Tony Bryant

None of the early romantic writers who visited Seville, such as Byron, Disraeli, Ford, Borrow and Irving, had the privilege of experiencing the, now, world-famous feria de abril , because they had all left Spain by the time the first April fair was held in Prado de San Sebastian in 1847. This grand display of culture, tradition, revelry and pride blend together to create a unique spectacle that typifies Seville . Even Franco, known to frown upon large-scale celebrations with no religious aspect attached, enjoyed the marvels that this week of colourful festivities has to offer. It has attracted world leaders, celebrities, artists and aristocracy from all over the world, along with numerous members of the Spanish monarchy. The fair was the brainchild of two businessman from the north of Spain who had settled in the city. Narciso Bonaplata (Cataluña) and José María de Ybarra (Basque Country) proposed a livestock and agricultural fair in the summer of 1846, and it was given the o...

English travel writer Richard Ford (1796 - 1858) was  immediately captivated by Seville’s mystique when he visited in the 19 th century, claiming it was his preferred Spanish city. Ford noted that the cathedral offers ‘a most interesting epitome of the rise, progress and decline of Spanish church architecture’. Born into a wealthy family in Chelsea, London, Ford was educated at Oxford. His first trip to Spain with his first wife, Harriet, in 1830, resulted in A Handbook for Travellers in Spain , which was published 1845. The book has been republished numerous times and is still considered one the greatest pieces of travel literature ever published. Following the premature death of his second son, and the consequent depression and decline in Harriet's health, Ford decided to spend the winter in a more suitable climate. After consulting several friends, like William Mark, English consul in Málaga, and Henry Unwin Addington, British ambassador in Madrid, Ford decided that southern S...

  With perhaps the exception of Ernest Hemingway, most foreign artistic luminaries who have passed through Seville over the last two hundred years claimed to have been seduced by its romantic allure and overwhelmed by its historic, religious and architectural wealth . Seville’s colourful customs and traditions also appealed to these foreign visitors, especially the Englishman, Richard Ford, who is said to have completely integrated into Sevillian society, even to the extent of adopting the typical attire of the period: this was in contrast to the traditional dress chosen among the 19 th century upper classes of London from which Ford descended. Spain acquired a European vogue during what is called the ‘romantic era’, a time when the theorisers of the romantism movements in the UK, France and Germany began to discover Spanish literature, in particular, Cervante’s Don Quijote . This period offered foreign artistes a rich source of themes and settings inspired by Andalucía and its ...

  Numerous romantic travellers and foreign writers and artists began to include Andalucía in what was termed the ‘Grand Tour’ in the first quarter of the 19 th century. Most of these foreigners, like Lord Byron, Richard Ford, Robert Dundas Murray and Washington Irving, headed straight for Seville, a city which, until then, was little known to the outside world. Many books have since been published about the history of Seville, including those by the aforementioned foreigners: these offer an insight to Seville and its architecture, its culture and traditions and its religious and social backcloth, much of which is still standing, both structurally and culturally. The majority of these romantic travellers arrived in Seville aboard a steamboat along the Guadalquivir, although the skyline that confronted them has changed greatly since that time. Since then, most of the fortified walls and gateways have vanished, and sprawling areas like Plaza de España and Parque María Luisa have ap...

  Preface - Seville: A legacy of enchantment The idea for this book was born while admiring the splendorous Plaza de España, something I have enjoyed on numerous occasions over the last 30 years. This inspirational collection of architecture, one of the largest and most impressive in Seville, was constructed for the world exhibition that the city hosted in 1929, an event that changed the face of the city centre and pinned Seville on the world map. But it was not the elegance and beauty of this area, known as the Venice of Seville, that inspired me, but the thought of what Seville would be like without it. My fascination with Seville began many years ago while researching the art of flamenco and the people who best perform it, the Andalusian Gypsies. This was a time when I relied on the writings of Richard Ford, the 19 th century English travel writer known for his books about Spain; and George Borrow, another Englishman whose books, The Bible in Spain , and The Zincali, were ...