Timeline #6: The Museum of Youth Culture Our visit to the Museum of Youth Culture was one of my favorite trips this semester. The founders of the Museum felt that youth culture wasn’t being respected or recorded as it ought to be, as other pieces of history are, and decided to fill this gap. Their focus is on young people, primarily in Britain, from the 1920s up to current day. The Museum is unique in the way they source most of what fills their archives: by simply asking the public to contribute. Anyone can submit photographs from their youth via the Museum’s website, or events where people are invited to bring hard copies of photographs which museum employees and volunteers then scan to input into the archive. The Museum of Youth Culture is a relatively young organization (no pun intended), and as of now they don’t have a permanent location. I find this quite fitting with their mission; that’s kind of what youth is all about: doing what you can, creating things, not being settled down into one unmoving spot. I have no doubt they will eventually have the resources to move into a permanent location, but for now they are nomadic and hold pop-up exhibits throughout England for relatively brief periods of time, which gives them the opportunity to constantly be reinventing themselves. The archives include thousands of film slides, organized by subject matter and photographer. I took special interest in the tattoo folders, as tattoos are often representative of the state of youth culture at the time. It’s especially interesting because youth culture, by nature, is constantly evolving, but tattoos are permanent, unchanging art. Overall, I think the Museum of Youth Culture is a fantastic and important project. British youth culture, in particular, is hugely influential on a global scale: The Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, The Sex Pistols, Gorillaz, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay– all of musical icons adored by young people and many made up of young people in their heyday. British youth culture pervades internationally, and every single young person, famous or not, contributes to that. British youth culture is also a particularly important part of American youth culture and the two are deeply intertwined; a phenomenon especially apparent in the 60s. Youth culture is fascinating but often overlooked and not taken seriously, and I think that is a huge loss. The entire premise of the Museum is brilliant and I’m sure that 40 years on, I’ll be wanting to look through an archive just like it. Sources “Home - Museum of Youth Culture.” Museum of Youth Culture, 2019, museumofyouthculture.com/.
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Timeline #5: The Churchill War Rooms Unlike the US, Britain experienced attacks on some of their most populated and essential locations during WWII. The Blitz bombings, beginning in 1940, were not only experienced by military personnel, as Pearl Harbor mostly was for Americans, but involved a huge number of civilians. The psyche of the people of the UK was thus inevitably impacted by the bombings they endured. London and Britain would never be the same. This week, we visited the Churchill War Rooms, located just next to 10 Downing Street where Britain’s prime minister lives and works. The Rooms are hidden underground, and served as secret headquarters for Winston Churchill, military strategists, and essential government ministers. During WWII, they lived and worked in this subterranean space, doing jobs essential to supporting the Allied forces. The underground spaces are connected through narrow hallways that go on extensively like a maze. The bedrooms and kitchen are all quite small, with the most space given to strategic rooms such as the map room, rooms for Churchill to meet and discuss the war with other statesmen, and a room for receiving and sending messages. When the war ended on September 2nd, 1945, this underground bunker was evacuated immediately and remained with its contents untouched until three years later when the British Parliament decided to preserve it as a historic site. In 1984, the museum officially opened to the public after undergoing extensive restoration and preservation work. I greatly enjoyed the Churchill War Rooms because it offers quite an intimate perspective into such an infamous and widely studied time. To see the actual room and bed Churchill occupied during these years is kind of mind-blowing to me. It also made me think of the world’s experience of the pandemic, with so many of us holed up in our own “bunkers”, hiding from the outside world as we waited out a conflict with an unknowable end. Sources “About Churchill War Rooms.” Imperial War Museums, www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms/about. The National WWII Museum. “The End of World War II 1945.” The National WWII Museum | New Orleans, www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/end-world-war-ii-1945. Timeline #4: Georgian London The Georgian period began in Britain in 1714, when King George took the throne, to be followed by George II and George III. Britain was growing rapidly in terms of trade and production, and London was the largest city in Europe. Textile manufacturing was especially popular, supported by an influx of silk weavers into the country. In the 18th century, the population of London doubled, with most of that demographic being in the upper and middle classes. This increase in population coincided with a housing boom in the city. The concept of “leaseholding” had recently been introduced, an idea originally created for Bloomsbury Square. This process involved landowners granting parcels of land to a leaseholder to develop, who would then build houses and lease or sell them to another party who could sublet them to tenants. This was a great opportunity to create more housing for a growing demand, and grow wealth for the landowners, leaseholders, and developers simultaneously. Georgian London was a chaotic period with a lot of growth, in terms of population and physically in the expanse and development of the city. With this chaos came some uglier side effects. Prostitution was rampant, the masses were seriously addicted to gin, large manufacturing plants were making parts of the city polluted and dirty; London was full of energy, going in all directions. On our walk I enjoyed seeing the architecture and construction still standing from the Georgian period. The arched shopping arcades are still beautiful and in use today, like the one on Burlington Street. New construction used methods like stucco to mirror ancient buildings, as utilized by architect John Nash surrounding Regent’s Park. Glamorous townhouses once home to aristocrats now host their modern counterparts, like the BP company. Even in 2023 the energy of the Georgian area remains palpable when you find yourself standing in a place like St. James Square. Sources Ross, Catherine, and John Clark. London : The Illustrated History. London Penguin, 2011. The History of London, www.thehistoryoflondon.co.uk/. Timeline #3: Saint Paul’s Cathedral The history of Saint Paul’s Cathedral is extensive and riddled by cycles of destruction and reconstruction over the course of over 1,000 years. The structure we visited is by no means the same as what was originally built on the site, a church created in AD 604 by Pope Gregory, Saint Mellitus, and Saint Augustine who had come over from Rome. It was dedicated to the Apostle Paul, and is considered the first iteration of what we consider St. Paul’s Cathedral today. This original building, however, was not apt for withstanding the test of time (notably no thanks to Viking attacks), and it wasn’t until 1087 that a more stable and permanent structure was built. Unfortunately, the Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed a significant portion of that 1087 structure. In response to this, the church tasked architect Sir Christopher Wren with the project of reconstruction, and the new Cathedral was declared complete in 1711. In 1904, the ceiling mosaics were done by William Blake Richmond– my personal favorite part of the Cathedral. There was another project in 1924, known as “the Great Restoration”, to correct structural flaws in the building, particularly with its iconic dome roof. Due to the effort of some seriously dedicated volunteers and likely this restoration project, the Cathedral survived the Axis bombings of WWII, and stands valiantly today as a simple of hope and fortitude. I found the Cathedral to be compelling even just considering the scale of it all. The giant wooden doors lead into the main room with its grand ceiling and decorated throughout by marble sculptures, colorful stained glass panes, and stunning mosaics. I found St. Paul’s tremendously beautiful, though I felt the COVID memorial was not up to par with the aesthetics of the rest of the building. That being said, I think it is definitely fitting that there is something to mark the pandemic, as there are inscriptions and plaques throughout St. Paul’s commemorating heroes and noting significant historic events in British history. If I revisit St. Paul’s I would like to see the mosaics when the light comes through on a sunny day, which is supposed to enhance their beauty even more. Sources “History of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.” Guidelines to Britain, 15 Feb. 2020, guidelinestobritain.com/churches-cathedrals/history-of-st-pauls-cathedral-in-london/. “Home - St Paul’s Cathedral.” Stpauls.co.uk, 2013, www.stpauls.co.uk/. “Learn about St Paul’s Cathedral | Cathedral History Timeline.” Www.london-Tickets.co.uk, www.london-tickets.co.uk/st-pauls-cathedral/history/. Timeline #2: Tower of London The Tower of London, built in 1066 by William the Conqueror, today serves as one of London’s most popular tourist attractions. On my visit, I focused mainly on the White Tower, located in the center of the grounds. It’s quite a large building and the majority of it showcases armor and weapons from various points in the tower’s extensive history. Adjacent to the White Tower, within another, more recent building, is an exhibit with more military regalia, displaying historic items and ones still in use today. In turn, this visit got me thinking about the differences in attitude towards the military in the United States vs in England. England is much older than the US (and thus inevitably has a longer military history), but it also differs largely in its experience of WWII. London saw many of its buildings destroyed during the Axis bombings; apart from the geographically distant Pearl Harbor attack, the US did not endure fighting on home soil. I believe this has had a significant impact on how America perceives itself in relation to war, fighting, and military involvement. September 11th, for example, was especially striking, because it was the first time in recent history that Americans were attacked in America. England, on the other hand, is a little more familiar with violence in their backyard. There seems to me to be a lot of “fluff” involved with UK military culture, i.e. soldiers dressed impractically in bearskin hats and bright red suits, marching and stomping choreography that serves no tactical or strategic purpose. But this fluff seems integral to the culture and British identity. Overall, I believe there are some fundamental differences in American vs English military culture, but I find it difficult to articulate exactly why. England, perhaps, is more dedicated to memorializing the monarchical significance of their military, and the US is more keen on displaying modern and ever-expanding signs of power, i.e. giving police units military tanks, spending exorbitant amounts of money on defense instead of public services, etc. I think this aligns with Martin Upham’s idea of the British sense of duty. Duty and purpose/function are two different things. When real British soldiers serve their time as “guards” outside Buckingham Palace it is a rite of passage rather than strategic training. Americans harken back to their country’s origins when it comes to constitutional gun rights, but we don’t have that monarchical legacy and presence that England maintains today. The US is certainly a military powerhouse, but the actual use of that power largely occurs abroad, and has done so in recent history. Timeline #1: Roman London As I sit down to write this, I look out a window and see a truck carrying concrete hurdles past; pedestrians walk on streets next to cars; the strangers around me converse in English. In these few observations alone, I am surrounded by Roman inventions in a country hundreds of miles from Italy. That is but a fraction of the impact of Roman London, a history which began in AD 43 with the emperor Claudius. When I think of the Roman empire, England doesn’t always come to mind. I suppose I should’ve assumed they had significant influence in the development of the UK, but I never quite realized to what degree this was true, especially when we consider that at its peak, the Roman Empire contained about 21% of the world’s population– a conservative estimate (UNRV). Really, this influence is quite obvious if you pay attention. Englishmen do, of course, speak a Romance language– as does 1/7th of the world’s population today (Babbel). Every government building and museum of prestige is built in Roman architectural style and has Latin inscriptions carved into their facades, such as the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange (pictured below). Learning about Roman influence on England made me think about England’s influence on the rest of the world. Every place they eventually colonized, Australia, Canada, the United States, India, etc also inherited the innovations of the Romans. The United States was never under Roman rule, but even our government buildings all boast the same pillars as in London and “E Pluribus Unum” marks our banknotes. That’s a pretty impressive butterfly effect. This tour also made me consider how my perception of Italy/Rome in modern times differs from how it might've been perceived during the age of the Empire. Our tour guide repeatedly described the ancient Romans as “ruthless” and “efficient”, or “ruthlessly efficient”, but those are not the words Italy conjures for me today. Rather, I think of beautiful Amalfi beaches, amazing pasta, pizza, gelato, etc. and masterful artists like Caravaggio and Michelangelo. I also think of the extravagant brands that come out of Italy, i.e. Prada, Gucci, Versace, Armani, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati. These are not things that I consider to be focused on efficiency and “getting the job done” per-se, but rather things crafted as luxuries and things to exist out of a desire for glamor more than utility. Today, Italy’s luxury goods market accounts for almost 6.85% of its GDP (Xinhuanet) , versus just .3% in Germany (DW). , and 2.2% in Britain (UK Fashion Network), statistics which support that impression of Italy. To me, Italy has always seemed a magical place, and the added knowledge our walking tour gave me has only enhanced that feeling! Citations Babbel.com, and Lesson Nine GmbH. “All in the Language Family: The Romance Languages.” Babbel Magazine, www.babbel.com/en/magazine/romance-languages#:~:text=If%20you%20only%20count%20the. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023. “German Luxury Spending – DW – 01/12/2015.” Dw.com, www.dw.com/en/german-luxury-spending-grows-but-whos-buying/a-18185869#:~:text=According%20to%20Wirtschaftswoche%2C%20luxury%20goods. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023. Lykke Carlson, Cajsa. “British Luxury Is Worth £32bn to the UK Economy.” UK Fashion Network, 10 Sept. 2019, uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/British-luxury-is-worth-32bn-to-the-uk-economy,569043.html#fashionweek-milan-hui. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023. “Roman Empire Population | UNRV.com Roman History.” Www.unrv.com, www.unrv.com/empire/roman-population.php. “Spotlight: Italy’s Luxury Goods Industry Eager to Be “Locomotive” of Post-COVID-19 Recovery - Xinhua | English.news.cn.” Www.xinhuanet.com, www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-07/13/c_139209748.htm#:~:text=The%20luxury%20goods%20industry%20is. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023. “The Roman Invasion of Britain.” English Heritage, www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/richborough-roman-fort-and-amphitheatre/history/invasion/#:~:text=In%20AD%2043%2C%20the%20Roman. |