Under the banner of heritage preservation activities, Historic New England has friends and colleagues around the globe, and we are delighted to use those contacts to provide special experiences for our members. We offer our highest level supporters, the Appleton Circle, one or more domestic trip opportunities each year. Over the last year guests traveled to Washington D.C. and Alexandria, Virginia for a focus on private collection visits and to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to see the new Santiago Calatrava building of the Milwaukee Art Museum, private homes and collections, and the recently-restored "Ten Chimneys," summer home of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontane. In 2005 we resumed our annual international trip offering.

With the blast of herald trumpets and a blaze of color, twenty Appleton Circle travelers embarked during June on a week-long visit to Magnificent London in the company of Historic New England President Carl R. Nold. Like all Appleton Circle trips this visit combined fellowship with travelers interested in preservation, history and the decorative arts with special private visits and experiences not usually available to the public. A series of pre-trip programs held at the Somerset Club, Boston, prepared the group and established rapport.

Our home for the week was The Ritz, 99-year old Grande Dame of Britain's great hotels. Dr. Donald Insall, considered by many to be the dean of UK restoration architects, provided the first lecture at St. John's Gate, the medieval headquarters of the Knights Hospitaliers and site of our welcome dinner. The first royal event of the trip was attendance at the Official Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, The Trooping the Colour ceremony at Whitehall Palace. Our travelers joined tail-coated and be-hatted Brits for the impressive ceremony, where Her Majesty reviewed a fabulous military parade. Other members of the Royal Family participated and were observed by our group, before we departed for a champagne luncheon at Carlton House Terraces, designed by John Nash.

A day out of London featured a pre-opening visit to Woburn Abby and luncheon with the museum staff, followed by a private lecture at Waddesdon Manor and visit to that Rothschild home and its impressive gardens. One full day was devoted to attending the ceremonies of Garter Day at Windsor Castle, where specially reserved quarters in the castle provided an extraordinary vantage point for the procession of the Knights of the Garter. From seats in St. George's or in our quarters, all travelers were within just a few feet of Prince Phillip, the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, and new Knights including former Prime Minister John Major and Lady Soames, daughter of Winston Churchill. Impressive pageantry, music, military troops, horses and carriages, dignitaries and lively company made it a spectacular day.

The trip continued with visits to the Wallace Collection with Director Rosalind Savill; to the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the first purpose-built museum building in the world, designed by Sir John Soane; to the Christopher Wren-designed Royal Hospital Chelsea after hearing from the director about an architectural controversy concerning a planned new wing, and to Kensington Palace, once home of Diana, Princess of Wales, for a reception in the Sunken Garden, tour with Director Nigel Arch, and dinner in the room where the Victorian age began—the Red Saloon where Queen Victoria held her first Privy Council meeting the morning after she learned that she became Queen.

Among these extraordinary experiences, one event stands out. Our group was welcomed to Spencer House, last surviving free-standing 18th century great house within the boundaries of London. This house, owned by Princess Diana's family, has recently been restored by Lord Jacob Rothschild, and was the site of a very special dinner. Following cocktails on the terrace overlooking Green Park, and a tour of the house by expert staff, the Appleton Circle group dined amidst 18th century splendor in the dining room designed by Athenian Stuart.

On the final evening, our farewell event was attending the private preview of the world-renowned Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, with special greeting from the former head of the London Stock Exchange who now heads the British Craft Council, which promotes Britain's continuing arts and crafts heritage.

View the "Magnificent London" photo gallery.