‘Books of Travel are Expensive and I Don’t Want Them.’ ~ Lord Byron
The Ramblings of a Regency Recondite…
When the actress Sarah Miles was asked for her opinion about the famous Regency doyenne Lady Caroline Lamb – she replied that Caro “was a woman born out of her time and was forced to suffer hugely because of it.”
As I too was born ‘out of my time’, I have a fond heart for Regency history and it is no secret that I also have a passionate interest in the life of the poet Lord Byron.
However, as much as I adore Byron’s poetry and letters and remain intrigued by his unique and fascinating life – I also believe that his image as the original Regency ‘bad boy’ has been complimented by the scandal surrounding his brief marriage to Annabella Milbanke and which would precipitate his journey into exile from their grand London home in April 1816.
The Ramblings of a Regency Recondite are the tales of the Polite Tourist who has set herself the task of following in the footsteps of Byron as he lived and loved from the cobbled streets of Aberdeen to the ruined majesty of Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire and on to the elegant colonnade of Melbourne House in London until his exile from our shores in April 1816.
Although Caro Lamb is remembered for her glorious and difficult life; I confess that all I have suffered have been the windswept train stations, the occasional motorway queue, the inclement weather and the inability to read a map correctly!
Yet despite the frustrations of transport delays, weariness and a frequent diet of suspect food familiar to most travellers – I have relished the opportunities to visit the wonderful places that are tinged with the history of Byron.
Welcome along…
In Search of a Dead Poet’s Society…
When my rooms are finished I shall be happy to see you… I am furnishing the house more for you than myself, and I shall establish you in it before I sail…
I am now fitting up the green drawing room, the red (as a bedroom) and the rooms over as sleeping rooms, they will soon be completed, at least I hope so…
Lord Byron
And so – you want to come to London – it is a damned place to be sure – but the only place in the world for fun.
Last week I swam the Thames from Lambeth through the two bridges, Westminster and Blackfrairs.
Lord Byron
At Home With Lord Byron
As an artist AND a passionate devotee of Regency History who loves to create a scene and not only of the hysterical kind – it is perhaps only to be expected that I would create a Regency inspired miniature.
Inspired by the life of the poet – the ‘Ghost of Piccadilly’ is the story of a 12th scale historical house which has enjoyed world wide recognition – however, the story is FAR from over!
Follow me as I step inside Number 13 and return to the year 1815…
Let me take you into the fabulous world of Lord Byron and his household as he lived at 13 Piccadilly Terrace and watch as I recreate his lifestyle in miniature as faithfully as possible and along the way – you’ll learn something about the dazzling Regency era too!
If you love the Regency era and are captivated by a time synonymous with elegant romance and are fascinated by historical characters and would love to peep behind closed doors and hear tales of scandal and intrigue or you want to step into another era of ravenous appetites and hardship – this is THE world for YOU!