Giles and Sue's Royal Wedding

Once again the food critic Giles Coren and the comedian Sue Perkins, joined forces to bring us another hilarious programme - this time their own Royal Wedding. I loved their Supersizers Go.. programmes where they dressed in period costume and  ate their way thorough history from the Romans to the 1970s, and was really looking forward to this latest instalment. I was not disappointed.  This time they ate their way thorough 500 years of history in one episode! comically portraying most of the royal couples since Henry VIII - It was hilarious. They were Edward VII and Princess Alexandra for the engagement photo, George IV and Princess Caroline for the ceremony and William and Kate for the Wedding Breakfast - where they ate multiple courses, each one from a different royal wedding. They also spent some time prancing through the rooms of a country house dressed as other royal couples. Their programmes are always hilarious, stuffed full with facts and with a topping of gorgeous historical costumes. This one was no exception. :)

Image from Radio Times website

The Great British Book of Baking

Happy Easter Everyone. :) I hope you have had a fabulous day. :)

For Easter my parents gave me a fabulous cook book called 'The Great British Book of Baking'. It is the companion book to the tv series 'The Great British Bake Off' that was made by BBC last year, and is jammed full of delicious recipes. I have been wanting the book ever since I watched the tv series, so I am so happy. :) I can't wait until my exams are over and then I can start trying out some of the recipes.

Don't they look delicious! :)

Easter Cupcakes

On Sunday I am going to have a picnic, with some friends, in a park near my friend's house.  Well it really entirely depends on the weather - hopefully it will be as beautifully sunny as it has been over the last few days. I have made some cupcakes for the occasion. :)

They are actually rocky-road (minus the nuts) so they are meant to have chocolate icing on them, but I wanted to make them look more Eastery. :)

Green Spencer

Just a couple of photos of the green spencer that my parents gave to me for my birthday last year. We picked it up from the dressmaker yesterday. It is a bit longer then the average spencer but I love it. :) I am hoping to have a bonnet and reticule made in the same material - all in time for the Jane Austen Festival in September. It is months away but I am so excited. :)

Clothing through the ages at Worthing Museum

Last term I had to do a project for uni on one of the dress collections at Worthing Museum in Sussex. The collection I had to study was decidedly modern and not to my taste, but since I was at the museum I thought I would take a quick look at the rest of the exhibitions. I am so glad that I did, as they had a lovely one on called 'Blooming Marvellous'. It contained clothing with floral patterns on, from the late 17th century to present day. It was very interesting and had some beautiful costumes. If you find yourself in Worthing before the 4th June, you should definitely pay a visit to the museum. Here is the museum's website.

Here are a few photos of some of the beautiful costumes:

Dress for Excess

'Dress for Excess' is an exhibition, on late 18th/early 19th century clothing, that is being held in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, until the beginning of next year. I went to see it a couple of weeks ago. I was very excited about this exhibition as I had heard lots about it from a friend who volunteers at Brighton Museum, and of course any chance to see Regency costume. :) I had already been to the Pavilion, so I quickly whizzed through the rooms that didn't have any costumes in them and got through the exhibition in about 20 mins! The clothing displayed was gorgeous but I have to admit that I thought there would be more - there were only about 14 items of clothing. However, they were beautiful and very well displayed, and it was wonderful to see the costumes in period correct surroundings. Definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in Brighton. :) Sadly I wasn't allowed to take any photos but here is the website for the exhibition with more information on it and a photo of one of the costumes.

Easter Cake

I know its not Easter for nearly a week but I thought I would make my Easter cake early as I have to hand in my dissertation soon after Easter!! :( I decided against making the traditional Simnel cake as no one in my family really likes it. So instead I made a lemon and orange one. As I had no recipe, I did my usual thing of typing what kind of cake I wanted to make into Google. Good old Google came up with quite a few recipes, but the most delicious looking and sounding one was on an Australian blog. Here is the blog.

Here are a couple of photos of my cake:

I haven't finished decorating it yet as I am going to put it in the freezer until Easter Sunday. But I am planning to cover it with all things edible and Eastery (preferably made of chocolate). Starting with mini eggs. :)

Regency Ball Gown

Last week I went to a Georgian party held by the Georgian society that I am a member of. It was great fun and everyone who dressed in Georgian clothing was wearing beautiful clothes, period costume was optional - but of course I had to dress up! :) There was also some interesting dancing - a 19th century dance (Fledermaus Quadrille), but hilarious as not many people really knew what they were doing! lol :) - It was so much fun though.

Here is the regency gown that I wore:

Georgian Buildings in Soho

I am a member of a society that tries to protect and save Georgian buildings in the UK. The society holds events throughout the year, and about two weeks ago I went on one to Soho in London, to visit two Georgian houses. One was a private home and the other a charity for the homeless. From the outside they both looked like typical London buildings, but there interiors were amazing.

Here are a few photos of the interior of the charity. I don't think I can post ones of the private home:

A newsagent that we passed on the way to the house - in the middle of being restored - but it has had the same detailing since the beginning of the 18th century!

Outside of the house

Outside of the house

The Drawing Room fireplace. The building was being rented for a month by some media company, hence the modern pictures and furniture!

If Walls Could Talk

A few days ago there was a very interesting programme on BBC4 called 'If Walls Could Talk'. It was about the history of the British Living room. Presented by Dr. Lucy Worsley (head curator of Historic Royal Palaces), it took the viewer through the history of the living room from medieval times to the present day - how it has evolved and changed over the centuries, with Dr. Worsley occasionally donning period costume. The programme is definitely worth watching, and excitingly it is one of four programmes. The next is on the bathroom.




If Walls Could Talk

The Bluebell Railway

A couple of years ago I went with some of my family to have lunch on the Bluebell Railway. It is a wonderful steam railway in Sussex that is run entirely by volunteers. The trains and carriages are from the late 19th and early 20th centuries (the newest is form the '30s) and many of the carriages are beautiful Pullman ones. They offer lunches, teas and suppers as well as normal train rides. It is a fabulous treat for any steam train fan, or lover of delicious food, and anyone who has ever wished to experience the luxury train travel of the '20s and '30s. :) 

Our Carriage! :)

Inside the carriage.

The Tanfield Railway

Just another photo from the Newcastle Trip. The Tanfied Railway - A lovely steam train line just outside Newcastle, and the oldest one in the country.

Beamish Museum

My sister and I went to the Beamish Museum a couple of years ago. It is just outside Newcastle and is an open air living history museum. It consists of  a high street which is set in 1913 with reenactors, working sweet shops, trams, a schoolroom, a bank etc.  There is also an 1830s Manor House and an early 19th century steam train. It wasn't the most amazing museum I have ever been to, but it was great fun and good way to wile away an afternoon. Here are a few photos

The Sweet Shop - they make the sweets on the premises. They only sell traditional sweets and they are delicious! :) 

Jane Austen Festival 2010

Just a few photos from the Jane Austen Festival 2010. 

The Regency Promenade 

Another photo of the Promenade 

My First Regency Dress

After many attempts to make my own regency dress (using an old sheet!!), I finally decided to take the plunge and buy one - such a good decision. I ordered this one from the Jane Austen Centre in Bath last year. It was made by their fabulous dressmaker. Sadly its not the best photo so you can't really see it in detail but it is beautifully made. Oh I wish I had such sewing skills *sigh*

Here goes...

Here is a confession - I am in my early 20s and in my last year at university. I hate clubbing, I don't really drink as I hate the taste (apart from Pimms which I adore :) but only really drink it in the summer as... well its a summer drink), I have never smoked and I am addicted to tea. I love cheesy chick flicks (especially American ones), sitcoms, and am a Christmas fanatic. I love historical clothing (especially eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth century), period dramas, Jane Austen, nineteenth century dancing, baking cakes (and eating them!), Georgian and Victorian architecture, reading historical novels, cross-stitch and did I mention tea!

I find writing quite hard as I am dyslexic - so it probably seems a bit of an odd decision to start writing a blog. The thing is that I have read loads of blogs by people that have similar interests to me. They are amazing blogs which are so interesting to read, but everyone writing them seems to live in America. Now don't get me wrong, I think America is a fabulous place, full of wonderful people. Its just that I have never really met anyone who lives here (England) who, is around my age and has similar interests to me. Not one of the blogs is by someone in England and I am starting to think that I am the only 20 something year old person in this country, with my interests. So I thought I would share my love of all things historical and see if there are any other British history fanatics out there. That is not to say that I only want British people to visit - Anyone from any country is welcome. :)