Recent Blog Posts

Blog Post Archives

Subscribe to Blog via Email (Version 1: Wordpress)

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog via Wordpress and receive notifications of new posts by email. You will receive emails every time—and as soon as—a new post is made.

Subscribe to Blog via Email (Version 2: Feedburner)

Use this link to subscribe to this blog via Feedburner and receive notifications of new posts by email:

You will receive just one email at the end of the day (around 11:00 PM Eastern Time) summarizing all the posts made during the day.

You may also use the “By Email” link in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Queen Victoria to grace
 our British Garden Party

No need to get bent out of shape if you have never been invited to one of Queen Elizabeth II’s famous Buckingham Palace Garden Parties. There is a much better alternative available for everyone to enjoy here in Timonium.

St Stephen’s Annual British Garden Party & Fête (from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, 2 May) is a much more entertaining affair. It offers many more interesting and amusing things to do than merely hobnobbing with the invitees at Buckingham Palace—the other 7,999 of the British Royal Family’s closest friends.

The Barley Mow

The Barley Mow

What’s more, here in Timonium there is far greater variety of food on offer, including a scrumptious English tea, not to mention Welsh and Cornish pasties and good old-fashioned hot dogs. As for pies and cakes, we’ll wager you’ll find a far wider and much more mouth–watering selection at our cake stall than you’ll be offered in the queen’s back yard.

On top of all this, you can drink choice beers and wines at our English pub while there’s not so much as a beer tent at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party. There’s no Punch and Judy Show either.

Admittedly, when it comes to quantity the palace has got us beat. For the three parties at Buckingham Palace this year the 400 staff will serve up 81,000 cups of tea, 60,000 sandwiches (cucumber, with crusts cut off), 60,000 slices of Victoria sponge cake and 30,000 iced coffees. But as far as variety is concerned, we win hands down.

And if it’s royalty that interests you, have we got a very special treat in store for you in Timonium? We are welcoming a surprise VIP guest—the ‘royal’ who first started the Buckingham Palace Garden Party tradition.

No, it’s not Henry VIII. True, he loved a party, but he wasn’t so keen on rubbing shoulders with hoi poloi. In any event, His Majesty has sent us his regrets. Apparently he will be unable to attend because he is far too busy lopping off the heads of various unfortunate spouses and skivvies.

Their loss, however, is our gain. [Editor’s note: That is not an entirely felicitous expression.] Instead of Henry, Her Imperial Majesty Victoria, Queen of England and Empress of India will open our Garden Party. [Has nobody had the courage to tell her that India is no longer a Jewel in her Crown?—Editor]

Actually, there couldn’t be a better choice to open St Stephen’s British Garden Party and Fête than Queen Victoria. After all, she launched the Garden Party tradition back in 1863.

Today the Royal Garden Parties are held three times a year during the summer months at Buckingham Palace. Another takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the Palace of Holyrood House, home of the late Mary Queen of Scots among others.

The parties provide an opportunity for the British royal family to meet and greet a cross-section of society and to thank their guests for various good deeds they have done. The emphasis is on rewarding unsung heroes and heroines rather than greeting the aristocrats and diplomats who regularly hob-nob with them.

Even so, they are pretty stuffy affairs. For starters there’s a dress code, so forget about dressing comfortably.

At a Buckingham Palace Garden Party, men are encouraged to wear ‘morning dress’ (i.e. black swallowtail coats and pin striped pants) or at the very least a ‘lounge suit’. Uniforms and ‘national dress’ are also acceptable.

Chloe Moo of Darwin 2013 Myer Fashions on the Field

Chloe Moo of Darwin wearing a fascinator at the 2013 Myer Fashions on the Field at the Melbourne Cup, courtesy Wikimedia

Women are expected to wear ‘afternoon dress’ with gloves, hats or ‘fascinators’ (whatever they may be).

Don’t worry, however, at our Garden Party in Timonium you won’t be asked to dress up like a hambone with a frill on it for Queen Victoria. She’s much too laid back for that sort of thing.

You’re welcome to dig out your crinoline or top hat from the attic if you feel like it, but Her Majesty will be just as happy to shake your hand if you’re dressed in tee-shirts, shorts, jeans, or sweats.

What’s more, as some 8,000 people are invited to each royal garden party at Buckingham, Palace, there’s no chance for guests to corner the Queen Elizabeth for a private chinwag about Phil and the kids.

1885 fascinator

A woman’s crochet fascinator, 1885, from Wikimedia

That most certainly won’t be the case here at Timonium: Queen Victoria will be only to glad to shake your hand, pat your kids on the head, share a cup of tea with you or may be even a genteel glass of wine.

(Her gillie John Brown taught her how to drink Scotch, but, unless her tastes have changed, she’s probably too refined to enjoy a glass of porter.)

One way to really impress her is to become a Patron of the event. It will not only get you on to Queen Victoria’s Birthday Honours List, it will earn you a special mention in our complimentary program guide. How’s that for one-upmanship?

So sign up for one of the four levels of patronage:

  • Imperial Crown, for a donation of $100

  • House of Windsor, for a donation of $75
  • House of York, for a donation of $50

  • House of Lancaster, for a donation of $25

You can also get on Her Majesty’s good side by helping us out with all sorts of items we need for the party:

We are looking for Cakes for the Cake Stall. Last year your cakes were so scrumptious, we sold out completely in the first two hours. Please double your efforts. It’s all in a good cause.

We also need tea cakes and dainties for our Tea Room. We can use all the help we can get to provide mouthwatering teas for our guests.

Portobello Road Jumble Booth

Portobello Road Jumble Booth

We are also in the market for superior quality jumble for our Jumble Sale Stall. This is your opportunity to at last get rid of the auto harp Uncle Thomas used to twang at family gatherings and the cage that once was home to Cousin Ebenezer’s parrot.

Please search your cupboards, attics, cellars, and fallout shelters for saleable treasures. You can start bringing them to the church this week.

Other things we are badly in need of are bottles of wine and spirits only for our Bottle Stall.

Last, but far from least, we need volunteers to put up and take down the tents and stalls and, of course, to man them on the day. GPH✠

Comments are closed.