Newsletter No 28– September 2018
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Newsletter No 28– September 2018 Houses of Parliament. Photo by Kenneth Scowen, Piktin Pictorials Ltd London International Rally Butler Society members from America, Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ire- land, Malta, New Zealand, and the UK, gathered in London from 5th - 8th July for the Interna- tional Butler Rally. Thursday Evening Reception The Rally began with a Reception at the Houses of Parliament. As there were so many of us, we were split in to two groups and had to enter through two separate entrances. The security procedures, involving the checking of our handbags, etc, and body screening took a while, as did the registration process, but it gave people a chance to introduce them- selves to their neighbours in the queue, and the noise of many conversations soon rose. While the other group toured the building, my group went first to the River Room for drinks and the book launch. The River Room is on the second floor, overlooking the Thames River, as the name suggests. It is an attractive room with reproduction Gothic style panelling and leadlight windows. After we had had time for a drink or two, Turtle Bunbury spoke about the book which has been written by John Kirwan called “The Chief Butlers of Ireland and the House of Ormond”. John has spent Southern Cross Region No 28—September 2018 -2- London International Rally (cont) many hours researching the lives of every Chief Butler starting with Theobald, who was the 1st and died in 1205, down to the 31st, Charles Butler, who died in 1997. Turtle gave an interesting summary of some of the most notable of these men, and then officially “launched” the book with much acclaim from the group. (Note: Copies of this book have been ordered from Ire- land and will be available soon.) A tour of the building then followed, and we were taken through corridors, lobbies, and rooms which are not normally open to the public. The existing Houses of Parliament were built between 1840 and 1870, to re- place older buildings which were destroyed in a fire in River Room photos by Ruth Reeves 1834. But the new building was designed in the Gothic (or medieval) Revival style, as at that time, that style was thought to look suitably imposing for official build- ings. The rooms we passed through were therefore quite ornate, with lots of timber panelling and murals containing symbolic figures and details on the walls, decorative chandeliers and light fittings, and some inter- esting portraits. There were also a number of statues and busts of previous Prime Ministers and notable Members of Parliament. Unfortunately we were unable to enter the House of Lords (in Australia we call it the Upper House), but we did visit the House of Commons, (in Australia, the Lower House), where our guide de- scribed various Parliamentary procedures. The tour finished in Westminster Hall, which is the old- est surviving part of the parliamentary complex. The Hall was built in 1394 and was used for the very first meetings of parliamentary members, presided over by The Central Lobby, leading to both Chambers. the King. Some of the earliest Chief Butlers of Ireland, and their kin, would have attended meetings here, before the two Chambers (House of Lords, and House of Com- mons) were built at a later date. The Hall is famous for its timber hammer-beam roof, which is the largest medieval timber roof in Northern Eu- rope. It spans about 22 metres, or 66 feet, without any columns, and was an engineering marvel in its day. The Hall has recently had some restoration work done to it. The whole complex of buildings which make up the Hous- es of Parliament is currently undergoing extensive resto- ration work, because the stonework has deteriorated over the years. Several parts are completely covered by scaf- folding, and are “under wraps”. It is estimated that the work will take about 20 years to complete. Westminster Hall Southern Cross Region No 28—September 2018 -3- London International Rally (cont) Friday Trip to Hever Castle It was a challenge to get up at 5:00am to get ready and travel across London to London Bridge Station, where we were to board our coaches at 7:15am for the drive to Hever Castle in Kent. But 82 people managed to be at the pick-up point on time, which just shows how stoic us Butlers can be! Unfortunately the coaches were late arriving as they had been held up by a traffic accident, but once we were underway, the trip went smoothly. On our arrival at Hever Castle we fortified our- selves with morning tea in the cafe, before divid- ing up in to smaller groups to tour the Castle. Hever Castle was built in the 13th Century. It had several owners, but became the home of the Bo- leyn family from 1462 to 1539. Anne Boleyn spent a lot of her childhood here. After Anne was be- headed, the Castle reverted to the Crown and subsequently became the property of a number of families. In the 1920s it was purchased by a Hever Castle is surrounded by a moat. The “Tudor wealthy American, William Waldorf Astor, and ex- Village“ is guest accommodation built in the 1920s. tensively renovated inside. William Waldorf Astor went to a lot of trouble and great expense to re- produce Tudor style interiors, buying panelling, carvings, tapestries, etc, from old buildings which were being demolished. Other items were care- fully made in a replica Tudor style, so it is possible to obtain a reasonable idea of what some of the interiors looked like when Anne lived there. After our tour, we were free to wander around the lovely landscaped grounds, which include a fa- mous rose garden, a water maze and a yew hedge maze. The day was hot and sunny, and the The entrance courtyard. shade from the many mature trees was welcome. Then we boarded our coaches to drive to the nearby Hever Golf Club for a delicious light lunch. It was easy to relax and chat, and time passed pleasantly. All too soon we needed to board the coaches for our drive back to London. Unfortu- nately traffic was heavy when we entered London again, and it took a while for us to make it back to London Bridge, but the beauty of being on a coach is that someone else concentrates on ne- gotiating the traffic, while we just sit back and en- joy the conversation! The Long Gallery, with wax models of Anne Boleyn as a child, and her grandmother. Southern Cross Region No 28—September 2018 - -4- London International Rally (cont) Saturday Tower of London Visit As members of the Butler Rally, we were able to walk past the long queues at the entrance to the Tower of London, and use the Middle Gate En- trance, which is usually for staff only. (It helps to have the right connections at places like this!) Roger Butler from NSW did a stalwart job holding up our sign and directing arrivals. Once inside we could Tower Bridge from the Tower of London. explore the battlements and various buildings in the precinct. The display material and information boards in all the locations are very interesting and informa- tive. A short play was performed in one of the court- yards, about the last days of Anne Boleyn, when she was accused of adultery and brought to the Tower to be beheaded. The dialogue was well written, and the players were very talented, playing fiddles and sing- ing as well as acting. A buffet lunch was served in the Royal Fusilier's Tower. The Royal Fusiliers is an infantry regiment which was formed in 1685 from Guards at the Tower of London, and has had its headquarters in the Tow- er ever since. Their Museum contains an interesting collection of regalia and memorabilia. Sir Richard Butler, worldwide President of The But- ler Society, gave a brief talk about the years he lived in the Tower of London precinct as a young man, when his father held the position of Governor of the Tower. Several families, as well as that of the current Governor, still continue to live in the precinct, includ- ing that of the Chaplain, the Surgeon and the Raven Keeper. Sir Richard, and his parents and siblings, lived in one of the medieval houses in the main The Fusilier’s Tower quadrangle, called the Queen's House, which is re- puted to have been built for Anne Boleyn. There is a ceremony each evening when the Yeo- men of the Guard lock up all the gates, make the Tower precinct secure, and hand the keys over to the Governor. Any of the residents who wish to go out at night need to inform the Guard, and there is a pass- word they need to give to get back in. Sir Richard remembered there were some occasions as a young man, when he had trouble recalling the password and the correct entry procedures, after arriving back from a convivial evening out! Lord Rathdonnell, who Medieval housing still in use in the Tower. was seated not far from Sir Richard, was apparently The Queen’s House is in the corner. a companion of Sir Richard's on some of these noc- turnal occasions, but, with an exchange of reminiscent grins, it was decided not to give us any more details! Southern Cross Region No 28—September 2018 -5- London International Rally (cont) After lunch the Triennial General Meeting took place. Reports were given by James Butler the Chairman, Mark Reade the Treasurer, and John Kirwan the Secretary.