Glorious Georgian Bathing
byHot water, soap and shampoo; for most of us this is the start of our day. A shower or bath each morning is a habitual part of modern life that the majority of us couldn’t…
(1750 – 1914)
Hot water, soap and shampoo; for most of us this is the start of our day. A shower or bath each morning is a habitual part of modern life that the majority of us couldn’t…
Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park was published 200 years ago, in May 1814. It contains a good deal about the Royal Navy, as does Persuasion, which was published soon after her death. Roy and Lesley Adkins are authors of Eavesdropping on…
Debra Daley is a longtime 18th-century obsessionalist. She talks about how she brought Georgian London to life in her new novel Turning the Stones. If such a thing as a past life exists, I think I…
If you are anything like me, you will have been romanticised by Geisha ever since watching the film, ‘Memoirs of A Geisha’, despite the widespread criticism of the film. But why am I so fascinated…
It is a little known fact that among RMS Titanic’s 2,229 passengers and crew, there also travelled a number of sea-faring dogs. On the first page of Walter Lord’s classic account of the Titanic tragedy ‘A Night…
I never knew my great, great uncle, but many of you have seen his death portrayed in several films and some of you might even remember his name. But the person you see is an…
A hundred years after she sank with such devastating loss of life, RMS Titanic still continues to fascinate us. But as much as the facts of her untimely, tragic demise seem to captivate our imaginations,…
When the first instalment of Oliver Twist was published in February 1837, Charles Dickens was still only 25; but had already been celebrated for his hugely popular first novel, The Pickwick Papers. And yet for all the buzz that would…
The wrecking of RMS Tayleur made headlines around the world almost 60 years before the Titanic. Both ships were run by the White Star Line, both were heralded as the most splendid ships of their time – and…
I love a man who’s passionate about principles. From the perspective of a romance novelist, they make the best heroes and it’s Victorian philanthropist Lord Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftsbury who’s the inspiration for the passionate…
Until 1971, English law allowed a jilted person to claim damages from the person who had offered and then refused to marry them. People who brought breach of promise claims were almost always female. If…
Take a walk around the Manchester of 2013 and behold a 21st Century city; skyscrapers and sleek, glass shop fronts galore. But look beyond the modern facade and you will find evidence of the origins…
Always wondered how a lady of the Regency Era might have spent her day? Fear not, because we have the solution: an itinerary of a Regency woman’s daily toil…yes toil! It was hard going; she didn’t have lunch…
The conclusion of Part I introduced Elizabeth Foster into the fold of Georgiana’s already turbulent life. ‘Bess’ Foster quickly became Georgiana’s best friend, making her way into the Duchess’ heart. She also quickly became close to the…