I know I’m breaking my promise of only a dozen or so blogs a year, but a monthlong visit in London demands exceptions, so I hope you’ll enjoy traveling with me. And another note: If I were home I would be able to post to the blog the short videos we’ve made during the visits. I hope to do that when I return. In the meantime, you can access them on my Facebook and Instagram pages by clicking the links here on my Home page. However, if you prefer to avoid social media, I get it, believe me.
When I wrote Dukes Prefer Blondes, it was a bit harder to get the information I needed about Asgill House (Ithaca House in the story) than it is today. But of course I persevered. I found old photos of the interior and the architect’s explanation of the restoration. However, I had no idea how beautifully the house had been restored until I saw it in person. The gardens—what one can see of them behind the wall and through the gates—are lovely. The house looks pristine. While the garden layout was likely different at the time of my story, there’s no question that the place would have provided the beauty and tranquility Raven Radford’s parents sought.
What I failed to take in, even after a reader alerted me via email, was the significance of the location. Because so little of Richmond Palace remains, I hadn’t realized that the house was on royal property. I feel rather stupid about that. It would have been nice to make a little note about, say, the fact that Queen Elizabeth I had died at Richmond Palace, and such and such a character might unknowingly be standing on the very spot where she breathed her last!
Not the first time I’ve learned something after the fact…
Meanwhile, here are a few photos of the place. The last photo is of Marble Hill House, Twickenham (across the river). It was built originally by a mistress of King George II. A few generations later, the Prince Regent (who later became King George IV) rented the place for one of his mistresses, Maria Fitzherbert.
Below is a transcription of the plaque.
On this site, extending eastward to cloisters of the ancient friary of Shene formerly stood the river frontage of the Royal Palace. First occupied by Henry I in 1125. Edward III died here June 21, 1377. The palace was rebuilt by Henry VII who died here April 21 1509. Queen Elizabeth also died here March 24, 1603.
