I invited Aurora Berkestam Drysén to be our special reporter from Bath during The Jane Austen Festival. She accepted to be our eyes and ears there during the week of the celebrations. Read her journal and admire her great pictures. Doesn't she really fit the role of an Austen heroine?
Promenaders walking along Milsom Street
For many of
today’s Janeites around the world stepping into a Jane Austen novel,
transporting themselves back to the time when she lived, dressing in the style
of clothes she would have been familiar with (and which we are too, thanks to
the countless television adaptations and movies we’ve watched!), conversing or
gossiping with other girls in bonnets and dancing at balls, is something we
dream of. To my knowledge it is, unfortunately, not possible to really step
into the pages of a novel (or else I believe I would have done that a long time
ago!), but there are things you can do to at least get as close to it as
possible. And for me the Jane Austen Festival in Bath has proven to be such a
thing.
The annual
Jane Austen Festival in Bath in England is famous amongst Janeites, and every
year it attracts hundreds of visitors from near and far, all with one thing in
common, a love for this great author and her work. For some 7 to 9 days the
city of Bath is filled with people running around in Regency clothes, attending
events that range from walking tours and costume talks to musical soirees and
grand balls.
I have had
the great pleasure and privilege to be able to attend this wonderful event four
years in a row now. I have written a little journal here of what it was like
this year, to share with anyone who wishes to go but was not able to do so (and
for anyone else who feels like reading it too of course).
13th
of September, 2012 – at home in Sweden
It’s the evening before I leave for Bath, the
bags are finally packed and everything made ready. As always it is a struggle
to fit everything I need into the, for this occasion, far too small bags!
Airlines with their luggage restrictions show NO respect for people who want to
travel with bonnets, hats, ball gowns, thick woolen coats and all the other
essentials of a Regency lady’s wardrobe!
14th
of September 2012 – Bath, Somerset, England
I have arrived. Stepping off the train at the
Bath station always fills me with excitement. I’m in Jane Austen’s city (never
mind the fact that she didn’t actually like it!), and as this is my 6th
visit to the city I feel quite at home here now.
15th
of September 2012 1812….
The room at the B&B where I’m staying with
some friends quickly goes from being relatively tidy to a big mess with
dresses, feathers, shoes, hair pins and ribbons strewn all around as we hurry
to get ready for the big day. This is the first proper day of the festival, and
it starts off with the grand Regency Promenade.
Arriving at Queen’s Square, where the promenade
was to start this year, the sight of hundreds of people all dressed up in
costume greeted us. A sight to gladden the heart of any Janeite! We soon
started to make our way through the streets of Bath, 400-500 of us (I heard
different accounts on how many we were) in a long procession. If you have ever
wondered what it would be like to be a celebrity with paparazzi swarming around
you a good occasion to get a feel of what it must be like is this promenade!
Bath is a tourist city and during this promenade the streets are literally
lined with people with cameras, all wanting a picture of (or even better,
together with) the people in “funny clothes”.
17th
of September 2012 1812
Aurora and Mr Wickham!
Yesterday was a busy day, just like the one
preceding that, which started off with us all dressing up in our costumes again
to go off on another ‘mini promenade’. Any excuse to dress up in costume
together with others is fine by me! Then there was just time for a quick lunch
before the Regency embroidery workshop I had a ticket for was to start. A big
room filled with ladies (and one gentleman!) all chatting away, drinking tea
and eating cake while attempting to be accomplished and perfecting their skills
at embroidering. One thing we were all in agreement of afterwards was that it
was far too short! Those two hours just flew by!
In the evening Bath was graced with a visit
from the actor Adrian Lukis. Not the most famous of actors perhaps, but in
these circles he is quite well known, though more so by the name Mr Wickham!
That’s right, Mr Wickham from BBC’s 1995 version of Pride & Prejudice did a
reading of many of the famous dialogues from Jane Austen’s novels, together
with the actress Caroline Langrishe. It was quite exciting to see the ‘real’ Mr
Wickham, and though of course he has aged a little in the last 17 years there
was no mistaking him! I’m sure he enjoyed his evening as much as any of us, I
doubt he gets that kind of female attention everywhere he goes!
So after yesterday’s busy schedule I have
enjoyed a much more relaxed day with ‘only’ one event to attend. A talk about
corsets. I love corsets, (can’t deny it) so this was a talk just to suite my
taste!
Aurora at Stourhead
18th of September 2012 1812
It seems wherever you go in England there are
always plenty of great houses and grand estates around for you to visit. And
the area around Bath is no exception! There are many places you can go for a
little day trip. This year the great house that I and many of the other
visitors to the festival decided to go to was Stourhead, 45 minutes outside of
Bath. Its connection to Jane Austen is through the 2005 version of Pride &
Prejudice which used the temple of Apollo at Stourhead as one of the locations
for the movie. This of course is very exciting to anyone who loves this movie,
but even if you, like me, are not massively enthusiastic about the Keira
Knightley version, the place is still great to visit. The garden is positively
to die for, and oh to have such a library would be a dream come true!
In the evening, back in Bath again I rounded
off the day with a music recital that was most superbly done! The two talented
young ladies Chloë and Clara of Regency Recitals entertained us with beautiful
songs from Jane Austen’s time in a most wonderful way.
20th
of September 2012 1812
The days are rushing past quickly, all filled
with lovely events. These last two days I have been busy attending talks (on
important subject such as gloves and shoes as well as how to create your own
Regency wardrobe without spending a fortune on it), a lovely concert as well as
a musical performance of Sense & Sensibility from a visiting American
theatre company which was wonderfully done, both touching and so funny that we
were often doubled over with laughter in our seats. And today a dance workshop
was on my schedule. Oh the joys of dancing, few things can beat it! Though it
did get fearfully hot in the room and I was more than a little glad to have
brought my fan along.
I have just now returned from ‘A noisy game of
Lottery Tickets’, an evening event where we had the opportunity to try out many
of the games that were popular back in the days. I’m the first person to admit
I’m not usually much for games, but I had the most lovely evening almost winning at teetotum, playing
badminton in a tiny little room and concentrating hard on the oh so difficult
game of cup-and-ball. The highlight of the evening for me however was when the
whole company present all burst singing “Rule Britannia” at the top of their
voices. Even though many of us were not British and didn’t know all the words
of the song it was still great fun, and though I’m Swedish and not a Brit I
couldn’t help but feel very patriotic!
Masquerade Ball at the Roman Baths
21th of
September 2012 1812
A Masquerade Ball… the very expression is
enough to fill me with excitement! And a masquerade ball in the famous Pump
Rooms even more so! For the second time this ball was arranged at this
beautiful venue. Arriving at the ball all dressed in your Regency finery, being
announced by the master of ceremonies as you step into the room, enjoying a
welcome drink by the ancient Roman Baths together with all the other people in
costumes and masks, everything lit by torches and Baths abbey towering above
you is a magical experience. I love this ball, the dancing is fun and the food
splendid, but the reception by the Roman Baths is in my eyes the best part of
it!
22th of
September 2012 1812
The festival is officially over. But for some
of us one event still remains. This event is not actually part of the Jane
Austen Festival but rather arranged by the company Farthingales, and it is the
Grand Regency Ball in the Assembly Rooms. The Assembly Rooms are stunning, and
a ball here is special because in these rooms they often would have had balls,
and they are familiar to us today from the movie adaptations of Persuasion.
Unfortunately I took ill with a very violent
cold the night before, but I couldn’t let this stop me from attending a ball
now could I? Feeling far from great, and with a very un-ladylike runny nose, I
still had a wonderfully good time.
26th
of September 2012 – At home in Sweden
Back at home, back in the 21st
century again, tired but happy. It’s been the most wonderful trip! My room is
full of dirty laundry and bags in need of unpacking, but I’m already starting
to dream of next year’s festival and my head is full of ideas for new outfits
to make. Best get started, only a year to go!
Aurora Berkestam Drysén
Aurora
Berkestam Drysén is a 22 year old die-hard Jane Austen fan from Sweden who
loves nothing better than traveling the world attending balls and other
historic events in various countries, dressing up in costumes (which she makes
herself, since this is another of her greatest passions) and meeting with other
similarly obsessed people. She has her blog, The Secret Dreamworld of a Jane
Austen Fan, where she writes about books, movies, her travels, her costumes
and, of course, Jane Austen. To visit Aurora’s blog go to www.myaustendreamworld.com, or to follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/MyAustenDream.