2019 is coming to an end so we took some time out to spend a day together not sat at our computers working on the great projects we have.
We went to explore the birthplace of Queen Victoria and home to the young royals for over 300 years: Kensington Palace. Kensington Palace was originally a two-storey Jacobean mansion built by Sir George Coppin in 1605 in the village of Kensington. Shortly after William and Mary assumed the throne as joint monarchs in 1689, they began searching for a residence better suited for the comfort of the asthmatic William, as Whitehall Palace was too near the River Thames, with its fog and floods, for William’s fragile health. In 1689, they purchased the house and instructed Sir Christopher Wren, Surveyor of the King’s Works to begin an immediate expansion of the house. Having been through multiple renovations, additions and alterations, the Palace is now open to the public and open to visit. We all loved exploring the 300 years of history.
Afterwards, we moved to The Bletchley for lunch, some code breaking and cocktails WW2 style!
The code-breaking secrets of WWII were put to the test in an altogether more fun way than the original. The immersive bar combines themed decor, decoding machines and special cocktails to take you back to a Britain in peril. Delicious food and tasty cocktails put a nice gloss on the day, and a wonderful year with the team at XUL. We missed Andrea who is still home recovering—get well and come back soon.