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Come along to a special Brunchtime Lecture at Kensington Palace on 5 December to explore the surprising world of Pantomime and Performance in Victorian England.
Victorian pantomimes were extremely elaborate spectacles. Performances often involved high production costs and hundreds of performers, lasting anywhere up to six hours! Here is an image of Dan Leno, a famous Pantomime Dame, dressed for his role as Mother Goose in Cinderella.
Find out more here: http://bit.ly/1SjNAfP
© Bridgeman Images
Recipe of the day: Christmas pudding This mid-19th century recipe is the first recorded version of the Christmas pudding we know and love today. The pudding seems to have become popular during the reign of Queen Victoria. Her husband Prince Albert brought over many seasonal traditions from his native Germany, including eating a fruit-filled pudding at Christmas time! Try out the recipe for yourself and browse our other Christmas Banquet recipes here: http://bit.ly/banquetpudding
Today in 1851: The British public were given their first chance to see the Koh-i-Noor diamond when it went on display at the Great Exhibition. The correspondent from The Times reported that ‘a mysterious interest appears to be attached to it… the crowd is enormously enhanced, and the policemen at either end of the covered entrance have much trouble in restraining the struggling and impatient multitude’. Today the 105.6 carat diamond is set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and can be seen at the Tower of London. http://bit.ly/SgV0PX
Today in 1901: Queen Victoria dies at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, at 6.30pm.
Staff at Hampton Court are currently undertaking a large audit of the collections in the Palace.
Unsurprisingly, they've come across a few new objects that haven't been found before, like this child's alphabet cup. Despite being at least 100 years old, this looks quite similar to some more contemporary children's items.
