Our first talk of 2025 - near home in Weymouth

Today's discovery: there's a letter by Jane Austen in Torquay Museum.

It's a one that provokes some debate, as some words are crossed out.

Brabourne guessed that them. Deirdre Le Faye interpreted differently.

The museum simply lists them as 'word deleted'.

torquaymuseum.org/collections/...

Stowe House, now Stowe School.

Did Father Christmas visit Regency England?

We spent time looking into the sources for the old fella who personifies the season.

www.regencyhistory.net/blog/father-...

Canaletto, up close. Loving the detail.

Does she look grumpy?

Joshua Reynolds ‘The Strawberry Girl’.

In his first speech to Parliament as King in November 1760, George III emphasized he gloried 'in the Name of Briton', which was said to have so delighted the Tories of the Cocoa Tree that they 'violated their sobriety... by drinking felicity to his Majesty in pint bumpers'
#HistParl #skystorians

Our London trip included a visit to the Wallace Collection.

It’s an amazing (and free) museum of art very close to Oxford Street.

In November 1783 George Prince of Wales took his seat in the Lords for the first time, but the king was unhappy about what he intended to wear. He wrote to the queen that he had 'rummaged the old trunk' and unearthed 'an old & very rich velvet' set but there were doubts what they were for.
#HistParl

Waterloo Place, London. The site of Carlton House. Demolished in 1826.

The site of Carlton House and its gardens is now a development of grand Georgian houses.

Where is Carlton House, the Prince Regent’s palace?

A few days ago we explored the site. It’s between Pall Mall and the Mall.

How did Jane Austen feel as she approached this grand palace in November 1815?

This week we're remembering the Great Storm (also known as the Great Gale) of 1824.

It killed over 100 people on the south coast of England. Our local area, in Dorset, was particularly badly hit.

This local grave tells the story of a man who died when his house fell, as the sea swept in.

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It's just a few days until the 200th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1824. It struck hard in our local area, in Dorset.

A village was destroyed, ships wrecked and over 100 people killed.

To mark the event we created a short video: youtu.be/ez71hUyb_l8

We're also having a go at Substack regencyhistory.substack.com

Hello world!

This account is now active (having been dormant for a few months).

We're @andrewwriter.bsky.social and Rachel (who's already got more social accounts than she knows what to do with).

This week Rachel gave a talk in Almack House, site of the famous Almack’s Assemblies in the Regency.

Wonderful hosts and an enthusiastic audience.