Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

03 September, 2026

Neuschwanstein Castle, Schwangau, Bavaria, Germany. King Ludwig II Of Bavaria’s Creation. (Part Twelve).



Photo: 31 July 2013.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the
Attribution:
© Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de
(Wikipedia)



The Throne Hall, Neuschwanstein Castle.
Photograph by Joseph Albert 1886. 
Postcard published 1890 - 1900. 
Detroit Publishing Co. Print No. 17479.
Date: 1886.
Source:
Photochrom from Photoglob AG Zürich (PZ, 17479); Views of Germany in the Photochrom Print Collection. This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsca.00180.
Author: Josef Albert (1825–1886).
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Its viewing platform provides a vast view over the Alpine foothills to the North.


Dining Room, Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany. Photograph by Joseph Albert 1886. Postcard published circa 1890 — 1900. Detroit Publishing Co. Print No. 17483.
Source: Photochrom from Photoglob AG Zürich (PZ, 17483); Views of Germany in the Photochrom print collection. Library of Congres. Reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca-00184.
Author: Josef Albert (1825 — 1886).
(Wikimedia Commons)

Neuschwanstein welcomes almost 1.5 million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.[3][57] 

For security reasons, the Palace can only be visited via a thirty-five-minute guided tour, and no photography is allowed inside the Castle. 

During the peak season from June to August, Neuschwanstein receives as many as 6,000 visitors per day, and guests without advance reservations may have to wait several hours. 



Pictures of the Tristan saga. Bedroom, Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany. Photograph by Joseph Albert 1886. Postcard published circa 1890 — 1900. Detroit Publishing Co. Print No. 17482.
Source: Photochrom from Photoglob AG Zürich (PZ, 17482); Views of Germany in the Photochrom print collection. Library of Congres. Reproduction number LC-DIG-ppmsca-00183.
Author: Josef Albert (1825–1886).
(Wikimedia Commons)

Those without tickets may still walk the long driveway from the base to the top of the mountain and visit the grounds and Courtyard without a ticket, but they will not be admitted to the interior of the Castle. 

Ticket sales are processed exclusively via the ticket centre in Hohenschwangau.[58] 

As of 2008, the total number of visitors exceeded sixty million.[2] 

In 2004, the revenues were booked as €6.5 million.[1]

THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE.
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Absurd Victorian Occupations.


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Pope Saint Pius X. Feast Day, Today, 3 September. Confessor. White Vestments.



English: Pope Saint Pius X.
Portrait taken after his enthronement, August 1903.
Deutsch: Papst Pius X. Offizielles Porträt,
aufgenommen nach der Inthronisation im August 1903.
Español: El papa Pío X. Retrato oficial, hecho pocos días después de su entronización como papa el 9 de agosto de 1903.
Français: Le pape Pie X. Portrait, 14 août 1903.
Photo: 14 August 1903
Source: Web.
Author: Giuseppe Felici (1839–1923).
(Wikimedia Commons)



Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

Pope Saint Pius X (Italian: Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto;[a] 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914.

Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, and for promoting Liturgical reforms and scholastic theology.

He initiated the preparation of the 1917 Code of Canon Law,
the first comprehensive and systemic work of its kind. He is Venerated as a Saint in the Catholic Church. The Society of Saint Pius X, a Traditionalist Catholic fraternity, is named after him.



Pius X was devoted to The Blessed Virgin Mary under
the title of Our Lady of Confidence; while his Papal Encyclical “Ad diem illum” took on a sense of renewal that was reflected in the motto of his Pontificate.[4]

He advanced the Liturgical Movement by formulating the principle of “participatio actuosa” (active participation of the Faithful) in his Motu Proprio “Tra le sollecitudini” (1903).

He encouraged the frequent reception of Holy Communion, and he lowered the age for First Communion, which became a lasting innovation of his Papacy.[5]


Like his predecessors, he promoted Thomism as the principal philosophical method to be taught in Catholic institutions.

He vehemently opposed various 19th-Century philosophies that he viewed as an intrusion of secular errors incompatible with Catholic dogma, especially Modernism, which he critiqued as the synthesis of every heresy.[6]

Pius X was known for his firm demeanour and sense of personal poverty, reflected by his membership of the Third Order of Saint Francis.[7] He regularly gave Sermons from the Pulpit, a rare practice at the time.[b]

After the 1908 Messina earthquake he filled the Apostolic Palace with refugees, long before the Italian government acted.[7] He rejected any kind of favours for his family, and his close relatives chose to remain in poverty, living near Rome.[7][8] 

He also undertook a reform of the Roman Curia with the Apostolic Constitution “Sapienti consilio” in 1908.


After his death, a strong cult of devotion followed his reputation for piety and holiness. He was Beatified in 1951 and Canonised in 1954 by Pope Pius XII.[8] 

A statue bearing his name stands within Saint Peter’s Basilica, and his birth town was renamed Riese Pio X after his death.



The greatest Pope since Saint Peter.
Saint Pius X teaches about zeal for Souls.
Available on YouTube


The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

Saint Pius X.
   Pope.
   Confessor.
   Feast Day 3 September.

Double.

White Vestments.

Joseph Sarto was born at Riese, a small village in Venetia, Italy, on 2 June 1835, in humble circumstances.

He was, successively, Curate, Parish Priest, Bishop of Mantua, Patriarch of Venice — Offices to which his keen intelligence, hard work, and great piety, caused him to be quickly promoted.

He was elected Pope on 4 August 1903, and took the name of Pius X.


As Chief Pastor of The Church, he displayed untiring self-sacrifice, and great energy; he was an intrepid defender of the purity of Christian Doctrine.

He realised to the full the value of the Liturgy as The Prayer of The Church and the solid basis that it furnishes for the devotion of Christian people.

He worked for the restoration of the Worship of The Church, especially Plainchant, so that Christian people, as he put it, might find beauty in their public Prayer.

He spared no effort to propagate the practice, so great an aid to holiness, of early, frequent, and daily, Holy Communion.

He died on 20 August 1914, and was Canonised on 29 May 1954.

Mass: Extuli eléctum.
Preface: Of The Apostles.
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02 September, 2026

Cathedral And Metropolitan Church Of Saint Stephen And All Saints, Vienna, Austria. (Part Nine).



English: 
Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of 
Saint Stephen and All Saints, Vienna, Austria.
Deutsch: 
Dom-und-Metropolitankirche zu 
Sankt Stephan und allen Heiligen, 
Wien, Österreich.
Photo: 8 October 2017.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia, unless stated otherwise.

The sides of the Pulpit erupt like stylised Petals from the Stem supporting it. On those Gothic Petals are relief portraits of the four original Doctors of The Church (Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Ambrose, Saint Gregory the Great and Saint Jerome).

The hand-rail of the Stairway curving its way around the Pillar has fantastic decorations of Toads and Lizards biting each other, symbolising the fight of good against evil. At the top of the Stairs, a Stone Puppy protects the Preacher from intruders.

Beneath the Stairs, is one of the most-beloved symbols of the Cathedral: A Stone self-portrait of the unknown sculptor “gawking” (German: Gucken) out of a window (German: Fenster) and thus famously known as the “Fenstergucker”.

The Chisel in the subject’s hand, and the Stonemason’s signature Mark on the Shield above the window, led to the speculation that it could be a self-portrait of the sculptor.


Chapels.

There are several Chapels in Saint Stephen’s Cathedral:

Saint Catherine’s Chapel, in the base of the South Tower, is the Baptismal Chapel.

The fourteen-sided Baptismal Font was completed in 1481, and its Cover was formerly the Sound-Board above the famed Pulpit in the Church.

Its Marble Base shows the four Evangelists, while the Niches of the Basin feature Christ, the twelve Apostles, and Saint Stephan.

St. Barbara's Chapel, in the base of the North Tower, is used for meditation and Prayer.

St. Eligius’s Chapel, in the South-East corner, is open for Prayer. The Altar is dedicated to Saint Valentine, whose body is in another Chapel, upstairs.

St. Bartholomew's Chapel, above Saint Eligius’ Chapel, has recently been restored.


The Chapel of The Cross, in the North-East corner, holds the burial place of Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Vault containing three coffins and a heart urn, under a massive stone slab with iron rings.

The funeral of Mozart occurred here on 6 December 1791. The beard on the crucified Christ above the Altar is of real hair. The Chapel is not open to the public.

Saint Valentine’s Chapel, above the Chapel of The Cross, is the current depository of the hundreds of Relics belonging to the “Stephansdom” (Saint Stephen’s Cathedral), including a piece of the tablecloth from The Last Supper.

A large Chest holds the bones of Saint Valentine that were moved here about a Century ago, from what is now the Chapter House to the South of The High Altar.


Tombs, Catacombs, and Crypts.

Since its earliest days, the Cathedral has been surrounded by Cemeteries dating back to Roman times, and has sheltered the bodies of nobles and commoners.

It has always been an honour to be buried inside a Church, close to the physical presence of the Saints, whose Relics are preserved there. Those less honoured were buried near, but outside, the Church.

Inside the Cathedral, in the Chapel of The Cross (North-West corner of the Cathedral) are the tombs of Prince Eugene of Savoy, Commander of the Imperial forces during the War of the Spanish Succession, and of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, under whose reign the Diocese of Vienna was Canonically erected on 18 January 1469, in the Apostles’ Choir (South-East corner of the Cathedral).

The construction of Emperor Frederick’s tomb spanned over forty-five years, starting twenty-five years before his death.


The impressive sarcophagus is made of the unusually dense Red Marble-like Stone found at the Adnet quarry. 

Carved by Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden, the tomb lid shows Emperor Frederick in his Coronation Regalia surrounded by the Coats-of-Arms of all of his dominions. The tomb has 240 statues and is a glory of Mediæval sculptural art.

PART TEN FOLLOWS.
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The Great Organ, Estergom Basilica, Hungary.



English:
An introduction to the Great Organ of Esztergom Basilica 
in Hungary, by resident Organist István Baróti, 
at its present state of completion in 2011.
Magyar:
Az esztergomi bazilika orgonája.
Available on YouTube


English:
The Great Organ Of Estergom Basilica, Hungary.
Magyar:
Az esztergomi bazilika orgonája.
Photo: 9 September 2009.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
Author: Ivanhoe
(Wikimedia Commons)


Coat-of-Arms of Hungary.
“Per pale, the first barry of eight Gules and Argent,
the second Gules, on a mount Vert a crown Or,
issuant therefrom a double cross Argent.
In crest the Holy Crown of Hungary.”
Date: 1 January 2009.
Source:
Author: Thommy
(Wikimedia Commons)


The following Text is from Wikipedia.

The Primatial Basilica of the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Adalbert (Hungarian: Nagyboldogasszony és Szent Adalbert prímási főszékesegyház), also known as the Basilica of Esztergom (Hungarian: Esztergomi bazilika), is an Ecclesiastic Basilica in Esztergom, Hungary, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, 
and the Seat of the Catholic Church in Hungary.

It is dedicated to the Assumption of Saint Mary and 
Saint Adalbert and is the largest Church in Hungary.
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The Cathedral And Primatial Basilica Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven, And Saint Adalbert. Esztergom, Hungary.



The Cathedral and Primatial Basilica
of The Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven,
and Saint Adalbert, Esztergom, Hungary.
Photo: 13 August 2011.
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/
ramoncutanda/6100881117/
Author: Ramón Cutanda López.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Coat-of-Arms of Hungary.
Blazon “Per pale, the first barry of eight Gules and Argent,
the second Gules, on a mount Vert a crown Or,
issuant therefrom a double cross Argent.
In crest the Holy Crown of Hungary.”
Date: 1 January 2009.
Source:
Author: Thommy
(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless otherwise stated.

The Primatial Basilica of The Blessed Virgin Mary 
Assumed Into Heaven and Saint Adalbert (Hungarian: Nagyboldogasszony és Szent Adalbert prímási főszékesegyház), also known as the Esztergom Basilica (Hungarian: Esztergomi bazilika), is an Ecclesiastic Basilica in Esztergom, Hungary, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest, and the Seat of The Catholic Church in Hungary.

It is dedicated to Saint Mary of The Assumption, and Saint Adalbert.


English: The Altarpiece of Esztergom Basilica.
Painted by Michelangelo Grigoletti. It is the biggest
Altarpiece in the World painted onto a single canvas.
Magyar: Az esztergomi bazilika oltárképe, melyet Michelangelo Grigoletti festett. A világ legnagyobb, 
egy vászonra festett olajképe.
Photo: 9 September 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Ivanhoe
(Wikimedia Commons)

It is the biggest building in Hungary and the eighteenth biggest Church in the World. Its inner area is 5,600 m². It is 118 m long and 49 m wide. It has a reverberation time of more than 9 seconds. Its Dome, forming a Semi-Sphere, is situated in the middle, and it has twelve windows. It is 71.5 m high inside, with a diameter of 33.5 metres, and is 100 m high from outside, counted from the Crypt.

The Altarpiece (13.5 × 6.6 metres, depicting The Assumption 
of The Blessed Virgin Mary, by Girolamo Michelangelo Grigoletti) is the largest painting in the World painted on a single piece of canvas.


English: Esztergom Cathedral.
Magyar: Az Esztergomi Bazilika éjjel.
Photo: 21 February 2006.
Source: Own work.
Author: Villy
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Basilica is also known as the Bakócz Chapel (named after Tamás Bakócz), built by Italian Masters between 1506 – 1507, out of Red Marble of Süttő, its walls adorned with Tuscan Renaissance motifs.

It is the most precious remaining example of Renaissance Art in Hungary.

The huge Crypt, built in Old Egyptian Style in 1831, is today the resting place of Late Archbishops, among others, József Mindszenty, famous for his opposition to both Nazi and Communist rule.


Esztergom, Hungary.
Photo: April 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Karelj
(Wikimedia Commons)

The building of the present Church took place on the Foundations of several earlier Churches. The first was built by Stephen I of Hungary, between 1001–1010 (as the original Saint Adalbert Church), the first Cathedral in Hungary, which was burned down at the end of the 12th-Century.

It was rebuilt, and even survived the Mongol invasion of Hungary. However, in 1304, Wenceslaus III, a probable candidate for the Hungarian Throne, sacked the Castle and the Church. It was repaired in the following years.


Esztergom Basilica.
Photo: 15 June 2011.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Archbishops, of the 14th- and 15th-Centuries, made the Church more ornate and added a huge Library, the second most significant one in the Country.

It was ruined again, under Turkish rule, in 1543. In 1820, the Archdiocese was restored and Archbishop Sándor Rudnay decided to restore Esztergom’s status as Mother Church of the Country. The Church maintains the Relics of the Catholic Martyr and Saint, Marko Krizin.

The architect was Pál Kühnel and the lead contractor was János Packh. The Foundation-Stone was laid and work began in 1822. The Bakócz Chapel was carefully disassembled (into about 1,600 pieces) and was moved twenty metres away from its original location and attached to the new Basilica.


Coronation Chasuble.
Hungarian embroidery from the 17th-Century.
Photo: 18 February 2013.
Current location: Főszékesegyházi kincstár, 
Esztergom, Hungary.
Source: Own work, scanned by Szilas from
A magyar Szent Korona by Tóth Endre,
Szelényi Károly, Kossuth 2000, Budapest.
Author: Szilas
(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1838, Packh was murdered, so József Hild was placed in charge of construction. He completed it in Classic Style. Under the next Archbishop, János Scitovszky, the Upper Church was completed and Dedicated on 31 August 1856.

The 1856 Consecration Ceremonies featured the premiere of the “Missa Solennis zur Einweihung der Basilika in Gran” (Grand Mass), composed and conducted by Franz Liszt, and featuring the Organist Alexander Winterberger.

The final completion of the Cathedral took place twelve years later, in 1869.


English: The Organ,
Basilica in Esztergom, Hungary.
Magyar: Az esztergomi bazilika orgonája.
Photo: 9 September 2009.
Source: Own work.
Author: Ivanhoe
(Wikimedia Commons)

The renovation and enlargement of the Organ started in the 1980s, after extensive preparations, and it is currently in progress. It is supervised by István Baróti, the Basilica’s Organist and Choirmaster since 1975. As of 2008, the project is still not fully funded.

The Organ has five Manuals and, by 2006, had eighty-five Stops working out of the planned 146.

The Organ contains the largest Organ Pipes in Hungary, ten metres long (about thirty-five feet). When complete, it will be the third largest Organ in Europe, surpassing all Organs in Hungary in both volume and variety of Stops.

At the time of the construction, in 1856, the Organ was the largest in Hungary with forty-nine Stops, 3,530 Pipes and three Manuals. The present Organ preserves several Stops from the instrument that Liszt played.

For the Organ’s detailed specifications, see its article in the Hungarian Wikipedia.
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Saint Stephen. King And Confessor. Feast Day, Today, 2 September. White Vestments.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

Saint Stephen.
   King and Confessor.
   Feast Day 2 September.

Semi-Double.

White Vestments.


English: Saint Matthias Church,
Budapest, Hungary.
Magyar: Mátyás-templom.
Photo: 26 March 2019.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
Author: Paolo Villa
(Wikimedia Commons)


English: Coat-of-Arms of Hungary.
“Per Pale, the first, barry of eight, Gules and Argent, 
the second, Gules, on a Mount, Vert, a Crown, Or, 
issuant therefrom a Double Cross, Argent. 
In Crest, Holy Crown of Hungary.”
Magyar: A Magyar Köztársaság címere hegyes talpú, hasított pajzs. Első mezeje vörössel és ezüsttel hétszer vágott. Második, vörös mezejében zöld hármas halomnak arany koronás kiemelkedő középső részén ezüst kettős kereszt. A pajzson a magyar Szent Korona nyugszik.
Blazon Reference:
English: 
Magyar: 
Date: 1 January 2009.
Source: Own work.
Artist: Thommy
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Hungarian National Anthem.
Available on YouTube

A descendant of those proud and terrible invaders, the Huns, Stephen was chosen by God to win over his subjects to Christ and His Vicar.

He was given the Baptismal name of Stephen, in consequence of his mother having a vision of the Martyr, Saint Stephen, who foretold her that he would convert Hungary, whose first King he became when the Pope had raised the Country into a Kingdom.


English: Saint Matthias Church,
Budapest, Hungary.
Magyar: Mátyás-templom.
Photo: 12 November 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Thaler Tamas
(Wikimedia Commons)

Having married the sister of the Emperor, Saint Henry, he surrounded himself, to govern his Kingdom, with men of tried Holiness and Prudence. He passed entire nights in the contemplation of Heavenly things (Introit), practised the greatest austerities, and, seconded by the Queen, his pious spouse, gave abundant alms (Epistle) to widows and Churches.


English: Budapest and the River Danube.
Saint Matthias Church is on the sky-line.
Magyar: Pestről nézve.
Photo: 12 November 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Thaler Tamas
(Wikimedia Commons)

The greatness of his zeal, for the propagation of The Faith, justly won for him the Title of Apostolic King or of Apostle of Hungary, and deservedly obtained for him from the Holy See the privilege, transmitted to his successors, to have The Cross borne before him.

He built a large Basilica in honour of Mary, whom he proclaimed Patroness of Hungary. “His zeal in propagating and strengthening The Faith in his Kingdom earned for him the glory of a Heavenly Crown” (Postcommunion).

He died in 1038 on “The Day of The Great Lady”, as the Feast of The Assumption was called by the Hungarians, in virtue of an edict of the Holy King.

Mass: Os justi.


English: Saint Matthias Church,
Budapest, Hungary.
Magyar: Mátyás-templom.
Photo: 23 June 2013.
Source: Own work.
Author: Thaler Tamas
(Wikimedia Commons)
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“Wild Woodbine” Cigarettes. The Epitome Of Victorian Typographical Design.




An old pack of British Woodbine cigarettes,
photographed at the Musée Somme 1916, Albert, France. 
This design is often regarded as a magnificent example of 
Late-Victorian typographical design by aficionados.
Photo: 4 September 2013.
Source: Own work.
This File is made available under the 
Author: Alf van Beem
(Wikimedia Commons)


Woodbine is a British brand of cigarettes which, as of 2019, is owned and manufactured by Imperial Brands (formerly Imperial Tobacco). Woodbine cigarettes are named after the woodbine flowers, native to Eurasia.


“Who Was Woodbine Willie ?”
Available on YouTube

Woodbine was launched in 1888 by W.D. & H.O. Wills. Noted for its strong unfiltered cigarettes, the brand was cheap and popular in the Early-20th-Century with the working-class, as well as with Army men during the First and Second World War.[5][6] 

In The Great War (World War I), the British Army Chaplain Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy MC was affectionately nicknamed “Woodbine Willie” by troops on the Western Front, to whom he handed out cigarettes, along with Bibles and spiritual comfort. 



“Woodbine Willie”.
On the outbreak of World War I, Studdert Kennedy volunteered as a Chaplain to the Army on The Western Front, where he gained the nickname “Woodbine Willie”.[5] 
In 1917, he was awarded the Military Cross at Messines Ridge after running into No-Man's Land to help the wounded 
during an attack on the German Front Line.[6][7]
His nickname “the Cigarette Saint of No-Man’s Land” and the reverence shown at his funeral — where mourners tossed packets of Woodbines onto his cortege — speak volumes 
about the spiritual impact he had. 
He’s commemorated in Worcester Cathedral 
with a plaque that calls him 
“A Poet: A Prophet: A Passionate seeker after Truth”.
Image of Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy 
(G. A. Studdert Kennedy), The Bookman Special 
Christmas Number (December 1918).
Photo: 1918.
Source: GOOGLE BOOKS
Author: Hodder & Stoughton.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In the 1890s, Woodbine cigarettes were offered at a margin of 19%, with a possible maximum discount of 10%. In the United Kingdom, the brand was sold at very low advertising costs and total expenditure on sales promotion for all cigarettes and tobacco brands in 1925 was only 2d per pound of tobacco sold.[7]

The intricate 19th-Century packet design remained in use until the Mid-1960s. Although Wills changed the packaging, Woodbine sales continued to drop.

In common parlance, the unfiltered high-tar Woodbine was one of the brands collectively known as “gaspers” until about 1950, because new smokers found their harsh smoke difficult to inhale.

A filtered version was launched in the United Kingdom in 1948, but was discontinued in 1988. Woodbines came in four different packs: Five cigarettes, ten cigarettes, twenty cigarettes and fifty cigarettes.


They were often known as “Woodies”.[8]

In the 1960s, a few television ads were made in which 
Gordon Rollings played a man who engaged in numerous activities (including waiting for the bus or setting up a beach chair) and would always end in misery. He then would grab a packet of Woodbines from his pocket and light one, followed by a happy tune and a man reading the line “Light up life with a Woodbine ! It’s Britain’s best-selling cigarette !”.[9][10][11] at the end.

The ads were never played on TV however, as all television commercials for cigarettes were banned on 1 August 1965.[12][13] A jingle was also made to promote Woodbine in the Late-1950s or Early-1960s.[14]


A Woodbine vending machine, in Staffordshire 
Photo: 22 November 2012.
Source: Own work.
This File is licensed under the 
Author: Andy Mabbett
(Wikimedia Commons)


Woodbines were the oft-mentioned cigarette of choice for Tristan Farnon (Brian Sinclair), the younger of the two veterinary brothers in James Herriot’s semi-autobiographical All Creatures Great and Small series.

Princess Alice of Battenberg, mother of Prince Philip and mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II, who Founded a Nursing Order of Greek Orthodox Nuns in 1949, smoked Woodbines.

Prince Philip’s biographer Gyles Brandreth wrote of Princess Alice during her time at Buckingham Palace: “They say you could always tell when she was coming along the corridor, because of the whiff of Woodbines in the air. The idea of the Duke of Edinburgh’s mum, dressed as a Nun, smoking her Woodbine . . . it’s wonderful !” [15]



Legendary North East England comedian Bobby Thompson always smoked Woodbines on stage and also mentioned them frequently in his act.[16]

John Lennon was originally fond of smoking Woodbines while he was a student and into the early 1960s, before switching to smoking the French-made Gauloises Bleues. After switching, Lennon mocked the use of Woodbines during a documentary film that chronicled the Beatles’ first visit to America.[17]

Van Morrison, a Northern Irish singer-songwriter, mentions buying Woodbines in the song “Cleaning Windows” (“Bought five Woodbines at the shop on the corner // And went straight back to work”[18]) as a pictorial description of the main character of the song, who is a simple working man.


Flogging Molly, an Irish-American Celtic punk band, mentions smoking Woodbines in their song “Factory Girls”. The song is about an old woman, and has the line, “Choking on Woodbine // cigarettes just kill time.”[19]

In the Adrian Mole series of novels and related TV series, old-aged pensioner character Bert Baxter had often smoked Woodbines as depicted.

In the 1992 film “Howards End”, Leonard Bast (Samuel West) references the brand while telling the Schlegel sisters (Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter) about his all-night walk through the forest. He describes how tired and hungry he was by dawn: “I didn't know when you’re walking, you want breakfast, lunch, and tea, during the night as well. And all I had was a packet of Woodbines.” His working-class position and accent indicate the brand may be a cheap favourite.



English: The Imperial Russian Cruiser “Askold”,
 during Sea Trials, Kiel, Germany.
(See the reference to “Packet of Woodbines), below).
Русский: Бронепалубный крейсер Аскольд 
на испытаниях в Киле, 1901 год.
Date: 1901.
Source: 
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Woodbines are mentioned in Sheffield United’s club anthem “The Greasy Chip Butty Song”.[20] Gordon Landsborough’s Glasshouse Gang war series include several characters smoking Woodbines (often until so short as to burn their lips), Landsborough using the popularity of these cigarettes among British soldiers, especially of lower-class background.

Woodbines are the brand smoked by the protagonist in Brian Moore’s The Emperor of Ice-Cream.

Some Late-19th-Century to Early-20th-Century steamships sported as many as five long and thin smokestacks (sometimes including a dummy one), notably the Russian cruiser Askold, earning them the nickname “Packet of Woodbines” among sailors.
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