The Jane Austen Festival
Last weekend, I attended the 10th Jane Austen Festival in Bath. It was my first festival and I had such a great time. The promenade on Saturday was the highlight for me – seeing all the beautiful costumes and spotting the Mr Darcys and Catherine Morlands! The sun glowed on the array of fine fabrics and everyone was smiling. It was such a great day.
There was also a wonderfully romantic moment at the beginning of the promenade. Outside the Abbey, a man was standing holding a single red rose to surprise his fiancee. She was going to meet him there but had no idea that he’d be in full Regency attire! He’s a pic of me and author, Jane Odiwe, with the real-life hero!
I also met my lovely friend, Isa, who’d travelled all the way from Spain for the festival. Here she is with her ‘I Heart Darcy’ bag!
I went to talk to the wonderful Pride and Prejudice Tours in Sydney Place – the very house that was Sir Walter Elliot’s in the 1995 production of Persuasion. And I signed lots of copies of my novel, A Weekend with Mr Darcy too – in Waterstones, WH Smith and Toppings. Thank you to the staff who made me so welcome.
Other festival highlights included lunch in The Pump Room where I met a very fine gentleman!
And a trip to the fashion museum with Jane Odiwe who snapped me trying on some eighteenth-century undergarments!
It was a fabulous trip and I now have so many ideas for the third book in my Jane Austen addicts trilogy, Mr Darcy Forever, which is set during the festival. I can’t wait to write it now but it is currently on hold as I am about to revisit the second book first as the editorial notes have landed and it’s time for some rewriting…
Wow, It´s wonderful see my pic in your blog. It´s an honour, for sure. It was really a great weekend in Bath. You and Jane are so lovely and amazing and great. I hope see you again in London in a few weeks.
I travelled from Málaga, from summer ,(in my city), to autumn in Bath only for the Jane Austen Festival.
It was like living in that aged, like characters in a great Regency movie.
We had a great time. I´ll remember all my life. Son thanks for being there with me.
A lot of kisses from Málaga
Isa Merino (the girl with Darcy´s bag)
Good luck with your books, great author.
Oh it all looks so beautiful! I grew up visiting the Bath costume museum and have very fond memories of some of the dresses – how fantastic it must have been to have the chance to wear something like them! But I suspect they’re not the most practical garments – think I’ll stick to my jeans and jodhpurs…
Wonderful photos Victoria! Looks like you had a great time. Shame you didn’t buy a bonnet though… Good luck with the rewrites on the 2nd novel. xx
Glad you all like the pics! Yes, I really should have bought a bonnet! I missed out there!
Jane – I couldn’t give up my jeans either.