500words

What is a dwelling?  It is ‘a building or place of shelter to live in, a place of residence, abode, home’.  It’s a slightly strange word, not commonly used in first world countries, where usually people refer to the type of dwelling live in – this allows a view of the type of property, and also slightly denotes its characteristics and potentially it’s value.  The word dwelling seems to me to denote a more humble and pressing solution to human need.  Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs includes five levels – physiological needs, safety needs, belongness and love, esteem and self-actualisation.  A dwelling provides a number of inputs to these levels – if we have a dwelling, we have shelter, security, safety, a feeling of accomplishment, and an opportunity to feel like we have achieved something – getting a home, and providing shelter for loved ones.  Lack of a dwelling place impacts heavily on human need fulfilment. In developing countries, dwellings can meet the sam...

Ghosts of the Trianon ...or a case of mutual hysteria brought on by lesbianism The Grand Trianon, commissioned by Louis XIV in 1670 to serve him as a venue in which to conduct nefarious endeavours, is perhaps one of the most decadent yet refined architectural ensembles, to be found and enjoyed in the royal estate of Versailles. Typically, of the time and architectural bent, a gauche yet at the same time modest palace set across a single storey and boasting pink marble, it was said to combine the ‘elevation of an orangery, the layout of a warren and the materials of a royal residence’. On the 10 August, 1901, in the languid heat of the first summer of the new century, it was also the destination for two holidaying friends, visiting from Oxford, on a day that would later come to be known, as the Morberly-Jourdain incident (or, for increased thrill, The Ghosts of Trianon). Firm friends, academics and res...

The Palace of Versailles   Louis XIII was an avid hunter, And so off he went in search of game one day, In an area located between his residencies, One in Paris, one in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. And whilst he was on this great hunt, Pheasants, boars and stags all caught his eye, He decided this was the perfect location for a hunting lodge, The humble beginnings, of the Palace of Versailles.   To this place his son took a great liking, And under his instruction the lodge grew and grew, From the construction of the forecourt to the Royal chapel, Louis XIV ensured there was always something new. In 1682 it became the main residence of the French court and government, The sound of parties and leisure often filled the sky, The new King expressed his power and authority, In the grandness, of the Palace of Versailles.   Extravagant gardens stretched for hundreds of acres, A truly breath-taking sight, Although rumour has it the overwhe...

When France’s King Louis XIII died at the age of 41 in 1643, the monarchy passed to the eldest of his two children, Louis XIV, who was just four years old at the time. As the new king was far too young to rule over his 19 million subjects his mother, Anne, served as regent until Louis XIV’s coronation at the age of 15. King Louis XIV then ruled for 72 years and 110 days, until his death in 1715. King Louis XIV was known as the “Sun King” as he reigned over a period of great prosperity in France. The Sun King personified this prosperity and spent the equivalent of around £1.5 billion in today’s money turning the Palace of Versailles into a decadent royal residence. The Palace served as the principal royal residence of France for 107 years, from 1682 until the start of the French Revolution in 1789. The Palace is located approximately 12miles away from the centre of Paris, in Yvelines. The Palace and its surrounding grounds cover an area of 2,014 acres, making it the largest Royal Do...

Versailles… well that’s an easy subject… because everyone knows about the Palace of Versailles right?   It’s the one that was the principle residence of Louis XIV; the one where Marie Antoinette allegedly said ‘let them eat cake’ when she was told that the peasants of France had no bread in the 17 th or 18 th century; the one where the Treaty of Versailles was signed - the most important of the peace treaties which ended the First World War; the one which has the stunning Hall of Mirrors, paying tribute to the political, economic and artistic success of France during the reign of Loui XIV.   You may even know about the then most expensive wedding reception ever, held for Vanisha Mittal and Amit Bhatia and their families in 2004, costing a mere USD60million.   You may know, but its less likely, that the Treaty of Paris was signed there, ending the American Revolution in 1783 – why was it signed there you may wonder?   Well this article won’t tell you. But poor V...

    You probably know that the Gardens of Versailles are famous for their water features including lakes, ponds, reflections and 50 wonderful fountain displays.   Some restoration work has been carried out, often at curved pipe sections, and some small sections have been replaced since the 1600’s, but incredibly most of the original hydraulics remain intact and the majority of the original network of waterworks is still in place.    Once the landscape was levelled the search for water began.   This quest inspired the greatest leap forward in hydraulic technology and engineering since Roman times. Where would the water come from and how could it be pumped around the gardens?   What sized pipes and how much pressure would be required to produce a 10ft fountain on a site lacking a water supply?   At one time there were more than 2000 fountains in the Gardens of Versailles and a 46km network of underground pipes supplied the ponds with running w...

  Versailles     Royal Hunting Lodge to Extraordinary Visitor Attraction   In the Carte de L’Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Chartres, a document pre-dating 1038, one of the signatories was Hugo de Versailles, the seigneur of Versailles.   During this period the village centred on a small castle and church.   This was destroyed by plague and the 100 years war (1332-1453).    In 1575 Albert De Gondi, a member of Henri II’s court purchased the title, he became captain of the first company of gentlemen of the King's household and   invited King Louis XIII on several hunting trips in the forests of Versailles.   Much taken with the location Louis decided to build a hunting lodge there. Philbert Le Roi, royal engineer and architect, was employed in 1631 to create a chateau to replace the hunting lodge.   This small chateau of three wings around an open court remained as the core of the Sun King’s great palace of Versailles.  ...