Kristine Hughes's Blog, page 66

DINNER WITH THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON

"How do you feel about going to Philadelphia in November?" I asked Hubby one day back in September.

"Philly? Why do you want to go to Philly?" Hubby asked in return.

Channeling the wide eyed, innocent look often adopted by Lucy Ricardo, I answered, "Oh, I thought we could spend a few days in the city and then a couple of days visiting your family."

"My family? Oh, no. Uh uh," Hubby said, narrowing his eyes at me. "You've got something up your sleeve. There's something British going on. Who's going to be there, the Queen? Prince Charles?"

"The Duke of Wellington."

"That'd be some trick."

"Not Artie. The 9th Duke of Wellington."

"There's a 9th Duke of Wellington?"

"Long live the Duke."

"Okay, I'll bite. What exacty are you talking about?"

"The Duke of Wellington will be giving a lecture for the Royal Oak Society at the Union League in Philly on November 19th. There's a dinner afterwards. We can spend two days in Philly and then drive into the suburbs to see Laura and Terry and Mike."

"Okay, I'm in."

Now it was my turn to narrow my eyes at Hubby. "There's a dinner afterwards. After the lecture. By the Duke of Wellington."

"Heard you."

"The dress is business formal."

"What does that mean? I don't have to rent a tux, do I?"

"No. But you do have to wear a suit. Tie. Dress shoes."

"I do have suits, you know. And dress shoes."

"So . . . . you'll go with me?"

"Yeah, I'll go." Who was this masked man?

"Let's try your suits on and see which one fits best."

"We have two months! There's no rush. I'll try them on closer to the day." Ah, now I recognized him. Hubby. Really, I couldn't push Hubby about the suit. He'd just agreed to sitting through a lecture, after all.

"Er, do you know how to address the Duke?"

"Huh?"

"Should you meet him face to face during the evening, do you know how to greet him? I mean, you can't say 'Hey, how you doing, man?'

Hubby rolled his eyes. "Save it. Whatever it is you want me to say, save till closer to the day. I just hope it won't be anything as weird as the wedding vows you made me say. What was that again?"

"I pledge thee my troth."

"Yup. That's the one. My troth. Whatever that is. And I still don't believe that anyone else pledges their troth when they get married, even if they are British. I don't have to bow or anything, do I?"

"Only if you want to."

"Well, I don't. Are we going to eat dinner tonight, or what?"

And so I waited until two weeks befor the day before broaching the subject of suits with Hubby again. Obediently, he went and got his two black suits from the closet. After dusting them off, I held one out to him. "Here, try this one first."

 Hubby donned the pants and then the jacket. "Well?" he asked. "It fits."

"Yes, but who does it fit?"

"Waddya mean?"

"You look like you're wearing your grandfather's clothes. Your really big grandfather. Look how much material is in the sleeves. Arnold Swarzenegger could get his arm in there with yours. Try the other one on. Please."

He did. And it fit like a glove. The sleeves were perfect, the length, as well. Like a glove. There is a God.

"Right. That's the one. Take it off and I'll bring it to the cleaners." And so I did. And then I went to pick it up from the cleaners on Monday. I handed my ticket over and the girl behind the counter started the clothes carousel going round and round. And round. And round again. And then one last time for good measure.

Coming back to the counter she said, "Er, it's not here."

I blinked at her. "My ticket says it would be ready two days ago."

"Oh, it's ready. It's checked in on the computer as having been cleaned and returned to us, but it's not where it should be."

I stared at her a moment before saying, "My husband has an important dinner on Thursday. We're going out of town, with his suit, on Wednesday. He. Must. Have. That. Suit."

"Look, if you give me a few hours, I promise I'll go through every single garment we have here and try to find it. It's here, it just wasn't put in the proper place."

Aside from losing my mind, or pitching a fit, I had no choice but to agree to this. There was no way in the world Hubby was wearing his grandfather's suit to meet the Duke of Wellington.

When I called back, I was told that Hubby's suit was given to the wrong customer. They had been calling and leaving messages on the customer's phone, but hadn't heard back yet. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. WWAD? For the uninformed, that stands for What Would Artie Do? Breathe. Think. Calmly. I could rush Hubby out of the house and into a menswear store. I could even buy him a new suit. But there would be alternations needed. Inevitably. Alterations that would take more than a day to turn around. It was Monday. We were flying out on Wednesday. As I had no Marshall Blucher in reserve, you'll understand that I then allowed myself to panic.

"We'll keep trying to reach the customer," the girl at the other end of the phone said.

In the end, and in a close call to rival that at the Battle of Waterloo, the customer did return their calls, the suit was delivered to the dry cleaners and I went to pick it up. With about four seconds to spare.

So, Hubby and I arrived in Philly, with the suit, and the next day - the day of the dinner - turned out to be a rainy one. We'd planned on doing a few museums and walking the City, but now had to regroup. It occurred to me that Philly, like most larger cities, might have a Big Bus Tour. The doorman at hotel confirmed that this was so and even arranged for the tour operator to send a courtesy van to pick us up at the hotel and deliver us back after the tour. We were able to see the sights in comfort and warmth.






Betsy Ross's House above and below.







The "Rocky" steps above. 
After the tour, we returned to the hotel in order to get dressed for the Wellington Lecture. 
"You look nice," Hubby said.
"Do you think?" I asked. "I feel like I should either be holding menues and asking 'how many in your party?' or standing at the front of an airline cabin pointing out the emergency exits. Business formal, indeed."

So, after drinks in the hotel bar, Hubby and I headed outside the hotel to get a cab. None to be had, we were told by the doorman. Huh? Apparently, Philly cabs were overloaded due to the rain. Huh? It rains in London. It rains in Manhattan. There are still cabs. We had fifteen minutes to get to the Union League. Long minutes ticked by with no cabs in sight. I could not believe that I was going to be late for a lecture I'd waited months to attend because of rain. The words "a horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse" ran through my mind, but I didn't think Hubby would appreciate the similarity.

"We should walk," I said at last.

Hubby looked at me as though I'd suggested getting naked and dancing the samba in the street. "Don't be crazy."

"We are going to miss the Duke of Wellington," I hissed in response. "The Duke of Wellington."

It was at this point that we were approached by a man. "I understand from the doorman that you need to get to the Union League. Get in. I'll drive you there."

I looked over to see that he had a private car. "Really?"

"Yes. Come on. I'm an Uber car. Get in."

We got in. We drove the five blocks and got to the Union League with seconds to spare. I gave the driver a twenty dollar bill and am still remembering him in my nightly prayers.

Reader, we were in time for the Wellington Lecture. Words, I trust, are not necessary.





I suspect that the lecture series was prompted by the fact that The Duke of Wellington has reworked and expanded a book called The Iconography of the Duke of Wellington which was written by a former Duke in 1935. The new coffee table book, Wellington Portrayed, was on sale and you can rest assured that I bagged myself a copy.







When I reached the Duke at the front of the line, I handed him our Number One London card. He was seated at a table, he looked at the card and then looked up at me, taking note of the Wellington miniature I wore on my lapel.

"It's our blog. We've been doing it for about four years. All things Wellington, all the time."

"Really?" I couldn't tell if this was a good really or a cease and desist really.

"Yes. And we did a Duke of Wellington Tour last year and went to all the sites associated with the Duke, including Apsley House and Stratfield Saye."

"Did you visit Walmer?"

"Yes, Your Grace. And Horse Guards." The Duke made no comment, but did sign my copy of his book.



And he deigned to take a photograph with his most loyal flight attendant. 

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON TOUR: FROGMORE HOUSE

Victoria here. I was very excited to visit Frogmore House. I had been to visit the Royal Mausoleum some years ago but the house itself had been closed. Now we were lucky to be among the privileged few who could book a tour, rarely available.

Frogmore House, about a mile from Windsor Castle in the Home Park, was built in the 17th century and updated many times. It has provided a private retreat for the royals since the late 18th c. days of Queen Charlotte and George III.  Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent (1786-1861), lived here as her country residence until her death. [Unless otherwise indicated, the photos are all by Victoria or Kristine.]

Arriving at Frogmore 


The Frogmore House website is here. 

The Sunny Colonnade
The Drawing Room Photo: Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Mary Moser Room Photo: Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) invited prominent artist Mary Moser, RA (1744-1819), to decorate the room with her floral designs.  Below, a closer view of a panel.
Mary Moser Photo: Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

Floral Painting by Mary Moser, RA Photo: Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
Our intrepid group

Another view of the group







Ken takes a break
After our tour of the interior, we wandered around the grounds, with a lovely lake, several follies, and nearby though closed to visitors, two mausoleums (mausolea?), one for Queen Victoria's mother and the other for Victoria and her adored Albert.



The grounds are a lovely combination of natural and manicured landscapes.


Royal Mausoleum (Victoria and Albert)
Mausoleum, last resting place of Victoria, Duchess of Kent, mother of the Queen


Looking back at Frogmore House...wonder if I could borrow it for a few weeks? Certainly the Queen  would be welcome to visit and walk her dogs here while I was in residence. I could invite you to visit.




steps to the mausoleum where Duchess of Kent is buried

Another glimpse of the Royal Mausoleum, last resting place of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

looks like a blue heron to me


I love this young horse. I couldn't find the name of the sculptor,though I suspect it is the work of Heather Jansch


Tynwald Rose, bearing the label: Presented to HM Queen Elizabeth II to mark the occasion of Her Diamond Jubilee from the People of the Isle of Man June 2012

Card with picture of Frogmore House in 1819


All of us on the Duke of Wellington Tour agreed that Frogmore was delightful and a house where one could be comfortable , with a minimum of gilt and palace pomp. No wonder Queen Charlotte and her daughters loved it, as have many generations of Royals.

STRAIGHT NO CHASER - A CAPPELLA 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MASH UP

Watch and listen here.

HAPPY 240TH BIRTHDAY TO JANE AUSTEN

JASNA GREATER CHICAGO REGION CELEBRATES JANE AUSTEN'S BIRTHDAY

Father Christmas at the Fortnightly
Wasn't it thoughtful of Jane Austen to arrive in the world near the Christmas holidays so that for all these years, her devotees could celebrate in beautifully decorated surroundings and toast not only her birthday but also the Winter Solstice, the Festival of Lights, Christmas, Kwanza, and many other events, not to forget the New Year.

One of many Christmas Trees
Victoria here, inviting you to share a celebration held on Saturday, December 5, 2015, at Chicago's Fortnightly. Every year on the first weekend of the month, JASNA-GCR holds a tea at this beautiful club just north of the Magnificent Mile (by the way, the stores and streets were mobbed with busy shoppers).  
Another St. Nick
This year, the speaker was Sara Bowen, on "Village Life in Jane Austen's World": The View from the Parsonage," a talk enthusiastically and gratefully received by the large audience. Ms. Bowen first presented this talk at the JASNA AGM in Louisville last October; she is a popular speaker at AGMs and many other JASNA events.
Sara Bowen
Ms. Bowen told us that the rector of the village church might be a very lonely post; he might even be one of the only literate people in the community.  He often held additional responsibilities besides his church, including supervising the farming of his glebe property and schooling young boys in preparation for schools such as Eton or Winchester. A large percentage of Anglican rectors were also magistrates or Justices of the Peace. As one of the leading citizens of the area, he might also be called upon to settle all sorts of disagreements and to supervise whatever educational opportunities there were for young people.
Some parsons spent time on their sermons, while others read previously collected works to their congregation, many of whom might respond as below.
The Sleeping Congregation by William Hogarth, 1736, 1764
Some of the few sources on actual village life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries were the letters, diaries and memoirs of clergymen and their families.  George Crabbe's writings include poetry and present a realistic view of life.
George Crabbe 1754-1832Letters and Journals 1781-1832
William Jones left a readable diary, often available only in specialized libraries, but an excellent source. William Jones' ChurchyardBroxbourne, Hertfordshire
Also of value are the sketches, watercolors, and oils of artists of the time such as those of George Morland and William H. Pyne.
A Village Fete by William Henry Pyne, 1791
James Woodforde and his left valuable accounts of village life, some available at the Parson Woodforde Society, here. His niece Nancy Woodforde also left some interesting diaries as well as her day books.

The Rectory where Jane Austen lived as the daughter of the rector in the Hampshire villageof Steventon from her birth in 1775 to 1800 when the family moved to Bath


All in all, these views of village life add greatly to our understanding of Austen's life and work. They provide an excellent context for her novels and her letters, which are so full of comments on friends and family, most of whom lived in Hampshire villages. 

Thanks to Sara Bowen, JASNA-GCR, the Fortnightly, and our ever-fascinating birthday girl, Jane Austen.  

FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST

A FEW ITEMS YOU MIGHT WANT TO WRITE TO SANTA ABOUT -- 


For six wonderful jaunts into the milieu of Jane Austen and the Regency, be sure you ask for an annual subscription to Jane Austen's Regency World magazine.  I never tire of reading about the news about Austen (and you might be surprised how much there is!), the events held in England and North America--and elsewhere, and many well-researched articles about Miss Austen, her family, friends, and times.  To subscribe, click here.


I love these Jane Austen Calendars...filled with things Jane did, events from her life and letters, and from the various characters in her novels.  I hang this near my morning tooth-brushing mirror and while I perform this necessary task, I read that day's item.  Perfect way to start the day -- or over your early morning tea or with a coffee.  Order several for your friends and family.

For more information, click here.

For the order form, click here.

Illustration from the Calendar for July:

Miss Bates calls out to Mr. Knightley:"How d'ye do?--how d'ye do?...Pray come in; do come in, You will find some friends here."

Long Lost Insults, just one of many sets of Knowledge Cards, a stocking stuffer from the wonderful company that brings British items to the U.S.

Access Bridgham and Cook by clicking here. 

Darcy and Elizabeth 
These adorable salt and pepper shakers are available at Bas Bleu here

Here's hoping Santa cooperates...
Holkham Hall at Christmas

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON TOUR: BOATING ON THE THAMES

The next morning, we made our way down to the Thames for a River Cruise with river tour operators, French Brothers. During our coach ride to the River, we glimpsed an antique shop in Thames Street whose windows were simply chock-a-block with tempting items. Promising the group an impromptu visit to the shop afterwards, we continued on to the River.



A large bevy of swans were on hand to welcome us. Although they look regal, when competing for treats,  they are quite fierce.

The swans on the Thames are all owned by the Crown, the Worshipful Company of Vintners, or the Worshipful Company of Dyers. In July, each one is captured and marked for ownership, a period called swan-upping.

Young swanling, or cygnet, still with grey feathers

Excellent advice!








As the cruise begins, we pass the Eton Playing fields, upon which the Duke of Wellington said the Battle of Waterloo was won, although there is much debate as to the truth of this anecdote. 

Bucolic scenes abound along this stretch of the Thames. 

Long Bridge, entry to the Cuckoo Weir Stream, home of a Swan Rescue Center,



Above and below, the Boveney Lock, as far upstream as we cruised. It is one of 44 locks on the Thames.






The Royal Windsor Racecourse above and below.


Below, the landing for race-goers arriving by boat.



We were afforded occasional glimpses of lovely homes along the River.

Moored tour boat.


Canal Boats can also be found on the Thames.

A glimpse of the railway viaduct that carries the railroad into Windsor.

Interesting vessels...provided for the tourists?


Views of the Castle from the River




Near the Dock is Alexandra Gardens with the nearby Diamond Jubilee Fountain,installed in 2012.
Our River cruise was a relaxing interlude, but the group had not forgotten our pledge to take them antiquing afterwards, so we made our way back to the shop, whose name we cannot, alas, recall, and in we all trooped. As is her usual modus operandi, Kristine asked the proprietor whether they had any Wellington items for sale and was disappointed when told they had not. No matter, we browsed at a leisurely pace, with each of our group seeking out treasures reflecting their own individual interests. Before long, our adorable Ki pointed out a particular display case, in which sat a miniature of none other than the Duke of Wellington. This case, it transpired, belonged to one of the many dealers who rented space in the shop and so the man on duty had not been aware of this miniature, which Kristine scooped up without further hesitation. Score!


Reader, a fabulous morning was had by all. Especially Kristine. Thank you, Ki Pha!

ALL I WANT FOR XMAS IS A BIT OF OXFORD A CAPPELLA

Holiday Spirit?       Check!
Christmas Carols?   Check!
Gorgeous men?  Check!
It must be a bit of Oxford A Cappella Out of the Blue, Oxford's all-male a cappella group looked dapper while dancing and caroling along to the 1994 hit single, which turned 20 years old last month.
Filmed entirely on the Oxford campus, Harry Potter movie fans will recognize the background scenery as the primary filming locations for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The a cappella group even got special permission to film inside the world renown Bodleian Library of Oxford, including the beautiful Old Schools' Quad and the Divinity School.

Out of the Blue put together the arrangement and the music video to promote the Helen and Douglas House charity. The charity provides support for families requiring children hospice care in the U.K.



Click here to start your Christmas Season off right with this fun and fabulous video. 

THEATRE REVIEW - MR. FOOTE'S OTHER LEG

by Guest Blogger Kitt Walsh


Photos: Courtesy of Ian Kelly

Playwright Ian Kelly based his new play, Mr. Foote’s Other Leg on his award-winning book of the same name and in the script he tackles celebrity, cross-dressing, the role of royalty, sexual freedom, obsessive gambling, breast cancer, adultery and aristocracy – and that is only in the first act.
The play centers on the (real) celebrity actor and playwright, Samuel Foote, who trod the very boards of the Royal Haymarket Theatre where I caught the performance during a recent trip to London.
Foote, a man who became tabloid fodder and a celebrity who would have put The Kardashians to shame (his life bumped the American Revolution off the front page of British newspapers in 1776), Foote is brought to uproarious life by the incomparable British actor, Simon Russell Beale. When I spoke to Beale backstage after the show, he confided he hasn't performed on our shores in a decade and would like to return. Based on the enormity of his talent and his perfect comedic timing, don’t be surprised if he becomes a household name here in the States soon. Broadway must be calling him. He is a marvel to watch.
Donning women’s gowns, wigs, hats and fake breasts, Beale steals every scene he is in and that is no easy feat since he appears with Dervla Kirwan as the gaily promiscuous Irish actress, Peg Woffington; social climbing actor David Garrick (Joseph Millson); and even Ian Kelly, the playwright, taking a comic turn himself as King George III. These actors also share the spotlight with newcomer Micah Balfour as Francis Barber, a Jamaican manservant, and it is his part that helps introduce pathos and tragedy to the second act, where Foote descends into madness and ruin.


But before we get there, the audience is treated to many laugh-out-loud moments delivered in a fast-paced banter by the main characters, as well as supporting appearances by our own Benjamin Franklin and the theatre manager, Mrs. Garner (Jenny Galloway), who brings backstage to life as though we were there and has some of the play’s sassiest lines to help her do so.
Reviewers have called the play “ramshackle” and I agree that as it is hard to understand why certain themes run through the play (fetuses in formaldehyde, Franklin with his kite), while others (a leg amputation, an on-stage death, a royal warrant awarded the Haymarket theatre), advance the action past the sheer exuberance of the comedic lines into the black humor which overtakes the play near its conclusion.  I suggest employing the adage “take what you like and leave the rest” if you are in the audience for this play.
The Royal Haymarket Theatre is the perfect venue as many of these “based-on-a-true-story” moments happened right there (and the refurbished theatre is a visual delight with rich velvet curtains, damask wallpaper, crystal chandeliers and gold leaf paint adorning cornices and moldings) and, if the story itself evokes comparisons to Oscar Wilde’s infamous persecution, it is no accident. Wilde debuted several of his own plays at the Royal Haymarket and it seems inevitable that Foote might face the same fate as the Irish playwright. How odd it is that what is referred to as being “gay” and inspires pride parades in these times was called “deviant” and summoned prison chains and ignominy in the 18th century. But there is no hiding from history and how Foote’s own story plays out is hinted at in the script (and fully described in the book). Because of Beale’s performance, you will care (come prepared with hankies.)
The play is by turns hilarious, empathetic, tragic, absurd and luminous. Kelly, writer of acclaimed biographies of Beau Brummell and Casanova, captured Georgian London and its celebrity-obsessed society perfectly and provided just the right words to serve as pearls issuing forth from Foote’s often petulant mouth as he changes moods as often as his dresses. He hisses obscenities, bitches at his fellow actors, hatches absurd schemes (Othello as a musical comedy) and generally wobbles his way through a very uneven life (the imbalance of which can’t be wholly blamed on losing one of his legs in a bet.)

The play runs through January 23, 2015 at the Royal Haymarket (book tickets here) and Kelly has his fingers crossed that the play will open elsewhere after that (“There are rumors,” he says). Catch it while you can at the Royal Haymarket though, as the play-within-a-play feeling will be heightened by the venue. Order drinks to be served in the gilt and crystal bar between acts and eavesdrop on a little current London gossip while you sip your gin and tonic. Foote would have approved.

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON TOUR: THE WATERLOO CHAMBER AT WINDSOR CASTLE

To commemorate the victory of the British, Austrian, Prussian, Russian forces and their allies over Napoleon, George IV envisioned a splendid banquet hall. The large hall replaced several rooms in the castle and includes many limewood carvings by Grinling Gibbons and his assistants in the 1680's,salvaged from a former chapel. Most of the paintings were executed by Sir Thomas Lawrence, (1769-1830) as commissioned for the Room in Windsor Castle designed by Sir Jeffry Wyatville and completed in the reign of William IV. Unless otherwise indicated, all paintings done by Lawrence or his studio.


Watercolour by  Joseph Nash of the Waterloo Chamber, 1844
Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2014North Wall, Upper Level
Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angouleme, 1825

Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick, 1848 by William Corden
Prince Leopold of Saxe Coburg, later King of the Belgians, 1821
North Wall, Lower Level Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, 1818

Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, c. 1820
William IV, 1832, by Sir David Wilkie

George III, 1820
This portrait is a copy Lawrence and his studio made based on his painting of George III commissioned by the MPs of the City of Coventry in 1792.
George IV c. 1820


Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, c. 1817


Frederick Duke of York, 1816
East Wall, Upper Level General Sir James Kempt, 1835 by Robert McInnes
Matvei Ivanovich, Count Platov, 1814
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 1814-15

Field Marshal Gebhardt von Blucher, 1814

Sir William Congreve, c. 1805-10 by James Lonsdale
East Wall, Lower Level Charles William, Baron von Humboldt, 1828

George Canning, c. 1830

Henry, 3rd Earl Bathurst, c. 1820

Ernest Frederick, Count Munster, 1820
South Wall, Upper Level
Henry Paget, 2nd Earl of  Uxbridge and 1st Marquess of Anglesey, 1836 by Sir Martin Archer Shee
Alexander Ivanovitch Prince Chernichev, 1818

William II, King of the Netherlands, when Prince of Orange, 1846 by Nicaise de Keyser
South Wall, Lower Level Ercole, Cardinal Consalvi, 1819
Charles Augustus, Prince Hardenberg, 1818

Tsar Alexander I, 1814-18
Emperor Francis I of Austria, 1818-19 
Frederick William of Prussia, 1814-18
Charles Robert, Count Nesselrode, 1818

Pope Pius VII, 1819
West Wall, Upper Level General Viscount Hill, c. 1820 by Henry William Pickersgill

Charles X of France, 1825

Charles Philip, Prince Schwartzenberg, 1819
Charles, Archduke of Austria, 1819

Sir Thomas Picton, 1836 by Sir Martin Archer Shee
West Wall, Lower Level John, Count Capo D'Istria 1818-19
Clemens Lothar Wenzel, Prince Metternich, 1819
Armand Emmanuel, Duke of Richlelieu, 1818
General Theodore Petrovich Uvarov, 1818


Views of the Waterloo Chamber, above and below

Waterloo Chamber, as concert venue
For a virtual tour of the Waterloo Chamber, click here.

MAGIC AND MYSTERY DINNER WITH THE GEORGIAN DINING ACADEMY

PresentsAn Evening of Mystery and Magic10th December 2015Arrive at 7pm  - Carriages 11pm
An historic dining experience transporting guests to the Georgian period, an evening engaging in the frivolity, fun and fine dining within a chop house established in 1757. 

In conjunction with Simpson Tavern at 38 ½ Cornhill, London EC3V 9DR, we offer all drinks included, plus a three course supper, entertainment and dashes of history of the City and the Georgians throughout the evening, with music, poetry and song. The rooms are candlelit, so most atmospheric. The Tavern is usually open during the day only, so we are offering an unusual experience in a unique venue.
THE DATEThe Georgian Dining Academy is offering an evening of ‘Magic and Mystery’ on 10th December 2015, starting at 7pm, Carriages at 11pm. Booking through Eventbrite - click here for details.
THE GUESTSAn ideal occasion for the single, couples and tables of six, or groups if required. We can seat up to 70 people. Please note a costume is not required but welcomed and encouraged.  On this festive occasion masks are required to be worn by the guests on arrival.
THE MENUA festive menu to tempt all, with a warming punch to welcome you, made from a secret recipe created by Miss Kitty Pridden one of the hosts. The menu is pre-order and closely resembles a Georgian feast as we can achieve. We also cater for dietary requirements.



MORE INFORMATIONThe Georgian Dining Academy grew out of an idea by Tina Baxter, aka Miss B Takes a Walk, who qualified as a City of London Guide in 2012. The purpose of the Academy is to create a Georgian, performance style, dining experience in the heart of the City. With the encouragement of Miss Kitty Pridden (also a City Guide of 2012) this novel idea was put into action in 2014. It has proved a successful event which takes place quarterly.



The dates for 2016 have already been agreed with Simpson’s Tavern and will be announced in early 2016.Plans are afoot for a ‘Club Membership’ package to be released soon. Dates upon application. Further details:

CONTACT:
Miss B Takes A WalkCurrent Walks : http://bit.ly/18rCd4aCurrent Event: http://bit.ly/1L5NkN707963778213www.missbtakesawalk.blogspot.com