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Lord Palmerston and Broadlands

Henry John Temple, Lord Palmerston, became a Tory MP in 1807, and served continuously until his death fifty eight years later. He was a minister under George Canning, and switched to the Whigs following Canning's death, serving as foreign secretary under Grey, Melbourne and Russell. He was Prime Minister on two occasions, from 1855 - 1856, and 1859 - 1865. Palmerston for all his aristocratic background appealed to ordinary people. His appeal did not so much lie in what he did for ordinary people, but rather in his talent for stirring up nationalist feeling. In a speech to Parliament in 1848 he said: "We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow." British identity seemed crystal clear for Palmerston. Britain had not been invaded since 1066, and at the beginning of his career Britain was the world's leading power. Palmerston saw Britain as an inviolate entity, immune to the fluctuations of identity seen in the rest of the world. Perhaps that is why he spent most of his career dealing with foreign policy, and is much less well known for his policies at home. Nevertheless Palmerston did make some important moves towards widening the social involvement of government in Britain. He introduced one of the earliest environmental measures, with the Smoke Abatement Bill of 1853, intended to control air pollution in cities. He was also convinced that the economy could not be left to market forces alone. Reports into sanitary conditions and mining persuaded him that unregulated working conditions reduced efficiency and wasted human potential.

These issues, however, were somewhat sidelined by Palmerston's foreign policy. During my tour of Broadlands the charming guide spared us the details of Palmerston's foreign policy, claiming that only those with a quite bizarre level of interest in political history would want to know about it. That was an interesting comment, since in reality Palmerston's policies frequently did not take the form of dry diplomacy far beyond the comprehension of the ordinary person. It is true that Palmerston played the nineteenth century game of balancing power in Europe, deciding that Russia posed a bigger threat than the Ottoman Empire centred on Turkey, and thus fighting the Crimean War (1853 - 1856) on the side of Turkey against Russia. All the details of that game might seem a bit abstruse. But the fact remains that if Palmerston had lived today he would have had the support of the Sun newspaper, in the way he loved to play to the nationalistic gallery. And this wasn't posturing; Palmerston had a nationalistic steak which played well with many ordinary people. For example in 1850 a Gibraltar born moneylender named Don Pacifico had his house burnt down in Athens by a mob. Don Pacifico claimed British citizenship, being born in Gibraltar, and amazingly Palmerston sent Royal Navy ships to blockade the Greek port of Piraeus to force the Greek government to pay £27000 compensation to this wronged British subject. Palmerston defended his actions in Parliament by saying that any British citizen anywhere in the world "shall feel confident that the watchful eye and the strong arm of England will protect him against injustice and wrong." This incident went down well with the majority of voters, and for a while Britain enjoyed the illusion that it was able to assert its power anywhere.

Many people liked the fact that Palmerston could be ruthless with foreigners. As foreign secretary he encouraged Britain's involvement in the Opium Wars with China, and in 1840 William Gladstone accused him of indifference to the damage inflicted on China by the opium trade. Palmerston dismissed the objections: "There is opium growing in China like there is corn growing in England" he said. A different side of Palmerston is revealed by his efforts to halt the slave trade. The trade had been abolished in 1807, but continued illicitly. He worked hard to bring about agreements with other countries to end slaving.

Palmerston enjoyed the sense that Britain was the world's leading power, and liked to show off that power. At Broadlands you will be able to see his writing desk, at which he worked standing up. The desk reveals a tall man, and seems to speak of power in itself. But as Palmerston's career came towards its end, this illusion which the British electorate so enjoyed lost its way. Between 1863 and 1864 Palmerston was humiliated in a dispute over the north European Duchies of Schleswig-Holstein. Christian of Denmark proposed the incorporation of these Duchies, already under Danish jurisdiction, into the Danish state. He was opposed in this by the Prussian chancellor Bismarck, who wanted the Duchies for Prussia. Palmerston promised to support Denmark against Bismarck, and assumed, as in happier days gone by, that the threat would be enough. Bismarck contemptuously dismissed Palmerston's posturing and invaded the Duchies in 1864. Palmerston quickly realised there was nothing he could do. When the call for help came from Denmark, Palmerston had to refuse it.

Broadlands was the country residence of Lord Palmerston. Its grandness personifies the swaggering confidence of Palmerston, and of Britain in the early nineteenth century. Here Britain was itself. Capability Brown landscapes swept the eye over green lawns, and calm waters. And yet while the allegiances of the rest of the world ebbed and flowed, this movement did not stop at the white cliffs of Dover. Britain was part of a changing world, and already its role was changing within it. Already Britain was struggling to hold itself together in the face of the desire of Ireland to break free. Britain is defined by places like Broadlands. You can stand in the England park landscape and feel what the country is, and all that lies beyond its small shores.

Later in its history Broadlands was home of Lord Louis, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, grandson of Queen Victoria.

At Broadlands there is a collection of portraits of Mountbatten's ancestors, the Dukes of Hesse. These portraits go all the way back to the princes who supported Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism. They confirm the close identity of British aristocracy, and government with Protestantism.

Earl Mountbatten was killed by an IRA bomb in 1979. His family continue to live at Broadlands today.

Displays at Broadlands describe the careers of both Palmerston and Earl Mountbatten.

Opening Times: Broadlands is open from 26th June 2008 to 2nd September 2008, Monday to Friday afternoons. Admission to the house is by guided tour only. The first tour is at 1pm, the last at 4pm. Gates close at 5.30pm. Check before you visit.

Directions: Broadlands is near Romsey in Hampshire, a few miles north of Southampton. Leave the M27 at Junction 3 from the north and east, Junction 2 if approaching from the west, and follow signs for Broadlands. Click here for an interactive road and satellite map centred on Broadlands.

Access: wheelchair access is only possible to the ground floor of the Mountbatten exhibition. There are adapted toilet facilities. By prior arrangements disabled visitors can be dropped off near the house, in the Stable Yard.

Contact:

phone: 01794 505010

www.broadlands.net