Posts By: Helen Langley

Reggie Cooper (1885-1965)

Researching and writing about Reggie Cooper has been an absorbing task over the last few years, not least during the pandemic. Impossible to visit archives in person, online resources and emails allowed it to chug along. And then, later, the joy of being able to visit sources and sites in person (West Horsley Place, in… Read more »

Tyntesfield Orangery revisited

The now fully restored neo-classical orangery at Tyntesfield, Wraxall in Somerset is a joy to see, and a very different sight to the one I saw in 2006 when I wrote about it for my Architectural Association dissertation on historic orangeries. Then in a parlous state: weeds sprouting from interior walls; protective roofing; decayed stonework… Read more »

The BBC at 100 Symposium

Helen has been invited to attend The BBC at 100 Symposium, to be held from 13 to 15 September 2022 in Bradford at the National Science and Media Museum and online. As a member of the session on Politics and Current Affairs, she will be speaking about the contributions of Honor Balfour (1912-2001) and Stephen Bonarjee (1912- 2003) – a wonderful opportunity to draw their careers to the attention of a wide audience.

A visit to Royal Crescent – the London home of Honor Balfour

Years ago Honor Balfour described to me the décor of her London home in Royal Crescent, Kensington, acquired in the early post-war years long before the area became fashionable. So it was great when the London Gardens Trust Open Squares weekend in June brought the chance to visit Royal Crescent’s square.

Reginald (Reggie) Cooper: Continuing the Quest

With archives presently closed because of the pandemic, resuming research into the career of the restorer of ancient houses and maker of gardens rose to the top of my list of projects because much of it could be conducted from my desk. Reggie Cooper first caught my attention in 2006; in between other projects I continued my ‘quest for Reggie’, returning to it full time in the summer of 2020 after completing the article on Honor Balfour.

Dame Irene Ward: Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum Exhibition Contribution

A (very minor) contributor to an exhibition at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. Scheduled for Spring 2020 the opening was postponed by the pandemic until October 2020 but shortly afterwards new national lockdown restrictions were introduced. The invitation to contribute information arose from my past work on Dame Irene Ward. The campaign by… Read more »

Honour Balfour’s Broadcasting Career

With the publication of the article ‘What Honor did next, the pioneering broadcasting career of Honor Balfour (1912-2001)’, in the Journal of Liberal Democrat History, a very enjoyable period spent researching her remarkable life comes to a close.