Zulu Social Aid.

In 1872, the Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff visited New Orleans and he inspired the colors now traditionally associated with the Mardi Gras celebration.  The members of the Rex Krewe choose the colors for their symbolic meaning: purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power.  During the Mardi Gras season these colors can be seen in a variety of decorations such as the traditional Mardi Gras “throws”.  Throws are items that krewe members riding the parade floats will toss into the crowds.  The most common throws are strings of colorful beads or doubloons which are aluminum or wood coins usually imprinted with the krewe logo.

 

Celebration – The Academy Awards

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Gold TrophyOn March 2, 2014, the 86th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.  This annual ceremony honors the outstanding achievements in the film industry and the top awards include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.  It is one of the most exciting nights in Hollywood and it seems like everyone is watching the show to see if their favorite movie, actor or actress wins the coveted Oscar but most importantly everyone loves to see what the stars are wearing on the famous red carpet! 

In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was established by Louis B. Mayer along with Douglas Fairbanks, Sid Grauman, Mary Pickford and Joseph Schenck.  At the time, Mayer owned Louis B. Mayer Pictures which would later become part of one of Hollywood’s major studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).  The idea behind the creation of the Academy Awards ceremony was to unite the five creative services of the film industry (actors, directors, producers, writers and technicians) by gathering them together and acknowledging the best achievements for the year in those different categories.

The first Academy Awards ceremony took place on May 16, 1929 during a private AMPAS dinner held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.  The dinner was attended by 270 people and during the brief ceremony the awards were given for outstanding achievements for the films of 1927 and 1928 in twelve categories.  Douglas Fairbanks, the president of the AMPAS, announced the following winners: “Wings” for Best Picture, Emil Jannings for Best Actor and Janet Gaynor for Best Actress.  Two special awards were also given that evening to Charlie Chaplin who was nominated for multiple awards including Best Actor, Best Writer and Best Director for “The Circus”.  The other special award was given to Warner Brothers Studios for their major contribution to the film industry of the first talking picture, “The Jazz Singer”.

1929 Academy Awards

There have been many changes to the Academy Awards selection process over the years.  For the first four Academy Awards the winners received acknowledgement for all their work done during the specified time period but since 1933 the nominees were selected for their work in only a single film.  Another change concerned the way the winners were announcement to the press and public.  For the first Academy Awards, the winners were notified three months prior to the ceremony, so there was very little surprise to the event.  Then, during the next 10 years the winners names were withheld from the press until 11 PM the night of the ceremony.  In 1941, when the names of the winners were leaked by the Los Angeles Times, the process changed yet again and the winners names for each category were sealed in envelopes and not revealed until the actual ceremony which added to the anticipation and the drama of the event.  Still another change to the Academy Awards was the eligibility period, for the first six ceremonies the time period spanned two consecutive calendar years and then starting in 1935 the time period changed to January 1 to December 31 of a single year with the winners being announced at the ceremony held a few months later. 

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences currently has a membership of over 6,000.  The membership is divided into several different branches representing all the professions involved in film production.  Members from each branch vote to determine the nominees in their categories, such as actors nominate actors, etc.  All members are eligible to choose the best picture nominees.  Once the final nominations are made all the voting members vote for the winners in their specific categories.  The animated short film, live action short film, documentary feature, documentary short and foreign-language film are voted by all members attending special screenings. 

The road to the Academy Awards starts with the nomination process.  The nomination ballots are mailed to members in December and must be returned by the specified date, usually two weeks later.  The ballots are returned directly to PricewterhouseCoopers which is the accounting firm in charge of tabulating the votes. Then the final nominees are announced in January and the voting process starts over again.  Once the final ballots are return to the accounting firm they are counted to determine the winners in each of the categories.  The results are kept secret and only two of the partners of PricewaterhouseCoopers know the winner until the sealed envelopes are opened during the Academy Awards ceremony. 

The first Academy Awards dinner was a private event so the press and the public did not have access to the ceremony but it received such interest that a local Los Angeles radio station decided to broadcast a live one hour show that continued annually for several years.  The ceremony continued as a dinner event until 1942 when the meal was completely omitted and the event was moved to a more formal setting in a theater.  Then in 1953, the Academy Awards was televised allowing millions to see the ceremony for the first time.  In 1966 the ceremony began to broadcast in color and in 1969 the show started broadcasting internationally and currently is seen in over 200 countries.  In 1999, the day of the week that the ceremony was held changed from Monday to Sunday nights as a way to make the broadcast available for even more viewers.  For more than 60 years the Academy Awards have been held in late March or early April usually six weeks after the announcement of the nominees.  Then in 2004, the decision was made to move the ceremony to an earlier time in the year to late February or early March as a way to shorten the intense and competitive lobbying and ad campaigns by the film studios during the time before the actual ceremony. 

Roosevelt HotelThe venue where the Academy Awards ceremony has taken place has also changed numerous times over the years.  As mentioned previously the first ceremony took place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in 1929.  After that first year the venue alternated between the Ambassador Hotel and the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles during the years 1930 to 1943.  Then from 1944 to 1946 the awards ceremony was held at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, followed by the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles from 1947 to 1948.  For one year in 1949 the ceremony took place at the Academy’s headquarters in Hollywood. Then, once again the venue changed to the Pantages Theatre and the awards ceremony took place there from 1953 to 1957 while it was televised simultaneously with an additional location in New York City. In 1961, the Academy Awards ceremony moved to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium followed by another move of venue in 1969 to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Los Angeles Music Center.  Finally in 2002, the award ceremony found a permanent venue at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood but the name of the building changed several times until 2012 when it was renamed the Dolby Theatre.   

Pantages Theatre    Kodak Theatre - red carpet   

Academy Awards Trivia

  • Three movies have tied for being awarded the most Oscars with 11 each – “Ben Hur” (1959), “Titanic” (1997) and “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” (2003).
  • Two movies have tied for the most Oscar nominations with 14 each – “All About Eve” (1951) and “Titanic”  (1997)
  • The youngest person to receive an Oscar was Shirley Temple; she was 5 years old when she received her honorary Oscar in 1934.
  • The youngest actress to win an Oscar was Tatum O’Neal; she was 10 years old when she won the Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Paper Moon” in 1974. 
  • The oldest person to win an Oscar was Christopher Plummer; he was 82 years old when he won the Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Beginners” in 2012.
  • The oldest person to win an Oscar for Best Actor was Henry Fonda; he was 76 when he won for his performance in “On Golden Pond” in 1982.
  • The oldest person to be nominated for an Oscar was Gloria Stewart who was 87 years old for her performance as the older Rose in “Titanic” in 1997.
  • The actor with the most Best Actor awards is Daniel Day-Lewis; he won three Oscars for his performances in “My Left Foot” (1989), “There Will Be Blood” (2007), and most recently “Lincoln” (2012).
  • The actress with the most Best Actress awards is Katherine Hepburn; she won four Oscars for her performances in “Morning Glory” (1932), “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967), “The Lion in Winter”  (1968) and “On Golden Pond” (1981).
  • The actor with the most Oscar nominations is Jack Nicholson who was nominated 12 times.  He won three times – twice for Best Actor for his performances in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975), “As Good As It Gets” (1997 ), and once for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Terms of Endearment” (1983).
  • The actress with the most Oscar nominations is Meryl Streep who was nominated 18 times.  She won three times – twice for Best Actor for her performances in “Sophie’s Choice” (1982), “The Iron Lady” (2011) and once for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Kramer vs Kramer” (1979).
  • The director with the most Oscars is John Ford; he won for “The Informer” (1935), Grapes of Wrath” (1939), “How Green Was My Valley” (1941) and “The Quiet Man’ (1951).
  • The person awarded the most Oscars was Walt Disney, he won 26 Academy Awards during his lifetime – 22 Oscars and 4 honorary ones.  He also received an astounding 64 Oscar nominations.
  • The Oscar statuette is made of gold plated britannium sitting on a black metal base and weighs 8.5 pounds and is 13.5 inches tall, the statuette is an Art Deco design depicting a knight holding a crusader’s sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes.  The five spokes are symbolic to represent the original branches of the Academy – actors, directors, producers, writers and technicians.
  • The original Oscar mold was cast in 1918 by the C.W. Shumway & Sons Foundry in Batavia, Illinois.  Since 1983, the Oscars have been made by the R.S. Owens & Company in Chicago, Illinois. 
  • During World War II, the statuettes were made of plaster in support of the armed services which were in desperate need of metal materials for guns and ammunitions.  Later, after the war the statuettes were replaced for the normal gold ones.
  • There are several stories as to how the Oscar statuette received its name.  One story dates to 1931 when Margaret Herrick, the Academy librarian, remarked that the statuette looked like her Uncle Oscar Pierce.  Another story is credited to Bette Davis who named her award Oscar after her first husband the band leader Harmon Oscar Nelson.  The award was officially named “Oscar” by the Academy in 1939.           
  • Since 1950, the Oscar statuettes that is awarded is legally the property of the Academy and the rules state that the winner or their heirs may not sell the statuette without first offering to sell the statuette back to the Academy for $1.  If the winner refuses to agree to this then the Academy will keep the statuette.  Of course this rule has been questioned most recently as 2004 when the heirs of Orson Welles took the matter to court and won the case because the Oscar was originally awarded to Welles in 1941 prior to the rule.  Subsequently, the Best Original Screenplay for “Citizen Kane” was sold in December 2011 at auction for $861,542.     

Decor – Decorating a China Cabinet

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There is one item in a house that we normally do not think of as a decorative piece of furniture; it is the dining room china cabinet.  Most people would think the only function of a china cabinet is to store their fine china dinnerware, crystal glasses or silver serving pieces when they are not being used for a formal luncheon or dinner in the dining room.  In this post I am going to show how I display the items in our china cabinet and also how I change some of the decorative items seasonally throughout the year for many different holiday styles.

Decorating a china cabinet

Shown below is a photo of how I have decorated our china cabinet and this is how it looks during most of the year and I am sure it looks a lot like a typical china cabinet display.  Inside on the top two shelves of the china cabinet I have displayed pieces from our Noritake Rothschild china; each of the eight place settings has a dinner plate, luncheon plate, salad or dessert plate, soup bowl and cup/saucer.  The china is very special to me because it was a wedding gift from my mother.  To add some interest to the cabinet I have displayed the dinner plates on edge so the delicate floral pattern of the plate is shown, there is a groove on the glass shelf to prevent the plates from moving.  I also have added eight glass and silver plate chargers that are displayed beneath each of the stacked place settings.

China Cabinet display

Displayed with the china are four sets of Tiffany crystal glasses that were a wedding present from a good friend, each set has a champagne glass and a wine glass.  On the top shelf I have displayed two vintage crystal champagne glasses that were given to me by my mother.  I have a very sentimental idea that when my children get married I will loan them the set as the “something old” from their maternal grandparents and it can be used as their wedding “toasting glasses”. (Unfortunately, in the photo above the bright light shining on the top shelf does not allow the vintage glasses to be seen)

Inside the china cabinet I have also displayed several silver serving pieces.  On the second shelf there are two small silver candlesticks.  On the bottom shelf there are two round silver serving trays and placed on top on the left is a silver pitcher and on the right is a silver and glass pitcher.  In the middle of the bottom shelf there is a mirrored silver stand that is made in three sections, one square piece and two half rounded pieces.  I really like the versatility of stand since I can displayed the three pieces together for one long surface or separately, the square piece can be used as one stand or the two half pieces can be joined together to form a round stand.  During most of the year I displayed a silver oval-shaped covered serving piece on the top of the silver stand using all three pieces.  Shown below are two photos of how I have used the mirrored silver stand in other displays.  The photo on the right shows the stand used during the fall/winter season, I have displayed a set of three Currier and Ives porcelain house complete with small pine trees and several figurines.  The photo on the left shows the stand when it was used a couple of years ago on the dining room table as part of a New Year’s Party buffet, displayed on top of the stand is a beautiful floral arrangement of white poinsettias and crystal sprays in a silver bowl.  (For more information and photos about the other decorations for the party, please check out the Décor post New Year’s Party decorations)

2012 Christmas Currier and Ives 1a    New Year's Eve Dinner centerpeice

The last decorative items that are displayed in the china cabinet are several Napoleon Capodimonte porcelain rose figurines.  On the top shelf is a Napoleon white porcelain rose figurine which I had given to my mother as a birthday present many years ago because white roses were her favorite flower.  When she died recently the piece came back to me and it is displayed near my mother’s vintage glasses.  On the second shelf I have displayed another Napoleon porcelain rose figurine, the cluster of roses are a beautiful pale pink and the figurine is set on a small silver candleholder which I’ve used as a stand.  On the bottom shelf of the china cabinet I have displayed two more Napoleon porcelain rose figurines, these two figurines are a lovely deep shade of pink roses with stems and they are placed on top of the round silver trays on the left and right.

Seasonal china cabinet decorations

When decorating a china cabinet for the different holidays you will want to take into consideration that it is already filled with china, crystal and silver pieces so select just a few simple but elegant decorative seasonal items the compliment the colors of the china.  I am lucky because the Nortitake Rothschild pattern of my china is very neutral in color and the season items that I use blend very well with the other items already on display.

Spring/Easter –

Several years ago I found four large silver and white glass eggs in a local retail store and for the Easter holiday I set the eggs inside four of the Noritake china tea cups which sit atop the stacked china place settings.  I also have collected a Hallmark series of Peter Rabbit themed ornaments over the years and I display these around the china cabinet resting against some of the teacups.  I think these Easter decorations add the perfect touch to decorating the china cabinet for the season.

2013 Easter china cabinet closeup 2    2013 Easter china cabinet closeup 1

Patriotic –

For the Fourth of July holiday I was looking for some patriotic decorations for the china cabinet.  I wanted something that would match the elegance of the china, crystal and silver items already displayed in the cabinet.  A few years ago I had purchased four large stars made out of mirrors and trimmed in silver and they looked wonderful placed in the china tea cups and are a simple and the perfect patriotic touch.

IMG_3666a

Fall/Autumn –

Once again I was looking for simple yet elegant decorative items to add to the china cabinet for the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons.  I couldn’t find anything that I like in my local retail stores so I decided to make them.  I found two small ceramic pumpkins in my local craft store that I painted orange with green stems and decorated them with small topaz-colored crystals.  I placed the pumpkins on the two of the china tea cups and they looked wonderful in the china cabinet with the light reflecting off the crystals.  (For a supply list and instructions on making the jeweled pumpkins, please check out the Craft post link Jeweled Pumpkins)

2013-09-11 08.46.25

Finally, when decorating a china cabinet think about using the area outside of the cabinet to incorporate some design elements for the holiday seasons.  Shown below are three photos of the china cabinet decorated for the Fall and Christmas seasons.  When we lived in California our dining room had very high ceiling and I wanted to take advantage of that height by decorating the top of the cabinet with a pine garland.  The first photo was taken during Christmas 2002 and features the pine garland decorated with red poinsettias and holly leaves.  The second photo was taken during the Fall season in 2003 and it featured the pine garland decorated with a variety of fruit and berries.  The third photo was taken during Christmas 2003 and it features sugared fruit accented with a red silk ribbon.  (For more information about these decorations, check out the Décor post My Christmas Decorations from Past Years)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

2003 Fall - Dining Room China Cabinet    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

As you can see, there are a variety of ways to decorate a china cabinet.  The important thing to remember is to keep the decorations to a minimum since the china, crystal and silver are the stars of the show!!

Craft – Wooden Initials

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For this Craft post I am going to show several different projects that were made with items currently available at Michael’s Craft Stores nationwide.  Recently simple wooden initials, laser cut plaques and frames so I spent a pleasant hour selecting various items for two separate craft projects and list below are the list of supplies and instructions needed.

Michaels 1    Michaels 2

Initial door or wall plaque #1

Supplies –

  • Large wood initial (I used the initial of our last name)
  • 1 oval wood frame
  • 1 laser-cut wood frame with oval opening (it is much thinner than the oval frame)
  • Small piece of material or paper (to use as backing for the initial)
  • Small can of wood stain (I used a deep mahogany stain)
  • Bronze metallic paint
  • Paint brushes
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Initial 1 - supplies

 Instructions –

  1. Stain the wood frame and the laser-cut wood frame, let the paint dry completely.
  2. Since both the frame and the thinner laser-cut frame the same dark color I wanted to add some interest.  So, using the bronze paint, I painted an oval shape around the laser-cut frame opening.  Using a gold paint pen, I drew a continuous line accenting the curves of the laser-cut frame.
  3. Attach the two pieces, the wood frame and the thinner laser-cut wood frame, together using hot glue.
  4. Next, I painted the large initial with the bronze paint, let the paint dry completely.
  5. Then, I cut a piece of scrapbook paper that looks like leather into the size and shape of the frame opening.  Then, attach the painted large initial to the paper using the hot glue.  Before gluing the initial, be sure that the placement is centered to show within the rectangular frame opening.
  6. Finally, assemble all the pieces together to complete the craft project.

Initial 1 - finished

Initial door or wall plaque #2

Supplies –

  • Small wood initial (I used the initial of my daughter’s first name)
  • 1 rectangular wood frame
  • 1 laser-cut wood frame with rectangular opening (thinner than the oval frame)
  • Small piece of material or paper (to use as backing for the initial)
  • Pink paint
  • White paint and clear sparkle paint
  • Paint brushes
  • Pink crystals, self adhesive
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Initial 2 - supplies

 Instructions –

  1. Paint the wood frame with the pink paint, let the paint dry completely.
  2. Using the white paint as a base color, I painted the laser-cut frame and the small wood initial, let the paint dry completely.
  3. Then, using the clear sparkle paint as a clear top color, I applied two layers of paint to the laser-cut frame and the small wood initial, let the paint dry completely between the two coats.
  4. Attached the two pieces, the wood frame and the thinner laser-cut wood frame, together using hot glue.
  5. I cut a piece of scrapbook paper in glitter purple into the size and shape of the frame opening.  Then, attach the painted small initial to the paper using hot glue.  Before gluing the initial, be sure that the placement is centered to show within the rectangular frame opening.
  6. Individually attached the pink crystals to the border of the fame to add a little more sparkle.
  7. Finally, assemble all the pieces together to complete the craft project.

Initial 2 - finished

So, next time you are looking for a personalized gift for a special occasion, such as a new baby, wedding or new home celebrations, please consider one of these wooden initial craft projects because they would make a great gift!!

Travel – Tower of London (Part Two)

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There are so many interesting things to see and learn during a visit to the Tower of London and it can be very overwhelming and that is the reason I have written two separate posts.  In the previous Travel post, Tower of London (Part One), I went into details about the history as a royal palace, fortress and prison. In this second post, I will discuss the history of the Jewel House which holds the famous Crown Jewels of England.  I will also discuss two very different iconic residents of the Tower of London; the ravens whose presence has a legendary beginning connected to the historic Tower grounds and the Yeoman of the Guards who perform many duties such as tour guides and security force for the Tower of London.

Jewel House at the Tower of London

The Jewel House and the Crown Jewels of England

Over the past centuries the Tower of London has stored the crowns, robes, jewels and other valuable items which were worn by the kings and queens of England.  The tradition of the monarch’s coronation ceremony has been performed for over 1,000 years but the coronation regalia, known collectively as the Crown Jewels, are relatively modern pieces.  Several buildings throughout the Tower of London have held these items for safekeeping and in 1665 the Crown Jewels were first put on display for the public to view.

The current Jewel House was built in 1967 as the west wing of the Waterloo Barracks.  The Crown Jewels were displayed in a secured area in the basement of the building with the other royal items, such as the goldplate serving pieces, were displayed on an upper floor.  Over time the high visitor attendance to the Jewel House in Tower of London required a larger area.  Construction on the new Jewel House began in 1992 and was completed two years later in 1994.  The new Jewel House was three times larger than the old one and could accommodate the large crowds more efficiently.  New advanced security and display technology were also incorporated into the design, such as 2 inch thick shatter proof glass, filtered air and fiber-optic lighting were used in the construction of the display cases.

TRAVEL TIP:  Before entering the Jewel House, be sure to take a photo in front with the Tower Guard sentry post, it makes a great souvenir of a day at the Tower of London!

1998 tower of london

Entrance to the Jewel HouseUpon entering the Jewel House, the first area visitors will encounter is called the Hall of Monarchs.  On display in this room are the crests and seals, also known as the coat of arms, of the British monarchs from William the Conqueror to the most recent, Queen Elizabeth II.  It is a wonderful chance to compare both the similar and sometimes different elements used by the various monarchs during the past centuries.

As visitors proceed through the building, three short films are shown in adjoining areas.  One of those films is of the 1953 coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II; it was the first time the solemn coronation ceremony was shown on television.  Take a moment to stop and see the very young Queen being crowned but more importantly take note of the coronation regalia that visitors will see later on their tour of the Jewel House.  (For more detailed information about the 1953 coronation ceremony, please click on the following post called the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II)

Jewel House - royal maces displayThe next area in the Jewel House is a long hallway called the Processional Way; this is where the royal maces are displayed.  The mace was originally a medieval weapon made of wood and metal but over time it became a symbol of the king or queen’s rank and authority.  The more ornate ceremonial maces were made of precious metal and studded with jewels to reflect the sovereign’s high rank and is usually held by someone who precedes the king or queen in a procession.

Next, is the room displaying the Crown Jewels of England and two slow moving walkways are located on either side running the length of the display cases of the various crowns of the Kings and Queens of England.  Don’t worry if you missed anything in the display cases or want a different view of the crowns, just take the moving walkway on the other side for another look!  Be sure to look for the Imperial State Crown worn by the Queen annually at the State Opening of Parliament, the small Queen Victoria Diamond Crown, and the Queen Mother Crown with the large 105.6 carat Koh-i-Nor diamond.  (For more detailed information about the crowns in the collection, please click on the following post called the Crown Jewels of England – Part Two)

In the next room, the Coronation Regalia is on display including the coronation robe worn by the current queen, Queen Elizabeth II.  After the execution of King Charles I in 1649, Oliver Cromwell had the original crown jewels either sold or melted down to be made into coins.  Later after the Restoration, with the loss or destruction of the crown jewels, some would say that King Charles II was “a king with no crown” and a new set of coronation regalia was made for him in 1661.  More than half of the items on display in this room date back to that time in history, please sure to look for the Coronation Spoon which is the oldest item in the collection and is believed to be the only item that survived the destruction of the crown jewels by Oliver Cromwell.  Another item to look for is the Sceptre with Cross with the very large 530.2 carat Cullinan I diamond which was added to the sceptre in 1910, it is the largest cut diamond in the world.

British Crown Jewels

The last room on the Jewel House tour holds the royal plate collection which is a collection of serving pieces used by the king or queen for special occasions.  Look for the largest item in the collection, the beautifully decorated silver gilt Grand Punch Bowl made in 1830, it is weighs 546 pounds and it was originally intended to be a wine vessel that would hold 144 bottles of wine.  One of the most unique items in the collection is the Salt of State which was made after the Restoration in 1660, the function of the piece is to hold a variety of spices for a banquet but in looks like a golden fairytale castle.

Jewel House - punch bowl    Salt of State

The legend of the Tower of London Ravens

Over the centuries, wild ravens were very common throughout Britain and the area of the Tower of London was within their range.  The ravens were thought to frequent the Tower supposedly attracted by the smell of the corpses of the executed enemies of the Crown the ravens would feed on the remains.  Unfortunately, with the growth of the city London and the surrounding countryside, over time the numbers of ravens dramatically decreased.

The legend of the Tower of London ravens can be traced to the reign of King Charles II.   It seems that the flight of the ravens was beginning to interfere with work of the royal astronomer, John Flamsteed, who conducted his daily observations with a telescope located in the observatory of the White Tower.  King Charles, who greatly disliked the ravens’ droppings on the Tower grounds, originally ordered that the ravens would be killed but he was advised that it was unlucky to kill a raven and if this order was carried out “the Tower would fall and he would lose his kingdom”.  Ever the pragmatist, King Charles sent out a new order to solve the problem and the Royal Observatory was moved to Greenwich and the ravens’ wings would be clipped to keep them at the Tower.  Over the centuries, the captive ravens became associated with the tradition and superstition that as long as there were ravens held at the Tower of London “the Crown will not fail and Britain will remain strong”.

Tower of London - ravenCurrently the group of ravens held captive at the Tower consistently numbers a total of seven Common Ravens.  At some time over the centuries, six was determined the lucky number of ravens, so there are six ravens that roam the Tower grounds and an additional raven is held as an extra.  The ravens can only fly a very short distance because the flight feathers on one of their wings are clipped to prevent them from leaving the Tower grounds.  To identify the individual birds, each raven is marked with a different colored band on their leg and they are also given a name by their Yeoman Warders caretakers.

The diet of the Tower ravens includes fresh fruit, cheese and fresh meat such as beef, chicken or lamb.  They are also given vitamins and other supplements, such as chopped boiled eggs and cod liver oil.  The ravens are well-cared for as visitors will note by the healthy weight and shining coats of the pampered Tower ravens.  The visitors are also advised not to feed the birds and are warned that the ravens will bite if they feel threatened.  The ravens held in captivity at the Tower of London have recorded lifespans of over 40 years.

The Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London

The Yeoman Warders are the ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London.  Once responsible for guarding the prisoners of the Tower and the British Crown Jewels, today the Yeoman Warders act as tour guides who have extensive knowledge of the history of the Tower.  Sometimes the Yeoman Warders are incorrectly referred to as the Yeoman of the Guard, which is the separate distinct group of royal bodyguards of the British monarch.  The Yeoman Warders were first formed in 1485 by King Henry VII and then later in 1509, his son King Henry VIII moved the official royal residence of the monarch from the Tower of London and the group split into two separate groups.  The majority of the Yeoman of the Guard went with the King but a much smaller group of twelve Yeoman were retained at the Tower so it could maintain the formal status of royal place.  The main function of the remaining Yeomen became the warder of the Tower prisoners and the name was changed to Yeoman Warders to reflect their actual duties.

Currently there are 27 Yeoman Warders and one Chief Warder at the Tower of London.  The requirement to become a Yeoman Warder is they must be a retired member of the Armed Forces of England or the Commonwealth, a former senior non-commissioned officer or petty officer with at least 22 years of service and also hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal.  In 2007, this normally male dominated institution changed and the first female Yeoman Warder, Moira Cameron, was sworn in.  More changes where to come for Yeoman Warder requirements and until very recently only non-commissioned officers from the Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force were eligible to apply for the position.  The Royal Navy had been exempt because they took an oath to the Admiralty and not the Queen.  In 2011, this allegiance oath reverted back to the Queen and the first Naval Yeoman Warder had applied, was accepted and sworn in.  The Yeoman Warders and their families are required to live within the Tower of London and some of the housing dates back to the 13th century.  The Tower has its own community with a Resident Governor, chaplain, doctor and even a pub.  The only problem is that when the Tower is locked at night to keep out intruders, the Yeoman Warders and their families are locked in and are prevented from leaving the Tower until morning.

The Yeoman Warders normally wears a dark blue uniform with red trimmings.  For official state occasions, such as the Queen visit to the Tower, they wear a red and gold uniform which is very similar to the Yeoman of the Guard.  This uniform is referred to as the Tudor State Dress which has changed very little from when it was in the 1400s and it is very uncomfortable to wear because of the high white collar and heavy fabric.

The Yeoman Warders are sometimes called “Beefeaters” which has a historical origin as the Yeoman from centuries past were given the right to eat as much beef as they wanted at the King’s table and basically the Yeoman were a very well feed group!  But according the modern-day Yeoman Warder in charge as the Ravenmaster, it is the Tower Raven that are the real “beef-eaters” because of their daily diet of meat!

The Ceremony of the Keys

A long standing tradition is the Ceremony of the Keys which is held every night at the Tower of London and it has been performed in the same way since the 14th century.  The Chief Yeoman Warder, who is dressed in Tudor watchcoat, meets his military escort of Tower of London Guards at exactly 9:53 p.m.  Together they will march to lock the main gates of the Tower.  After securing the Tower Gate, the Chief Yeoman Warder with his military escort will march down Water Lane.  On the way back into the Tower, the group is stopped by a sentry that shouts, “Halt! Who goes there?”  The Yeoman Chief Warder replies, “The keys”  “Who’s Keys”, the sentry says.  “Queen Elizabeth’s keys” the Chief Warder answers back.  The sentry states, “All is well” and allows the group to pass.

Tower of London - keys ceremony 1    Tower of London - keys ceremony 2

The Yeoman Chief Warder and his military escort proceed through the Bloody Tower Archway and into the main area of the Tower.  The group halts at the bottom of a set of stairs known as the Broadwalk Steps.  At the top of the stairs another group of Tower Guards are called to present arms (a military command shown as a sign of respect).  The Chief Warder raises his hat and calls out, “God save Queen Elizabeth”.  The ceremony is concluded when the Chief Warder takes the keys to the residential section of the Tower to a building known as the Queen’s House and the keys are stored for safekeeping while the Last Post is sounded for the night which officially ends the day at the Tower of London.

TRAVEL NOTE:  When visiting the Tower of London, I would definitely recommend the free one hour tour given by a Yeoman Warder guide.  These tours are an excellent way to learn the history of the Tower, but they are also surprising entertaining and humorous despite the serious topics of imprisonment, execution and torture.

For more information, such as hours of operation and admission cost for the Tower of London, please see their website at www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon