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00:16Hello and welcome to Kent Chronicles live on KMTV where we explore all of Kent's history from the
00:23medieval era to the Industrial Revolution and everything in between. I'm Lucy Keane and join
00:28me as we turn back time on the clock of the county. This week in honour of Valentine's Day we
00:34are
00:34diving into the history of love and romance across Kent. First up I sat down with our reporter Eleanor
00:42Gonsalves who has looked into the history of a castle in Kent redesigned to evoke the romance
00:48of a picturesque painting. Here is this week's long-standing landmark.
00:59Thank you so much Eleanor for joining us this week. So I suppose my first question is can you
01:04just tell us a bit about this week's long-standing landmark? Sure so this week's long-standing
01:09landmark is Scotney Castle. It's an English country house with formal gardens and a moat that runs
01:14around it and it's located in the southeast of Lamberhurst and it's known for its romanticised
01:20picturesque style of architecture and the gardens. So what connotations does Scotney Castle have to
01:25this week's theme of love? Sure so Scotney Castle's had a number of owners since it was listed in 1086
01:32and they've all made their own changes to it but for our purposes the owner that interests us the most
01:37is Edward Hussey III who inherited it from his father in 1817. Throughout his life Edward Hussey
01:45was really interested in architecture, art, history and horticulture but the picturesque really took
01:52his interest. Well I suppose my next question is what exactly is the definition of picturesque
01:58in this context? Of course so in terms of design and in relation to the garden several writers exploring
02:05the picturesque during Edward's life wrote that landscape garden design should embrace the natural
02:11topography of the site heightening the romantic effects of nature by including rocky out drops and
02:17including suitable ruins that effectively made the garden look like a painting. This is what inspired
02:22Edward Hussey to redesign Scotney Castle. So what specific changes did Edward Hussey III make to the
02:28castle to make it more romantic and picturesque? Sure so specifically between the years of 1837 to 1843
02:37Edward redeveloped the entire site and the wider area he intentionally demolished several parts he
02:43removed the roof and he gutted out a lot of the rooms but he did however leave Ashburnham tower which
02:50you can see just behind me it's this curved area on the end that's one of the few areas that
02:54he
02:54left more or less intact and the rest had all been redeveloped. So following on from these renovations
03:01he decided to build a new castle which was inspired by Tudor architecture and the interiors were inspired
03:07by the Jacobean period. The new location is also said to have been chosen by a picturesque landscape
03:14designer William Sawry Gilpin and as a result this new castle meant that the old one could just be left
03:21alone and then it just added a picturesque romanticized image to his garden that was
03:26reminiscent of a romantic painting. Well thank you very much for this Eleanor thank you. No problem.
03:39Next our reporter Oba Femi went to Maidstone Museum to speak to Samantha Harris who told us all about
03:46a painting called the surprise by John Opie so let's take a look at this week's alluring artefact
03:59The surprise is a painting by British painter John Opie being painted around the late 1700s it's currently
04:07being held at Maidstone Museum but what links does it have to romance well we headed down to Maidstone
04:14to find out more. The artist of the painting behind me was called John Opie he was painting in the
04:20late
04:201700s and died kind of early 1800s and he was a really prolific artist particularly of portraits
04:25he was born in Cornwall and he was from the lower classes he was the son of a carpenter but
04:30he really
04:30worked his way up he was quite a prodigy and by the end of his career he painted over 750
04:34paintings and
04:35was a really popular portrait artist. We think this painting was from kind of the late 1700s we think it
04:42was kind of later in his career. The painting is an oil on canvas and it's called The Surprise which
04:47is quite an open title really you're not quite sure who's getting surprised if it's the the person
04:52or sort of the the hunter the man or if it's the woman that's kind of laying behind the tree
04:56or if
04:57it's even the dog because the dog looks a little bit surprised as well. I think it links to romance
05:00because it's the idea of kind of surprise that he kind of seems to just stumbled across her the look
05:05in
05:06his eyes is kind of is that lust or surprise or she frankly doesn't seem very bothered or even
05:11aware that he's there and I think it's just that kind of it just seems quite a romantic scene it's
05:17very romanticized in the look that the type of costume they're wearing it does feel a bit kind
05:21of pride and prejudice really it's yeah it's a very nice painting. Whether it's the huntsman's
05:26admiration for the woman's beauty or the mystery behind why she's asleep in the forest in the first
05:32place John Opie was certainly able to tell a compelling story through his art. Obafemi Ademero
05:38for KMTV in Maidstone.
05:48Now how well do you know your history? Well it's time for this week's Tea Time Trivia with Louis Stevens.
05:55This week we visited Canterbury to ask the locals about the city's romantic history. For us nothing
06:01says romance like a wedding and there's no grander place in Canterbury to tie the knot than the most
06:05famous landmark Canterbury Cathedral. With that in mind we asked this. When was the first royal wedding
06:11held in Canterbury Cathedral? In the 7th century I'd have thought. 1780. No. No. No not really. 1930 something.
06:23The answer. 1236. In 1236 Henry III married Eleanor of Provence in Canterbury Cathedral who was later
06:32crowned in Westminster Abbey.
06:37And now our reporter Man Josh Zahota went down to Hearn Bay to learn about the town's reputation as a
06:44romantic hot spot and seaside resort during the Victorian era. Here is this week's A Town Through Time.
06:54Searching the county for the historic Hogwarts for love. It's right behind me over there.
06:59Hearn Bay this was a coastal town brimming with history and love. In the 20th century it was a
07:05hit for honeymoons, romantic vacations and would even be a place where you could find a potential
07:11partner. The Vitorians couldn't get enough of it. From its dashing pier to its passionate promenade,
07:16it was truly a romantic heaven for all. This is the central band stand originally built in 1924.
07:23This is where the community of Kent and Hearn Bay would gather for various events such as band
07:27concerts and tea dances. Tea Dancers were an evening event that has been carried out since the late
07:331800s. This was a dance held in the summer and autumn seasons and this would generally happen between
07:404 to 7pm. It started as a garden party then that will later grow into a traditional afternoon tea
07:46party that we know today. The band strand regularly hosted the ball and with that potential others could
07:52appropriately meet and try to root one another. If you were dancing and a lady dropped to a handkerchief
07:57you're in luck as that was considered a romantic gesture and to engage in conversation.
08:04These sides towns such as Hearn Bay benefit from being a tourist hotspot. People from afar could buy a
08:09sweet treat for their lover or share a cone of fish and chips while the seas are together.
08:13This sets the standards for romantic traditions we still use today. Many tourists would commute from
08:19London. During the 1840s steamboats began running between Hearn Bay and London. There was a type of
08:26beach boat unique to Hearn Bay. It was very exclusive and very exotic. Hearn Bay has fishing routes that date
08:33back to the 19th century and was particularly known for the oyster fishing companies that were operating
08:38since 1864. Due to its fishing business being so local it meant that fresh fish would always be
08:45available for locals to want and dine on. Couples were delight in visiting the iconic clock tower made in
08:501837. This was recognised as the first freestanding clock tower in the world. Mandels for Kane TV.
09:01And finally for our Periodic Profile this week we have Thomas Wyatt, a 16th century poet born near
09:08Maidstone who wrote extensively about love and romance. Our reporters Zach Smith and Tia Chalice spoke to
09:15Dr Elizabeth Norton to learn more. Let's take a look.
09:28Poetry was commonly used throughout history to express affection and love and as Valentine's Day
09:33approaches it's important to look back at one of the most prominent English poets. Sir Thomas
09:38Wyatt was born in 1503 to a prominent Tudor family. He grew up in Maidstone's very own Allington Castle and
09:44he later worked for King Henry VIII as a courtier, diplomat and poet. But these early experiences
09:49didn't just shape Wyatt's career, they also shaped his understanding of love. And earlier we spoke to
09:54Elizabeth Norton to hear more. Sir Thomas Wyatt is kind of the master of courtly love. He's the
09:58greatest poet of the English Tudor court under Henry VIII. Courtly love is so important in the medieval
10:05and the Tudor period and it's not love as we would kind of see it today. It's not a relationship,
10:10you know, it's this idea about a man being in love with an unobtainable woman, so often a higher
10:15status woman, and they're devoted to her. They write poetry, they write songs, you know,
10:20they talk about being lovesick, you know, it makes them ill, this devotion. So it's always kind of like
10:24an obsession but it's kind of a game as well. So they're playing this game, they might well be in
10:30love with them but they know it's never going to go any further. And perhaps Thomas Wyatt's most famous
10:35link to courtly love was within his alleged relationship with Anne Boleyn. So Thomas Wyatt
10:40famously was involved to some extent with Anne Boleyn. So they're kind of neighbours, I mean
10:45he comes from Allington Castle, so she comes from Hever. It's about 20 miles or so away which is quite
10:51a distance but their families are really associated with each other. It's pretty clear they have some
10:56kind of relationship. It's probably not a full sexual relationship although some later writers would
11:03very much say that it was. And we can still see the themes of Thomas Wyatt's work in the way
11:07we
11:08express love today. I mean Valentine's Day itself is quite formalised in many ways, you know we send
11:13cards, we give gifts and you know that's not kind of day-to-day stuff. So I think again in
11:18some respects
11:19that's kind of courtly love. So maybe for this Valentine's Day you can read one of your loved ones
11:23a Thomas Wyatt poem.
11:30Well it looks like that was one for the history books. You've been, we've been watching Kent Chronicles
11:35live on KMTV but from me, thank you for watching and have a good evening. Goodbye.
11:40Bye-bye.
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