A Regency House Party - Part One

At the end of June I attended the 10th Anniversary of the Hampshire Regency Dancers. To celebrate they decided to hold a regency house party in a manor house in Somerset. It was a wonderful weekend, and I just wish it had been longer.

For photos I am going to start with a few of the house and then move onto events. So here they are:

Of course I couldn't publish a post that didn't have any photos of pretty ceilings in it!!:) This was the the drawing room/bar ceiling.

The dining room

The very impressive fireplace in the main hall

Part of the garden

Jackie and Emily in the dining room at supper on the Friday evening.

Everyone having supper 

After supper we had an informal dance. 

There was a maypole on the front lawn of the manor. I have always wanted to try maypole dancing, so a few of us decided to escape the heat of the ballroom and attempt a dance. :) It was such fun. We weren't very good at it and the ribbons became rather twisted, but we were in fits of laughter. :) I would love to try it again. Sadly I didn't get any photos as I was too busy dancing.

After the dancing, Regency and maypole, two ladies acted out a regency comedy performance. It was hilarious. :)

The following day we had a dance practice in the morning and then had the afternoon free. 

A few of us decided to take the opportunity to visit a local National Trust House - Dunster Castle. And of course we went in Regency clothing. :) Here everyone is walking up the steep drive to the castle entrance.

Claire - I love the back of her spencer.

The front of the castle. It was too big for me to fit the entire castle in one photo. I couldn't get farther enough away for it to fit.

Next: a few photos of the castle's interior

The inner hall.

The grand staircase

The dining room. 

Beautiful dining room ceiling.

I love the gown. :)

Another view of the grand staircase. It reminds me of the one at Sudbury Hall (the interior of Pemberley in P&P 95) I think it was carved by the same person.

Another painting of a lady wearing a gorgeous gown

All of us girls in one of the bedrooms. I have no idea what Emily is looking at. :)

The detail on the bed cover was gorgeous, sadly you can't really see it in this photo.

A rather blurry photo of the one bath in the house. It was enormous and so deep!

Another bedroom

Looking at Belgian tapestries

Helen and her beautiful bonnet. :)

Admiring another bedroom

The billiard room - part of the late 19th century renovation of the castle. We were actually allowed to have a go at playing! I say have a go, as we were pretty terrible at playing. The room steward looked rather nervous as we were attempting to play. He was worried that we were going to rip the green baize. Luckily we didn't harm the table in any way, and we had a lot of fun.

I love how there were seats in the giant fireplace. It must have been so cosy on cold winter nights in Victorian Somerset. The fireplace is so big as it was originally the kitchen before the victorian renovations were done.

A stack of old suitcases in the gunroom.

Gorgeous Adam fireplace 

A gorgeous desk (I think it is regency) that was in the owners office (owner during the late 19th century).

A rather blurry photo of the library - and the back of Emily.

The drawing room. Unfortunately we couldn't really walk into the room, we were only allowed to view it from either doorway.

Walking through the gardens. I love this photo. If you ignore the modern manhole cover and drainpipe, it looks like a glimpse into the Regency era. :)

And last but not least the stables, which were obviously very grand at one time. :)

Next: The anniversary ball and Regency kite flying.

Horncastle Regency Festival: Part 4

Sunday was by far the best day of the whole Festival. There was one event - a trip to Belton House - the home of Lady Catherine de Burgh (95 version). It was a lovely sunny day and a few of us decided to go in costume. Though, when we actually reached the house and realised that the whole of Lincolnshire had come to enjoy the gardens in the beautiful weather, for a moment we started to slightly regret our decision!!! However we decided to brave it and were so glad that we did as it is always so much more fun visiting historic houses in period costume rather than normal clothes!! :)

The front of the house

Emily outside the house

Me wearing the drawstring gown (I made at the end of last year/ beginning of this year) for the first time. :) Annoyingly the sash kept falling down to my natural waist, so I really need to find a way to fasten it. Think I will have to sew it.

The Stables

I love this photo :)

The Hall

These are the most unusual service bell pulls I have seen - I love them

View of the path that Elizabeth Bennet walks up on her way to the house to meet Lady Catherine. 

A lovely jug and wash bowl I found in a corridor.

The only reason that we went to the house :) !!

Sadly my hair once again decided not to behave itself!! Oh and this is proof that I was in Mr Darcy's bedroom :) !!!

The absolutely gorgeous desk where Mr Darcy writes the letter to Elizabeth. Apparently during the filming of that scene there were too National Trust volunteers standing behind Colin Firth with fire extinguishers at the ready, in case he knocked over the candle that was on the desk!!!

Claire, Emily and I on the grand staircase - I have no idea why I am staring at the steps!!

Claire and Emily walking up.

Emily and I in the room where Elizabeth first meets Lady Catherine. In the film it is a drawing room

... but in real life it is a dining room

The smoking room (I think)

A linen closet that was just off one of the staircases

This bedroom was 30s themed and there was lovely period appropriate music playing

I think this was the lady of the house's sitting room (sorry, there were so many rooms that I can't remember what most of the were called)

I love looking at old photos. :)

The amazing ceiling in the sitting room

A gorgeous victorian gown that was laid out on a pretty impressive bed

Early electric curling tongs. It looks a bit to me like an instrument of torture, and reminds me of the machine in "A Secret Garden" that is used to help Colin's circulation in his legs!!!

There were quite a few bedrooms!!!

The Library, which I loved.  :)

Its beautiful ceiling

This is apparently one of the oldest, if not the oldest, complete map book in the country! Apparently a few of them exist but most have missing pages, as when their original owners went on a journey they would rip out the map they wanted so they didn't have to take the whole book with them on their travels.

The Gardens 

Inside the Orangery

Me walking up the path the Elizabeth took to get to the House!! :)

The back of the House

One attendee of the festival - Andrew- is a very skilled photographer and here are a few lovely photos that he took of us on the lawn outside the house.

...and inside

After touring the main part of the house, we went and had lunch in the tearooms and then went on a guided tour of the servants quarters. Sadly no photos were allowed as the V and A had lent them a few items in one of the rooms. I thought it a bit strange that it meant that we couldn't take photos in any of the other rooms. oh well!! 

The whole day was wonderful, and the weather perfect, if just a tiny bit too windy - I really need to invest in a strong hat pin!

Overall the Festival was lovely. There were a few hiccoughs and hitches that were a bit annoying, but I suppose that any new venture never does run completely smoothly to begin with. For a festival in its first year it was great and I am very glad that I went. :)