The two bodies were moved here from Chislehurst in 1888 and placed in red granite sarcophagi, a present from Queen Victoria. His architect was H. E. Kendall Jnr (180585), a specialist in country houses and lunatic asylums. Mr Marconi was thunderstruck at her grasp of wireless telegraphy, Ethel remembered, and later on the officers of the Royal Aeroplane factory were amazed at her knowledge of their particular subject. She planned to go up in an aeroplane but was prevented by the First World War. The house at Farnborough Hill had originally been built by H.E. Then, once settled in England, she continued to donate to most of her former public charities with donations from her private purse, commenting that others should not have to suffer just because she had. In the empresss time there were several great drawing-rooms, including a Salon dHonneur, a Salon des Princesses, a Salon des Dames and a Salon des Greuzes each of them named according to the paintings they contained. On the east side of the room, near the main entrance to the house, she added a winter garden, with huge glass windows. Do you know, I wanted to go by aeroplane, but people might have said I was a crazy old woman. Someone else who met her during that winter was the Duchess of Sermonetta, a smart young Roman. When war broke out in 1914, she donated her steam yacht Thistle to the British Navy and funded a military hospital at Farnborough Hill. Empress Eugenie: A footnote history. Their sale by her descendants in 1927 would have been shattering for her, although it was a boon for French museums, who would over time repatriate these masterpieces for Compigne, Versailles and Fontainebleau. None of this bothered Eugnie. The Empress bought the Farnborough Hill estate in 1880, following a decade of personal tragedy: the collapse of the Second Empire (1852-70), the death of Napoleon III, and the loss of her only child. But, as butterflies do, I still feel I must fly towards the sun. In 2014, to commemorate 125 years since the School first started in Farnborough, this lovely book was published describing the history of the School and including many anecdotes from former pupils and staff. ISBN : 9781916237827 Format : Hardback Pages : 240 Size (mm) : 290x240x36 A fascinating insight into the buildings and interiors of the Farnborough Hill estate in Hampshire, England, created by Empress Eugnie (1826-1920), the wife of Napoleon III and the last Empress-Consort of France. Empress Eugnie lived here from 1880 until her death in 1920. She lived there from 1880 to 1920, and it was in Farnborough that she built a Mausoleum to receive the remains of her husband, the last Catholic sovereign of France, and her only child, the Prince Imperial, who was killed in 1879 when fighting with the British Army in the Zulu War. They allow us to take a tour through the principal rooms of the house, complete with commentary on the furniture, paintings, porcelain and bibelots that together made the house a mix of dynastic shrine and intimate museum. The most faithful visitor was undoubtedly Queen Victoria. A whole sea of blue water looked into you. He also noticed her deep Spanish laugh, which conjured up the bull-ring. What impressed her most was the way betrayed, falsely accused, vilified the empress has attacked no one, nor uttered a single word in her own defence. Telephone: +44 (0)1252 546105, ext.211 Fax: +44 (0)1252 372822 Website: www.farnboroughabbey.org Print Return to top Share it This was likewise true of the rooms set aside for the household, which were located on the west side of the gallery, beyond the staircase. Though she never quite recovered from their deaths, Eugnie went on to live for another 40 years, continuing charity work and supporting others in their memory, an inspiring achievement.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'thesocialtalks_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_10',147,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thesocialtalks_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); The Queen of England was a great source of comfort and support for Eugnie at the time of those deaths, particularly given that Victoria had lost her husband in 1861. In 1857, using money given to Eugnie as a wedding gift from the City of Paris, she established the Foundation Eugne Napolon, a boarding for impoverished French girls. You know how great are the affection and friendship which I feel for you, wrote the queen, and you will, I hope, understand that for a few hours I have been feeling anxious for you. Someone who still insisted on styling herself Empress Eugnie although never empress of the French might easily have joined Plon-Plon in the Conciergerie. She displayed selfless courage as she and her husband risked their lives to visit hospital patients. Courtesy Paul Holberton Publishing. Farnborough is a town in northeast Hampshire, England, part of the borough of Rushmoor and the Farnborough/Aldershot Built-up Area. Like Ethel, Daudet is at pains to stress that she is neither frivolous nor a bigot. Cardinal Bourne, archbishop of Westminster, celebrated the Mass for the Dead, the monks chanting the Dies Irae, and Abbot Cabrol gave the address. The silk hangings survive from that time, but the room has otherwise been stripped of its original contents. Photograph: Will Pryce/Country Life Picture Library. The death of the Prince Imperial in 1879, aged 23, ended all hope of a Bonapartist restoration. Always practical, Eugnie installed a wireless on her yacht, as well as electric light and a telephone at Farnborough Hill. We know that she was attracted to the surrounding landscape, which reminded her of the imperial palace at Compigne, and we know that she referred to the house as her cottage, which has echoes of Marie-Antoinette at the Petit Trianon. The Empress bought the Farnborough Hill estate in 1880, following a decade of personal tragedy: the collapse of the Second Empire (1852-70), the death of Napoleon III, and the loss of her only child. She also owned one of the first motorcars in Farnborough Village. Eventually they left, leaving the abbey in a state of squalor. To those who know and sympathise with her story, the shrine is a place of extraordinary poignancy, her presence almost tangible. Farnborough Hill became an imperial palace in more than just a nostalgic sense. As time passed, they grumbled to each other about the infirmities of advancing age, Eugnies being rheumatism and bronchitis which, privately, she blamed on the English weather. Sadly, Daudet never presented Proust, who might have immortalised her in the way that he did Princesse Mathilde. Eugnie had been obliged to fight hard for the restitution of these treasures after 1870. It is a remarkable assemblage of buildings that would not look out of place in the Loire valley. The estate was sold after Eugnies death. The name is formed from Ferneberga which means "fern hill". The congregation at the funeral on 20 July included George V and Queen Mary, Alfonso XIII and Queen Ena of Spain, and Manuel II of Portugal and the Portuguese queen mother, together with Prince Victor Napoleon, the Bonapartist pretender, and his wife. Monks are still there and continue to offer prayers for the souls of dead Bonapartes. Inside the house, she created a museum-like display that recounted the history of the Bonaparte dynasty from the rise of Napoleon Bona-parte, her husbands uncle, up to the death of the Prince Imperial, her only son, in 1879. For her generosity, she was conferred the Order of the British Empire (GBE . Empress Eugnie All of these objects are now gone, but the interior is otherwise little changed and the picture hooks remain exactly where the Empress placed them. They had elaborate internal decorations designed by Destailleur and were used to display the principal items of the collection. The first objective study of her and one of the best, it is an odd, haunting book that stresses the poignancy of her existence, but as a collection of impressions and vignettes rather than a biography it tends to be overlooked, especially by English biographers. Eyes sunk deep in their sockets, eyeballs glassy and staring, he wrote. On a more practical level, she wanted to be near Queen Victoria at Windsor, which was easily accessible by train. The Third Republic had protested on learning that the empress would be given a twenty-one gun salute, and, while it did not fire the salute, a battery of Royal Horse Artillery remained drawn up outside the abbey throughout the service. Eugnie had renewed her friendship with Empress Elizabeth of Austria, by now a melancholy, slightly unbalanced wanderer, and became one of the few people in whom Elizabeth would confide. She transformed his study into her day room, where she worked at a large desk that was covered with photos and decorated with French porcelain. and then her son was tragically killed while fighting for the British in the Zululand in 1879. At the abbey, he created a striking architectural composite and Geraghty excels in uncovering the allusions that added up to a patriotic statement about French cultures ability to absorb and refine diverse European precedents. The sensational collections of the Sassoon family, Joan Mitchell Foundation sends cease-and-desist to Louis Vuitton, The week in art news heritage sites destroyed by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, The week in art news flat owners overlooked by Tate Modern win privacy case. She became a fervent Dreyfusard, convinced that Captain Dreyfus had been wrongly convicted of spying for Germany, and if she did not speak out publicly she quarrelled bitterly with Anna Murat for saying he was guilty. (Nikolaus Pevsner described it as an outrageously oversized chalet with an entrance tower and a lot of bargeboarding). In December 1919 Eugnie returned to Cap Martin, stopping en route in Paris at the Htel Continental, where Palologue called on her. The Queen of England was a great source of comfort and support for Eugnie at the time of those deaths, particularly given that Victoria had lost her husband in 1861. She particularly loved the style of 18th century France and took Marie-Antoinette as her role model. I am very saddened and discouraged. Yet Edward VII was fond of her too, writing, I knew how deeply Your Majesty would sympathise with us in our grief. Isabel remained devoted to the empress for the rest of her life, her diaries and reminiscences in The Times complementing Ethels memoirs. Eugnie sent the entire contents of the villa to Farnborough, where they furnished the house from top to bottom. Farnborough Aerodrome was at the forefront of aviation advances throughout the 20th century - pioneering the first powered flight in Britain in 1908 - and the biennial Farnborough International Airshow is a worldwide attraction, putting this quaint Hampshire town well and truly on the global map. She hates prejudice in her eyes Catholics, Jews and Protestants are equal members of humanity. He mentions her love of handsome people for her, as for the Greeks, beauty, intelligence and goodness are inseparable. It seemed that her central source of torment was the welfare of the needy or sick. 11.50. If unacclaimed by her former subjects, it was received with fitting pomp at Farnborough, drawn from the station on a gun-carriage escorted by cavalry to the abbey church. She almost invariably went to bed before eleven, the tiny household bowing and curtsying to her when she retired and she herself curtsying in response, as if they were all still at the Tuileries. Franceschini Pietri, who as the emperors secretary had ridden with him during the 1870 campaign, died in 1916 and was buried as he wished, near the stair down to the crypt of Farnborough Abbey so that the empress would pass him on her way to pray at the tombs of her husband and her son. Dennis Severs House is art installation, theatre set and 18th century throwback, Country Life's Top 100 architects, builders, designers and gardeners, Inside the house, she created a museum-like display, architect was Hippolyte Destailleur was responsible for remodelling and extending the house, The extraordinary home in an ordinary Hampshire town where Empress Eugnie of France was laid to rest, In Focus: The 160-year-old Photoshopped picture which shocked Victorian England, A home in Britains oldest chartered town with gorgeous library, indoor pool and romantic views over St Michaels Mount, In Focus: The hand-drawn maps from which JRR Tolkien launched Middle-earth. Her last words were, I am tired it is time that I went on my way.. The illustration accompanied a lengthy essay on construction, in which the vaults at La Fert-Bernard were described as the final expression of Gothic architecture. The tapestries were removed after Eugnies death, together with an important series of neo-Classical portrait busts of the family, but this attractive space is otherwise still as the Empress knew it. Farnborough Hill, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 8AT. The devastating cholera epidemics between 1865-66 brought Eugnie closer than ever to the French people. Under Eugnie from 1881, the house was substantially renovated, its external and interior decoration modified, in a process akin to translation into a French idiom. She had intended to build this at Camden Place, Chislehurst, in Kent, where the family had settled after the collapse of the imperial regime in 1870, but she faced opposition and was unable to buy enough land. During his reign Napoleon had prepared a tomb for himself in the crypt of the abbey of Saint-Denis with the kings of France, and until 1879 she had confidently assumed that he would be reinterred there, after her sons restoration. Anthony Geraghty looks at the house she adapted as the final seat of the French Second Empire. Eugnie evidently viewed the collections as a totality, and tried to preserve them in a trust. Photographs by Will Pryce for the Country Life Picture Library. In Eugnies day, it contained a series of state portraits by Grard, including the Empress Josphine in her coronation robes, and two display cases (today at Upton House, Warwickshire), which glistened with family treasure. Having received the last sacraments, she died very peacefully at 8.30 the following morning in a room that had once been her sister Pacas bedroom, and in Pacas old bed. Viollet-le-Duc illustrated this in his celebrated Dictionnaire raisonn de larchitecture franaise, which had been published in instalments during the Second Empire. The Second Empire regime that he created in 1852 and steered for 18 years has become irrevocably tarnished by its humiliating demise. There are periodic calls for the return of the bodies to France, but such a move could never be justified. Eugnie was ageing well, climbing Vesuvius when she was eighty and sailing with Sir Thomas Lipton on board his famous, ocean racing yacht Erin on at least one occasion. Before the Csar dclass was released and expelled from France, Eugnie rushed over to Paris to see if she could help, her main reason, however, being to try and unite the two branches of the Bonapartist party. Home History of the Two Empires Iconography Funeral of Empress Eugenie, the procession Farnborough with Prince Victor Napoleon and his wife following the coffin, 20 July 1920. . They argued that few women had suffered as, she had. 'Told with exceptional scholarship, wit and humanity; the book itself is a ravishingly beautiful object' - World of Interiors 'Geraghty excels in uncovering the allusions that added up to a patriotic statement about French culture's ability to absorb and refine diverse European precedents' - Apollo 'Beautifully illustrated book reconstructs what the house, collections and mausoleum were like . Evocative photographs by Firmin Rainbeaux and Lon Mniszech record the interiors of Farnborough Hill. The shrine is a town in northeast Hampshire, England, part of the First War! Then her son was tragically killed while fighting for the British in the Conciergerie ( 180585 ), a young. Eugnie although never empress of the villa to Farnborough, where they furnished the house she adapted as final! Diaries and reminiscences in the Conciergerie 1852 and steered for 18 years has irrevocably! To display the principal items of the French might easily have joined Plon-Plon in the Loire valley be near Victoria!, GU14 8AT the Greeks, beauty, intelligence and goodness are inseparable Hill. Easily have joined Plon-Plon in the Conciergerie welfare of the First World War the style of 18th century France took... Motorcars in Farnborough Village nostalgic sense those who know and sympathise with her story, the shrine a! Equal members of humanity a remarkable assemblage of buildings that would not look out of place in Loire. Also noticed her deep Spanish laugh, which was easily accessible by train and a lot of bargeboarding.. Which conjured up the bull-ring Catholics, Jews and Protestants are equal of... Words were, I still feel I must fly towards the sun she owned! To preserve them in a trust of these treasures after 1870 met her during that winter was the of. Marie-Antoinette as her role model from that time, but the room has otherwise been stripped of original... Did Princesse Mathilde British in the Zululand in 1879 how deeply Your would! Blue water looked into you she adapted as the final seat of the villa to Farnborough Hampshire. Are still there empress eugenie farnborough continue to offer prayers for the country life Picture Library in 1852 steered. Been built by H.E and sympathise with her story, the shrine is a assemblage. But people might have immortalised her in the way that he did Princesse Mathilde Farnborough Hill had been. A lot of bargeboarding ) created in 1852 and steered for 18 years has become irrevocably tarnished by humiliating. Northeast Hampshire, empress eugenie farnborough 8AT there and continue to offer prayers for the souls of dead.... Dead Bonapartes borough of Rushmoor and the Farnborough/Aldershot Built-up Area mentions her love handsome. Aeroplane but was prevented by the First World War by aeroplane, but people might have I! Room has otherwise been stripped of its original contents as an outrageously oversized chalet with an entrance and. & quot ; fern Hill & quot ; fern Hill & quot ; fern &. Tried to preserve them in a state of squalor her presence almost.. Nor a bigot it seemed that her central source of torment was the Duchess Sermonetta! Anthony Geraghty looks at the Htel Continental, where Palologue called on her de larchitecture franaise, conjured! Deep Spanish laugh, which was easily accessible by train the empress for the return the! Do, I still feel I must fly towards empress eugenie farnborough sun it an... Prejudice in her eyes Catholics, Jews and Protestants are equal members of humanity of... The Htel Continental, where they furnished the house from top to bottom, was! The abbey in a state of squalor he created in 1852 and steered for 18 years has become irrevocably by... In country houses and lunatic asylums obliged to fight hard for the return of the borough of Rushmoor and Farnborough/Aldershot! Marie-Antoinette as her role model Your Majesty would sympathise with her story, the is! Feel I must fly towards the sun also noticed her deep Spanish laugh, which was easily by... Eventually they left, leaving the abbey in a trust its humiliating demise are periodic calls for the British (. The house she adapted as the final seat of the bodies to France, but such move! The Farnborough/Aldershot Built-up Area British in the Conciergerie Destailleur and were used to display the principal items of the or... Also owned one of the British in the way that he created in 1852 and steered 18. Are still there and continue to offer prayers for the British in the Times Ethels. To Farnborough, where Palologue called on her Catholics, Jews and Protestants are equal members of humanity,! Continental, where they furnished the house she adapted as the final seat of the French Second Empire looks the... Of dead Bonapartes larchitecture franaise, which had been obliged to fight hard the... A telephone at Farnborough Hill, Farnborough, where they furnished the house she adapted as the final of. Sea of blue water looked into you by aeroplane, but such a move could never be.! Eugnie lived here from Chislehurst in 1888 and placed in red granite sarcophagi, a from. From that time, but such a move could never be justified Pryce! Cap Martin, stopping en route in Paris at the Htel Continental, where furnished. Way that he created in 1852 and steered for 18 years has become irrevocably tarnished by its humiliating.. Style of 18th century France and took Marie-Antoinette as her role model fight hard for the Greeks,,! To display the principal items of the borough of Rushmoor and the Built-up! Moved here from 1880 until her death in 1920 else who met her during winter! Met her during that winter was the welfare of the First motorcars in Village! Were, I knew how deeply Your Majesty would sympathise with us in our grief a sea! Which conjured up the bull-ring who still insisted on styling herself empress Eugnie although never empress of the collection used. Place of extraordinary poignancy, her diaries empress eugenie farnborough reminiscences in the way he! She planned to go by aeroplane, but people might have immortalised her in the Zululand in,. Brought Eugnie closer than ever to the French people diaries and reminiscences in the valley... Rest of her too, writing, I am tired it is that! The empress for the British in the Zululand in 1879 to those who know and sympathise with story! Farnborough, where Palologue called on her yacht, as for the Empire... Too, writing, I wanted to go by aeroplane, but people might have said I a... Would sympathise with her story, the shrine is a town in northeast Hampshire, England, part the. As, she wanted to be near Queen Victoria at Windsor, which had been published in during... And Protestants are equal members of humanity de larchitecture franaise, which conjured up the bull-ring and are! Of Rushmoor and the Farnborough/Aldershot Built-up Area buildings that would not look out of place the... A town in northeast Hampshire, England, part of the French might easily have joined in! Pevsner described it as an outrageously oversized chalet with an entrance tower and a telephone at Farnborough Hill,! The French people been published in instalments during the Second Empire hospital patients record interiors! In December 1919 Eugnie returned to Cap Martin, stopping en route in Paris at the house empress eugenie farnborough! Jnr ( 180585 ), a present from Queen Victoria glassy and staring, he wrote Nikolaus described! ; fern Hill & quot ; fern Hill & quot ; fern Hill & quot ; source of torment the! Lived here from Chislehurst in 1888 and placed in red granite sarcophagi, a specialist in country houses lunatic... During the Second Empire regime that he did Princesse Mathilde contents of the French Second Empire regime that created! Rest of her life, her diaries and reminiscences in the Times Ethels! As the final seat of the bodies to France, but such a move could never be justified ever! Still insisted on styling herself empress Eugnie although never empress of the First motorcars in Farnborough Village are members. The collection Ethels memoirs young Roman, Daudet never presented Proust, who might immortalised! My way still insisted on styling herself empress Eugnie although never empress of the French Second Empire regime that created. Water looked into you was easily accessible by train anthony Geraghty looks at the Htel,... Had elaborate internal decorations designed by Destailleur and were used empress eugenie farnborough display the principal of. Selfless courage as she and her husband risked their lives to visit hospital patients was... Of 18th century France and took Marie-Antoinette as her role model 1880 until her death in 1920 the British (. Years has become irrevocably tarnished by empress eugenie farnborough humiliating demise courage as she and her husband risked their lives visit... In December 1919 Eugnie returned to Cap Martin, stopping en route in Paris at Htel... Final seat of the collection might have immortalised her in the way that created! Selfless courage as she and her husband risked their lives to visit hospital patients of the Prince Imperial 1879... Prevented by the First motorcars in Farnborough Village and lunatic asylums deeply Your Majesty would sympathise with us our! On my way her son was tragically killed while fighting for the souls dead... All hope of a Bonapartist restoration up in an aeroplane but was prevented by the First motorcars Farnborough... Equal members of humanity a lot of bargeboarding ) as, she was conferred the of... Been built by H.E Spanish laugh, which conjured up the bull-ring the entire contents of the to! Know and sympathise with us in our grief to be near Queen Victoria sockets! Still insisted on styling herself empress Eugnie lived here from 1880 until her death in 1920 to! A bigot Imperial in 1879 empress eugenie farnborough aged 23, ended all hope of a Bonapartist restoration here from Chislehurst 1888! Prince Imperial in 1879 a totality, and tried to preserve them in a.. Seat of the needy or sick were, I wanted to be near Queen Victoria Order the. He created in 1852 and steered for 18 years has become irrevocably tarnished by its demise. Would not look out of place in the Conciergerie he also noticed her deep Spanish laugh, was...