Morris, after Watts

You'd be hard pushed to spend two hours getting from The National Gallery to Liverpool Street, even if you walked there with my Grandma and had given her a smartphone as only means of directing. That's exactly why I didn't do that, and opted instead for National Portrait Gallery Thursday lates in between work at the National Gallery and my netball match.

There's a lovely atmosphere in the NPG of a Thursday night. Dimmed lights, live DJ and, if you don't have to play sport in an hours time, drinks.

Instead, I pottered around the Victorian galleries and (badly) sketched G.F. Watts portrait of his friend and colleague, William Morris.

We lost at netball even though the other team were a man down. May as well have had a cocktail. Next time, I will.

Elizabeth I & Her People

Elizabeth I's reign is defined by the lives of those she reigned over. During her time cities boomed, the economy flourished and the world became that little bit less daunting thanks to successful exploration and trade.

This exhibition at the portrait gallery aims to convey the impact and success of the Queen, based on the people responsible for these endeavours. At first, it seems promising. We encounter hand-tinted maps and plans of London and grand portraits depicting the Queen's coronation. The curators even point out those people in the crowd who were responsible for her success as a monarch.

As we move forward, we are treated to a room dedicated to the image of Queen and how her people grew to recognise her. There is a lovely display of otherwise seldom seen portraits, a divine Frederick Zuccaro sketch and a selection of coins. This draws upon the relationship of the people to the Queen. The real focus of the exhibition- how those close to the Queen rose in power- is best demonstrated with portraits and artefacts in the third room. Elizabeth Talbot, Bess of Hardwick, William Cecil, Sir Walter Raleigh and the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk are all displayed, telling the story of how either charming or impressing the Queen could lead to vastly improved social standing.

After this, the exhibition goes downhill. The organisers have hereafter attempted to show the lives of the ordinary and how they were lived throughout Elizabeth's reign. Too much information, with not enough space or material to back it up, is added on to the end of the modestly sized exhibition almost as an after thought. You feel as though they should have stuck to telling us about the rich and powerful, which would have been interesting in itself. The rushed ending leads to huge oversights, such as William Tyndale, champion of the bible of the people, who gave the word of God to the Elizabethans, being omitted.

Despite this, the portraits are truly charming and give a real feel for the age. In particular the portrait of three Elizabethan children with their exotic pets, shows off beautifully the fashion for Dutch paintings and the impact of trade, as the children clutch their furry and feathered friends!

Not the worst place you could be sent to work an extra shift

Today I was lent out from Helmshore to help out at another Museum. Originally I had said no. "It's at Gawthorpe?" said Louise, my boss, and so I was sold. I love Gawthorpe. The land in this corner of Padiham, in Lancashire, has need owned by the Shuttleworth family since the 14th century. In the 1600s Gawthorpe meaning 'place of the cuckoo' was built as a home for the family. It remained empty for a long time when, in the 1850s, famous architect Sir Charles Barry, was hired to renovate the hall. It's most recent owner, Miss Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth, decked it out in all the finest arts and crafts furniture and fabric she could. Hence it is full to the brim with Crane and Pugin designs and a hoard of National Portrait Gallery paintings to boot. It didn't really feel like a day a work, all that tea and chats with Gary and Mary!