Now that the last episode of Downton Abbey has aired, I can reflect back on the series and revisit some of the most surprising scenes. Indeed, the unexpected plot developments, which kept the viewers on their toes, helped to make this series so unforgettable. Throw luscious costumes into the mix, stunning locations, a wealth of [...]
Archive for January, 2011
Downton Abbey: Surprising and Unforgettable Scenes
Posted in Edwardian Life, Film review, Jane Austen's World, Masterpiece Classic, Movie review, PBS Movie Adaptation, Popular culture, tagged Brendan Coyle, Dan Peters, Downton Abbey, Edwardian Country House, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Jim Carter, Laura Carmichael, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, PBS Masterpiece Classic, Penelope Wilton on January 31, 2011 | 55 Comments »
The Servant’s Quarters in 19th Century Country Houses Like Downton Abbey
Posted in 19th Century England, British Servants, Edwardian Life, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Victorian Era, Working class, tagged Country House, Downton Abbey, Masterpiece Classic, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes, PBS Masterpiece Classic on January 29, 2011 | 30 Comments »
Downton Abbey. Gosford Hall. Manor House. Regency House. Each film follows the servants and takes the viewer up and down back stairways, into kitchens and butler’s pantries, and stables and courtyards. But how were the servants’ quarters laid out, and where were they placed in relation to the public and private rooms that the family [...]
There Must Be Murder, by Margaret C. Sullivan, wherein the reader follows the escapades of Henry Tilney and his lovely wife, Catherine, in Bath.
Posted in Austenesque novels, Bath, Book review, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Popular culture, tagged Catherine Morland, Henry Tilney, Jane Austen book giveaway, Jane Austen Book review, Margaret C. Sullivan, There Must Be Murder on January 28, 2011 | 32 Comments »
There Must Be Murder, a very nice story by Margaret C. Sullivan, It is one year after Catherine has married her Henry. She still is sweet and naïve, but she now possesses the womanly knowledge that every bride with an adoring husband soon comes to know. Henry Tilney is as charming as ever and clearly [...]
Nocturne, by Syrie James: A Review
Posted in Book review, Jane Austen's World, Popular culture, tagged Nocturne, Shelley de Wees, Syrie James, Vampire books on January 26, 2011 | 3 Comments »
When Nicole Whitcomb’s car runs off a Colorado mountain road during a blinding snowstorm, she is saved from death by a handsome, fascinating, and enigmatic stranger. Snowbound with him for days in his beautiful home high in the Rockies, she finds herself powerfully attracted to him. But there are things about him that mystify her, [...]
Kew Gardens: A Virtual Tour
Posted in 18th Century England, 19th Century England, English Garden, Georgian Life, Georgian London, Regency gardens, tagged 18th Century Orangery, Georgian Kings, Joderell Laboratory, Joseph Banks, Kew Gardens, King George III on January 24, 2011 | 8 Comments »
Curious readers: Tony Grant (London Calling) has contributed an article about Kew Gardens and his beautiful photographs to go with it. Relax and enjoy this visual feast of gardens, walkways, and flowers. I have been to Kew Gardens, which is only a couple of miles from where I live, on the other side of Richmond [...]
The Duties of a Valet
Posted in 19th Century England, British Servants, Edwardian Life, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Regency Life, Servants, Working class, tagged Downton Abbey, Duties of a valet, Mrs. Beeton, valet on January 23, 2011 | 21 Comments »
The valet (rhymes with pallet) is a personal manservant who tends to his master’s every need, from a clean room to seeing to his clothes to making sure that his entire day goes smoothly from the moment he rises to the time he goes to bed. Also known as a gentleman’s gentleman, the valet is [...]
“Would You Care for Weak Tea or Strong Tea?” How the Dowager Countess of Grantham Served Tea to Her Guests
Posted in 18th Century England, 19th Century England, Edwardian Life, Film adaptation, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, PBS Movie Adaptation, tagged British customs, Downton Abbey, Drinking tea, Edwardian era, Elizabeth McGovern, Emma 1996, History of tea, Kate Beckinsale, Maggie Smith, Masterpiece Classic, PBS Masterpiece Classic, Samuel Johnson, Samuel Pepys on January 21, 2011 | 35 Comments »
Tea is always served by the host/hostess or a friend, never by servants. Tea is never poured out, then passed several cups at a time, the way coffee may be, because it cools very quickly. Instead, it is always taken by the guest directly from the hands of the pourer.” – Etiquette Scholar The ceremony [...]
Bampton, Location of the Town in Downton Abbey
Posted in jane austen, Masterpiece Classic, PBS Movie Adaptation, tagged PBS Masterpiece Classic, Downton Abbey, Bampton on January 19, 2011 | 5 Comments »
While it is popularly known that the interior and exterior scenes of Downton Abbey were filmed in Highclere Castle, the market town of Brampton, where the scenes of the town were shot, is not so well known. Bampton is located in Oxfordshire and was chosen because “the village provided an authentic backdrop close to London.”* Yesterday, [...]
Thomas Lawrence, “Regency Power & Brilliance,” at The National Gallery (21 October 2010 – 23 January 2011)
Posted in 18th Century England, 19th Century England, Georgian Life, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Regency Art, Regency style, Regency World, tagged Arthur Atherley, Elizabeth Farren, John, Lord Mountstuart, National Portrait Gallery, Prince Regent, Royal Academy of Art, The Black Bear in Devices, Thomas Lawrence on January 17, 2011 | 9 Comments »
Gentle readers, if you are lucky enough to be near London you have only a few days to see the exhibit at the National Portait Gallery of the splendid painter, Thomas Lawrence. This is Tony Grant’s (London Calling) review of the show. On entering the exhibition you are met with the bright gaze from [...]
The Fox Hunt: From Downton Abbey Back to Its Origins
Posted in Manners, Film adaptation, jane austen, Riding sidesaddle, Masterpiece Classic, PBS Movie Adaptation, Working class, Georgian Life, 18th Century England, 19th Century England, Edwardian Life, Upper Class, tagged Edwardian era, PBS Masterpiece Classic, Downton Abbey, Foxhunt, British sport, Equestrian fashions, Hunt master, Terriers, Harriers, side saddle on January 16, 2011 | 29 Comments »
Inquiring reader: Sit back, relax, and grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine! This is a long post about foxhunting. (Note: because of the helpful suggestions from equestrian readers, crucial edits have been made.) The fox hunting scenes in PBS Masterpiece Classic’s Downton Abbey fascinated me and prompted me to ask: How [...]
Almack’s and its Snobbish Patronesses
Posted in 19th Century England, Almack's Assembly Rooms, Dandy, jane austen, Jane Austen's World, Regency Customs, Regency Etiquette, Regency Life, Regency style, Regency World, tagged Almack's, Almack's Refreshments, Countess Lieven, fashions in regency England, Lady Jersey, London Season on January 14, 2011 | 7 Comments »
Gentle Readers: In my sidebar I call myself an amateur historian, an apt term as this post will attest. I try to quote from older sources, but this can sometimes backfire. Captain Gronow, for example, whose words I quoted for this post via John Ashton (1890) and Lewis Saul Benjamin (1909), wrote down his memories [...]
Everything You Wanted to Know About the Entail in Downton Abbey, and More
Posted in British Inheritance Laws, Edwardian Life, History, jane austen, Masterpiece Classic, Popular culture, Primogeniture, tagged British Law, Downton Abbey, Edwardian Country House, entail, Entail in Downton Abbey, Jane Austen em Portugues, PBS Masterpiece Classic, Promantica on January 12, 2011 | 13 Comments »
Inquiring readers: Raquel Sallaberry from Jane Austen em Portugues sent the link to this post on Promantica about the entail in Downton Abbey entitled “Downton Abbey Fans – Welcome to the MOST Boring Law School Class.” The title is not exactly descriptive, for this wonderful post explains in great detail why the entail cannot be [...]
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Hello, my name is Vic and I live in Richmond, VA. I work in program and professional development at Virginia Commonwealth University, and I have adored Jane Austen almost all of my life. I am a proud member of the Jane Austen Society of America. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I do not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, I do accept and keep books, DVDs and CDs to review.
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Regency Fashion: Ladies Outerwear and Shawls
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The Distinctions of Regency Dress: Undress, Half Dress, Full Dress and Their Meaning
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I created this blog so that I could write historical posts and reviews not dealing with Jane Austen or the Regency era.
Petticoats in the Regency Era
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Top Posts
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- Watch Downton Abbey Online: PBS Masterpiece Classic
- The Green Baize Door: Dividing Line Between Servant and Master
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- Upstairs in Downton Abbey: The Three Crawley Sisters
- Dressing for the Netherfield Ball in Pride and Prejudice: Regency Fashion
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Irresistible Attraction
My Regency Tea Cup Review Ratings
- Five Regency tea cups: The book is not perfect (few books are), but it was well worth its purchase and possesses many outstanding qualities that makes it stand head and shoulders above its counterparts.
- Four Regency tea cups: This book offered many hours of pleasant reading, and I found I could not put it down.
- Three Regency tea cups: Damned with faint praise. I put the book down often, but was intrigued enough to finish it. In this instance, the movie might be better.
- Two Regency tea cups: This book required major changes that the author and editor should have fixed before publishing deadline.
- One Regency tea cup: Oh dear. I do so feel for the trees that sacrificed their lives for this verbal garbage.
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