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Mark Narsansky

@marknarsansky

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🇨🇦 Photos of the places and things I love. My travels, work, inspirations, our homes and of course, Jacob and Wylo.

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“This great house is one of the precious links which joins us to our famous past...I am proud to have been born at Blenheim.”
- Winston Churchill

Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century. One of England’s largest houses, it was built between 1705 and 1722, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and was designated a INESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

The palace is named after the 1704 Battle of Blenheim. It was originally intended to be a reward to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough for his military triumphs against the French and Bavarians in the War of the Spanish Succession which culminated in the eponymous battle near the town of Blenheim in what is today southern Germany.

Following the palace’s completion, it became the home of the Churchill family for the next 300 years, and various members of the family have wrought changes to the interiors, park and gardens. At the end of the 19th century, the palace was saved from ruin by funds gained from Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough’s marriage to the American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. The Palace is unique in its combined use as a family home, Mausoleum
and national monument.
The palace is still home to the current Duke of Marlborough and we were fortunate enough to have a tour of their private rooms when we toured the palace this trip. @blenheimpalace @unescoworldheritage @unesco by @marknarsansky

“London opens to you like a novel itself… It is divided into chapters, the chapters into scenes, the scenes into sentences; it opens to you like a series of rooms, doors and passages. Mayfair to Piccadilly to Soho to the Strand.”
- Anna Quindlen
.
“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”
- William Shakespeare
.
One last look from our room @41hotel before heading home. Till we meet again. by @marknarsansky

“A great country ought not to make little wars.”
- Duke of Wellington
.
An amazing morning touring Apsley House @apsley.house .
Originally built by Robert Adam and extensively remodelled in the 1820s for the Duke of Wellington.
The house that Robert Adam built is no longer visible from the outside but it survives to a considerable extent behind the stone facing.
It was sometimes referred to as Number One, London. It is perhaps the only preserved example of an English aristocratic townhouse from this period in central London.
The house is also called the Wellington Museum.
Much of the house is open to the public as a museum and art gallery, exhibiting the Wellington Collection, a large collection of paintings, other artworks and memorabilia of the career of the 1st Duke. The house is still the London residence of the Dukes of Wellington today.
The 9th Duke of Wellington retains an apartment spanning the northern half of the ground floor of the house for the Wellesley family’s private use. by @marknarsansky

Exploring the streets and architecture Belgravia has to offer. #belgravia #marknarsansky #philipmitchelldesign by @marknarsansky

“I like trains. I like their rhythm, and I like the freedom of being suspended between two places, all anxieties of purpose taken care of: for this moment I know where I am going.”
- Anna Funder
.
Today Philip and I experienced the world of the Belmond British Pullman @belmondbritishpullman , a fully restored 1920s luxury train and one of the most glamorous ways to experience a day trip in the United Kingdom. Known as the sister train of the Orient Express, the British Pullman features eleven authentically restored Pullman carriages, each uniquely styled with heritage upholstery, antique marquetry, polished brass and vintage lighting. We traveled on the iconic Wes Anderson designed carriage where every detail was outstanding taking us back to the Golden Age of Travel with refined service, fine dining and elegant surroundings. by @marknarsansky

An extraordinarily spectacular interior and exterior from the London Oratory in Knightsbridge. #thelondonoratory #knightsbridge #marknarsansky #philipmitchelldesign by @marknarsansky

Admiring this display of geraniums on a quick morning walk prior to hoping on the train.#marknarsansky #philipmitchelldesign #london by @marknarsansky

“London has the trick of making its past, its long indelible past, always a part of its present. And for that reason it will always have meaning for the future, because of all it can teach about disaster, survival, and redemption. It is all there in the streets. It is all there in the books.”
- Anna Quindlen

Walking past Buckingham Palace on our way to the hotel after a very full day. by @marknarsansky

“She had the kind of brilliant, decadent, Rococo beauty that made his fingers itch to grab a pencil or a paintbrush.”
- Talia Hibbert

The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard otherwise titled The Happy Accidents of the Swing, and in French, it is Les hasards heureux de l’escarpolette.

The Swing painting is more than just a woman on a swing, it is a peepshow into 18th-century French aristocratic customs and cultures, including the art style at the time, which was known as Rococo.

The Painted in 1767, it depicts a young woman on a swing being pushed by an older man (partially hidden in shadow) while a younger man reclines in the bushes below, gazing up her billowing skirts. Playful, erotic, and exquisitely painted, the scene captures the spirit of aristocratic French life on the eve of the Revolution.
After the French Revolution, the painting left France and eventually entered the collection of the Marquess of Hertford, one of the greatest art collectors of the nineteenth century. His collection formed the basis of the Wallace Collection, which opened to the public in London in 1900.
Now on permanent display at the Wallace Collection in London, the painting is a masterpiece of color, light, and compositional wit. Its combination of lighthearted eroticism and painterly virtuosity has made it one of the most beloved and widely reproduced paintings.
It’s just one of the incredible works of art on display at @wallacemuseum by @marknarsansky

A delicious late lunch at @thehart_w1 . The food is as exceptional as the interiors @publichousegroup #thehartw1 #publichousegroup #marknarsansky #philipmitchelldesign by @marknarsansky

“London - beautiful, immortal London - has never been a ‘city’ in the simplest sense of the word. It was, and is, a living, breathing thing, a stone leviathan that harbours secrets underneath its scales. It guards them covetously, hiding them deep within its body; only the mad or the worthy can find them.”
- Samantha Shannon by @marknarsansky

A wonderful morning exploring the @nationalportraitgallery collection. Inspiration from every era abounds. #nationalportraitgallery #londonmuseum #marknarsansky #philipmitchelldesign by @marknarsansky