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A Grand Tour

Only a couple of weeks to go now before I go on my ‘Grand Tour’ around Suffolk and North Essex making my small contribution to Hugh Belsey’s lecture series on the 18th Century Grand Tour.

I will be speaking about some of the Russians who travelled to Italy and beyond after 1762, when the gentry were free to travel abroad following their release from obligatory service to the state.

Despite the depradations of the Revolution and the Second World War, there are still reminders of these travels in Russia today, including some of the contents of Pavlosk Palace, pictured above.

A detail from a picture brought back by one traveller can be seen below.  Hot work for a hound!

The Eruption of Vesuvius 1771 (detail) Pierre-Jaques Volaire.

Starting again

This new site is dedicated to my ‘Russian’ actitivies

I will be posting information about my talks, translation and research services, together with other news and comment.

Please bear with me while I work out how to make the site work.  For someone as technically challenged as me this could take some time!