Rachel Knowles's Blog, page 12

The Lyceum Theatre in Regency London

The Proscenium of the English Opera House (The Lyceum)
as it appeared on March 21 1817 with Walker's Exhibition, the 
Eidouranian from The Lyceum and Henry Irvine by A Brereton (1903)Profile

The Lyceum Theatre was built as an exhibition space which was later converted into a theatre. It did not have a patent for performances during the winter season, but from 1809 to 1812, the Drury Lane Theatre company performed at the Lyceum under their own licence whilst their theatre was being rebuilt....

Coelebs in Search of a Wife by Hannah More (1808) – a review

Gentleman's full dress
from Ackermann's Repository (1810)Coelebs in Search of a Wife 1 could perhaps be more aptly named Reader in Search of a Story! If you pick up this book expecting an action-filled tale of romance and adventure, you will be disappointed. Not much happens! There is a gentle storyline following the hero, Charles, as he looks for a wife, but the book is less about the love story and more about the different people he meets. 
This is what I found fascinating. Hannah More p...

What Regency Women Did For Us is out now!

Today is the UK release date for my new book, What Regency Women Did For Us. The book tells the inspirational stories of twelve women who lived in the Regency period – women whose lives made an impact on the world in which they lived and whose influence can still be felt in some measure today. These women were pioneers for their sex – scientists and authors, actresses and educators, philanthropists and businesswomen – and some of them going where no woman had been before.

Twelve inspirational...

Haymarket Theatre in Regency London

Old Haymarket Theatre from Old and New London (1873)In Georgian London, it was necessary to have a licence in order to perform plays. In 1766, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, was granted a royal patent, allowing it to put on plays, but only during the summer season. There were only two theatres licensed to put on plays during the winter: The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. 
The First Haymarket Theatre
The first theatre in the Haymarket was built by John Pott...

Drury Lane Theatre in Regency London

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, from The Microcosm of London Vol 1 (1808)The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, was one of the two theatres with a patent to perform plays in Georgian London. The other was the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. The Haymarket Theatre could also put on plays, but only during the summer.

Early history
The first theatre (1663-72)
The first theatre on the Drury Lane site opened in 1663. It was built by Thomas Killigrew on an area known as the Riding Yard but seems to have had no partic...

The life and career of Horatio Nelson

Admiral Lord Nelson after the painting by John Hoppner
in Miller's edition of Robert Southey's Life of Nelson (1896)Profile
Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) is probably the most well-known of all the heroes of late Georgian England. He can’t match Mr Darcy in popularity, but Nelson did have the benefit of being a real person!
Nelson’s early naval career 1771-1792
Born in 1758, the sixth of eleven children living in Norfolk, his father was a rector and his mother d...

Covent Garden Theatre in Regency London

Theatre Royal, Covent Garden from The Microcosm of London Vol 1 (1808)The Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, was one of only two theatres licensed to perform plays in Georgian London. The other was the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and there was intense competition between the two. In addition, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, had a limited patent that allowed it to perform plays during the summer.
The first theatre (1732-1808)
The first Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, opened in 1732. It was built by the ac...

Jane Austen - The Secret Radical by Helena Kelly - a review

Consider carefully before you read this book!
If you are happy reading Jane Austen’s novels as the Regency era love stories that I have always believed them to be, then don’t read this book. It might help you to understand some of the influences that affected Jane’s writings which might lead to a greater enjoyment of her work, but it is also possible that you might not like everything you discover. If you take all Kelly’s ideas seriously, this book could completely undermine the way that you l...

Wellington's Dearest Georgy by Alice Marie Crossland - a review

Who was Wellington’s ‘dearest Georgy’?
Every Regency historian has heard of the Duke of Wellington, but who was his ‘dearest Georgy’? In this new biography, author Alice Marie Crossland paints an engaging picture of the little-known Lady Georgiana Lennox and her intimate friendship with Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. 
Lady Georgiana Lennox (1795-1891), known to her close friends as Georgy, was the third daughter of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, and his wife, Lady Charlot...

The Tower of London - a Regency History guide

The Tower of London from Ackermann's Microcosm of London (1808-10)History
The oldest part of the Tower of London dates back to the time of William the Conqueror. William was crowned king of England in London on Christmas Day 1066 following his decisive victory at the Battle of Hastings a few months earlier. Keen to ensure control of his capital city, he commissioned the construction of a fortress—what is now known as the White Tower. It was begun in the 1070s and completed after his death, by...