A Jane Austen Adventure

We've all seen Pride and Prejudice and wished we could go to a ball and dance with our very own Mr Darcy. This little dream partly came true for me this evening at Tredegar House, a 17th Century Mansion where I attended a Regency dance evening with my beloved! It was a dance class rather than a ball, but it was held in one of the stately rooms with huge chandeliers twinkling above us. I can't say I was a flawless dancer though - if you've seen the dance scene in Pride and Prejudice with Mr Colins going the wrong way, well that was me at more than one point! It's easy to cover up mistakes when you're dancing alone, but this simply isn't possible in a group situation.

After the dancing we went down through the house (passed a Penny Farthing bicycle, took a photo) and then had some drinks and food in keeping with the era (rum punch, rose cordial, marzipan discs, pork pie, cucumber sandwiches, jam tarts, cinnamon shortbread - nothing we wouldn't eat today, and I was both disappointed and relieved that there wasn't any aspic or suchlike!).

I cobbled my outfit together from a dress and gloves from a boot sale (50p each!), little pumps that didn't really go but they were the best I had, and then just found a ribbon from an old corset to put in my hair (which was very hastly pinned up, wasn't really sure what to do with it). All in all it looked the part, not bad for £1!
Out of the 25 or so of us, there were a few well-turned out ladies who had made their own dresses, but quite a few people hadn't dressed up (no men in breeches, or wet shirts alas...).