Ann Lethbridge's Blog, page 34

Regency Fashion for October

by Ann Lethbridge


This summer I was fortunate to visit Hay-on-Wye or Croeso Y Gelli on the English/Welsh border, a town that specializes in book shops. Put historical authors and bookshops together and you may lose us for a few days.

The picture is of the largest bookshop in Hay. Yes, it is a castle. Not only are those books sitting outside in wooden bookcases, but the castle is filled with them, along with prints and maps. Heaven.

Since I especially enjoy looking at the fashions from the late Georgian era, particularly 1800 to 1830, so you can imagine my joy when I found fashion plates in one of the shops I visited that day. Since it is October, I thought I would share this one with you.

This is a fashion plate from La Belle Assemblee for October 1810. It is titled Pelisse Dress of Autumn. I imagine it as what we might call a coat dress these days. The description is as follows:

A pelisse dress of autumnal brown sarsnet, made low in the neck, trimmed down the front and round the bottom with a rich trimming of vandyked white satin, ornamented with silver frogs; the sleeves buttoned on the inside of the arm, to correspond with the front of the dress; over the bosom is tied a light white net mantle, scolloped, and ornamented with acorn tassels. White satin bonnet, with a bunch of wheat in front, and short lace veil. Brown sandals and gloves. Green parasol.

I notice they didn't say anything about the dog. I can't make up my mind if he is a friend or foe. He really looks like he wants to bite one of the many tassels hanging off that gown!

Until next time, happy rambles

Searching for Regency London

by Ann Lethbridge

New Cover!

This is my December book The Gamekeeper's Lady out in the UK, isn't it gorgeous? Drooling here. I don't yet have a copy but I am very pleased with this new style and the cover itself. So like my heroine.

Regency London

You would think after a day of tramping around Hampstead, I would have had the sense to go home and have a nice cup of tea. Not.

That evening I took the underground to Southwark. This is Southwark Cathedral, at night of course. I must say blogger is being very slow with pictures today, which may limit the number I post this time, so please excused the short post.

This was originally a priory and was not a cathedral during the regency era, but it was one of England's first Gothic churches and stands at the entry to London Bridge, the only way into London for many centuries.

The real reason for my visit to Southwark is of course the coaching inn. One of the few remaining where one can still see the galleries.

This is the George Inn in Southwark. Only one of its sides - the south side now remains. I wanted to see it at night.





I also went there during daylight hours.


The George can be traced back to 1542 although it is likely that an inn existed here prior to this. Built around three sides of a courtyard - the style became known as an 'inn-yard'. The inn served as an Elizabethan inn-yard theatre. Its wide, double-tiered balconies were an excellent vantage point for the Elizabethan plays. William Shakespeare lived and worked in the area and there is no doubt that he would have frequented the Inn on a regular basis and even possibly have played there, though not in the building we see now, the original inn burned down in 1676, but was rebuilt the same as the old one.



Coaches would have left from here to go through Tunbridge Wells to Dover during the Regency.



Well that is all from me today, so until next time, Happy Rambles.

Searching for Regency London

News.
One Night as a Courtesan is out. 
 A short e-story for your reading pleasure.
Widow Julia Partridge is desperate. To repay a debt, she's forced to sell herself in an auction at the most exclusive bawdy house in London. Julia only has to get through one night with one man--though she never imagined that man would be Alistair Crawford, the dissolute Duke of Dunstan! Alistair has the face of a fallen angel...and a reputation for vice to match. Yet when he turns his attentions to Julia, he unexpectedly arouses more passion in a few moments than she'd felt in her entire marriage....

Harlequin Historicals Undone, exclusively available in eBook.
Mills and Boon
The picture will take you to Amazon.com

Regency London

It is always fun to have something new to show and tell, but I did promise you a blog so staying with Hampstead Heath, I next walked to Keats House

Keats became much better known after his death and it makes me feel quite sad to know that such a talented young man died young, age 25, died almost alone, and was unrequited in love. The woman  he loved lived in the same house in a separate apartment. He lived here from 1818 to 1820 and it was where he wrote his most intensely moving poems.

 It is a small house and very peaceful, even though it is surrounded by a subdivision of houses.

It was not the happiest afternoon for me, I think I found it to affecting that someone so talented should have so little time.

There is lots to be read about Keats, his work, his life, but I don't think I wish to do more than show where he lived.
So that is all from me tonight.


Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Flora and Fauna of Regency England ~ September

by Ann Lethbridge

Here are some of the not so favourite creatures you will find in the Regency at this time of year.


September is a time for wasps, August too. Never my favourite insect it becomes a real nuisance if you want to eat out of doors. They also eat any fruit that is ripe on the trees.



Another not favourite is the earwig. It is an old wives tale that earwigs go in ears, isn't it?

Earwigs are predisposed to hiding in warm humid crevices and may indeed occasionally crawl into the human...

Where am I?

Today, I am blogging at http://community.eharlequin.com/content/being-there. Do pop in and answer my question.

Regency Fashion for September

by Michele Ann Young

Sorry to be missing for a week, I have had family visiting. Now it is the end of the summer I hope I can get back into the swing of things.

September Fashion


I am sure you have no trouble recognizing this as a mourning gown.  Interesting to me is that for once we have the front of one gown and the back another. They look almost the same.

This plate is from 1805 From the Ladies Museum

The first is a chemise dress of Italian gauze; full front, fastened in the centre with a jet ...

Searching for Regency London

Fenton House Continued
by Ann Lethbridge

Another view of the garden just to tempt you.





There are two more smaller rooms on the first floor, and their size make photographs less than satisfactory, so I can give you only a glimpse. Note that the first room also had a powder room and the second was originally linked to the master bed room.















Interestingly enough there were six more small rooms in the "attic". I assumed this was where the servants would sleep. But no. Although they could only be rea...

Searching for Regency London

Fenton House, Hampstead, Continued
by Michele Ann Young

How about that for a garden and a view from a window. So green and well organized. The weeds in my garden won the battle this year.

This is just a small sample of the lovely views. I took more but thought this was probably enough to "get the idea". I might add another one at the end.



So leaving the ground (first) floor we go up stairs. Here you can see down from the top and get a better sense of the twisted balusters and the large window.

O...

Searching for Regency London

By Michele Ann Young


Fenton House continued



We saw the narrow servants' stairs in the previous set of pictures. Here are the stairs the family would have used.  Not the impressive staircase of some of the houses we have seen, but clearly wide, with lighting from a large window on the first landing, which itself is wide enough for a chair. The window looks out over the walled garden.

This is the original seventeenth century staircase with twisted balusters. Now we go upstairs


This next room on th...

Searching for Regency London

by Ann Lethbridge


One of my most interesting visits this summer was to Fenton House in Hampstead.

Pictured first is the South Front, which faces down Holly Hill (a particularly steep hill I might add)

In the regency period, Hampstead was a small city separate from London and a place where the middle class professionals lived, rather than the fashionable, though the Heath itself drew many visitors. The village and the heath sits high on a hill overlooking London and at one time could be seen as ...