KING George V, when not dissing Bognor as a place to recuperate, was only marginally more impressed by “abroad”, which he denounced as “bloody”.
This shows the ability of the Royal Family to adapt to national attitudes of the time, especially as KGV was probably more Germano-Danish than actually English, although he perfectly fitted the image of the tweedy gent.
His reign coincided with the end of an era discussed in a highly entertaining book, The Smell of the Continent. The title says it all about British attitudes over the Channel.
Attracted and repelled in almost equal parts, the British have a knack of always seeing the yawning differences between ourselves and our Continental cousins, rather than the similarities. The subtitle of this book is The British Discover Europe 1814-1914, so it covers a period when this country was top dog and could play its role of being sniffy about everyone else to the hilt.
Aroma is the vital element in this canter through attitudes to abroad. The book’s main title comes from a remark which the indefatigable travel writer Fanny Trollope (mother of novelist Anthony) overheard when she arrived in Calais.
One Englishman, on disembarking from the ferry, gasped: “What a dreadful smell!”
Another older traveller explained to him: “It is the smell of the Continent, sir!”
These people had clearly never been to Widnes, as I have done on many occasions. But then they were not likely to have, as they were cultured, wealthy middle classes on their way to Paris, Rome and the Rhineland.
After 25 years of war with France, the British were ready to be released from their island prison and get abroad, even if only to sneer at Johnny Foreigner.
In some ways, nothing has changed. The British took all their home comforts with them, on the basis that everywhere would live down to their expectations. Sounds just like my wife.
It reminds me of a York guesthouse owner telling me of a London woman who had booked a room asking if they had electricity “up there”, as she wanted to bring her hairdryer. This was only a few years ago.
