Lucy Worsley's Blog, page 12

Dirty dancing tonight!

Hello, and tonight on 'Elegance and Decadence, The Age of The Regency', we'll be doing some dirty dancing, better known as waltzing … read more about it here. We'll also be covering sugar sculpture, Greek architecture, Buckingham Palace, Regent Street … Continue reading →

Regency showtime tonight…

Tonight's the night!  Six months of hard work by everyone mentioned on that card plus many more.  That's six months of early starts, rain and dangers to health (including hot air balloons, galloping horses, and the enormous fried breakfasts without which no … Continue reading →

Rehabilitating Old Naughty – my article in today's Guardian

George IV: the rehabilitation of Old Naughty. Britain's Most Useless  Monarch deserves some credit for presiding over a transformative decade … Lucy Worsley in The Guardian, Monday 29th August Endless Jane Austen film adaptations have given us the idea that … Continue reading →

The Byronic look: overweight and unattractive, article in The Guardian

The Byronic look: overweight and unattractive.  BBC series on Regency Britain paints an unflattering portrait of 'self-regarding poser' Lord Byron. Mark Brown in The Guardian, Saturday 27 August 2011 When a man is noted for his Byronic looks he is … Continue reading →

Eight things you need to know about The Regency

From The Radio Times, 27 August 2011 He was the 'fop at the top', but the Prince Regent was more than a crude caricature, says historian Dr Lucy Worsley. Well, almost … 1. They called him the Prince of Whales… … Continue reading →

The naughty Prince Regent – read all about him in my article in today's Sunday Express

The king ruled by his excesses. Historian Lucy Worsley examines the life of George IV, both Britain's worst monarch and the man who brought showbiz sparkle to royalty. When English Heritage ran a poll to discover Britain's Worst Monarch, the … Continue reading →

Why I don't wear trouser suits – in The Times today

At the age of twenty-eight I moved to a new city for a new job. I was going to live in Scotland, and to be in charge of a team of twelve research curators at Glasgow Museums. I was thrilled … Continue reading →

I interview the third best jouster in the world

Have you ever seen the effigy of William Marshall (born 1146), knight, jouster, mercenary and ultimately Regent of England, in the Temple Church in London? You might have noticed his prostrate body in the background as Tom Hanks whisked through … Continue reading →

Henry VIII's enemas

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of crushing a pig with a quarter-ton weight to demonstrate the possible injuries caused in Henry VIII's jousting accident of 1536. I must reassure you that THE PIG WAS ALREADY DEAD, … Continue reading →

Why Clive James's French is Better than Mine (Or, OK, I admit I didn't finish Proust)

Want to know why Clive James's French is better than mine? To find out, watch this Telegraph Books video, filmed at moreish (if dampish) Dartington Hall last weekend at 'Ways With Words'. Foolish, foolish error, if you missed it.  It … Continue reading →