Regency Picnic at Mompesson House

This post is unfortunately evidence of how appalling I have become at posting! It seems to be a talent of mine!! I can't even remember when this event was, though for some reason September is coming to mind, so September it shall be.

So back in September :) , Mompesson House (National Trust) in Salisbury, put on an exhibition of artefacts from the 95 version of Sense and Sensibility. It was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film, as the house was used as Mrs Jenning's London residence. For the opening weekend the NT invited a local regency group to have a picnic in the garden. A few friends are in the group so I was invited to join. 

Compared to most National Trust properties, Mompesson is on the small side, and has a relatively small garden. It's really just a lawn, but a decent sized one. So we arrived with our food and lawn games and took over the garden for a lovely afternoon of eating, game playing, dancing and chatting.

Unfortunately I didn't end up taking many photos of the picnic as we were trying to be as historically accurate as possible for the public.

One of the picnic tables. Everyone (except me!) bought baskets full of amazing regency food.

An delicious flummery . I made an eighteenth century version of a cheesecake for the occasion, but of course left it at home!! :)

A few fellow picnickers playing a game of Battledore.

At one point in the afternoon I escaped into the house to view the exhibition. I have been around the house before so my photos mainly concentrate on the costumes and artefacts from the film.

Colonel Brandon in the Drawing Room (So sad about Alan Rickman)

Tea caddies!! There were a few gorgeous items around the house that were too just pretty not to take a photo of. :)

Coffee set, but still pretty. :)

One of Elinor's ball gown's

Underclothes, which I think are Victorian. (Not entirely sure why they were part of the exhibition. Maybe they are on display all year round).

One of Marianne's outfits  

Mrs Jenning's bonnet

An embroidered handkerchief of Edward's. Sadly I don't think it was the original one he gave to Elinor.

Fanny Dashwood's bonnet

The rest of the photos are of a few original Regency items that the house owns.

Would love this fan.

Exploring Kingston Lacy - The First and Second Floors

Happy New Year!! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!! 

The tour of Kingston Lacey finally continues! :)

The main master bedroom

Bedside table. Love the phone and hot brick. 

The adjoining bathroom

One of the guest bedrooms

its adjoining dressing room. The the cupboard to the right of the fireplace, also doubles as the servants entrance to the room - a semi hidden staircase! 

Photos of the Bankes children taken in a studio

Ralph - the last member of the Bankes family to live in the house.

Lady Bankes's bedroom 

One of the famous Tent rooms. It is meant to look like the inside of a Napoleonic tent, and was a very fashionable way to decorate, though apparently very few examples survive. They were originally guest rooms for bachelors, but became the children's bedrooms when they grew out of the Nursery.

Though for some reason one for the tent rooms had been staged as a night nursery.

There were even plaster tassels hanging from the ceilings!

Exploring Kingston Lacy - The Ground Floor

At the end of August (time has seriously flown!!) I spent a lovely weekend in Dorset. I primarily went to attend a friend's wedding, but decided to go a few days early so I would have time to do other things - such as visit a National Trust house. :) I suppose you could say I have a slight addiction to National Trust houses (well actually any historic house), if I am quite near to one and I have a few hours to spare, then said house must be visited! :)

So on this particular, slightly chilly, summers day, I found myself standing in front of Kingston Lacy. 

An Italian palazzo in the middle of the English countryside. 

The weighing machine in the entrance hall (because who doesn't feel the need to weigh their guests as they enter the house?! :) ).

Most of the house is set out as it was during the Edwardian era, but one or two rooms are how the last owner left them in the 1950s.

A view of the garden from the stairwell.

The Library

The Drawing room. I instantly fell in love with this room. Its not so much decor but the furniture and the way it was laid out. Apparently I love Edwardian clutter! :) All it needed was a comfy sofa to replace the rather uncomfortable chaise long, and then I would have happily moved straight in. :)

The main thing that I loved about this house was the attention to detail. It was very much like a home and not a museum - there were nic-naks everywhere.

The Dining room complete with its own organ!

Beautiful carved detail

Hidden behind one of the tapestries is a dumb waiter that goes between the dining room and the kitchen. To the left of it is a small sort of speaking apparatus so that you could use to call down for any thing that you needed!! Sort of an Edwardian intercom system!!

A tortoise footstool - found gracing the floor of the salon 

The Salon 

A beautiful family portrait

Next post - the first floor. 

Waterloo 200 - The Battles

At last I have got around to the final post on Waterloo! The event started on the Tuesday but the actual battle re-enactments weren't until the weekend - the Friday and Saturday. The battlefield was so big that the whole event, camp and battle, took place on it, but were a good 20 mins walk apart!

The fabulous Aurora marching to battle (with my parasol :) ) 

The battle was held in the same place on both nights - a giant cornfield. Walking through it, to get to the camp followers viewing area, was... well interesting! I'm not sure if you have ever experienced walking through hip-high corn in an empire line gown!! It was a challenge to say the least!! :)

Camp followers viewing area.

Waiting for the battle to begin. The battle was essentially the same on both nights. However, viewing-wise the second one was much better as you could actually see what was going on (when there wasn't too much smoke!).  Unfortunately, on the first night, the soldiers were so far away from the spectators that smoke was all you could really see!!

The cavalry charging

British cavalry officer parading the captured French colours.

Firing the cannons!!

This was without a doubt the best reenactment that I have ever been too (despite the serious lack of traders/shops due to the extortionate price the organisers were charging for trader stands). The whole camp/battles were amazing, but it was definitely the people who made it. I saw so many friends from far and wide, many of whom I had no idea were going to attend, so it was such a wonderful surprise to see them all. 

I finish on a rather sad note, as I felt I couldn't write about Waterloo without mentioning the Canadian gentleman who very sadly died of a heart attack on the second day. None of my friends and I knew him, but it really shook everyone. It was so sad, but I hope he had a happy life, and I am glad that he was able to attend at least part of Waterloo 200, an event that (as a fellow Napoleonic reenactor) I can imagine he very much dreamed of being part of.

Waterloo 200 continued...

Here are a few photos that I took of the Allied Camp and all the camps within it.

The Dutch camp

Marching through the British camp

Celebrations in the Swedish camp