Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy are giving a Ball at the Great House.....

This year marks two hundred years since Jane Austen took up residence in the village of Chawton, and a Regency Ball, Dancing with Mr. Darcy, is to be held at Chawton House or the ‘Great House’, the scene of numerous Austen family gatherings.  This intimate, truly authentic costume Ball will take place on the evening of July 3rd when guests will dance to traditional Regency music in the Great Hall and wander through the house and the eighteenth century gardens and grounds.

There will be a sumptuous Regency supper, with dishes prepared by Chef Cyrille Pannier, of the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, using recipes taken from the Chawton House Library collection of eighteenth-century cookery books, served on the magnificent mahogany table at which Jane and her family dined.  Edward Austen Knight’s silver will be on display as will the dinner service which Jane helped her brother to choose on a visit to London in 1813.

Walking by candlelight through the house adorned with flowers, gossamer swags and ostrich feathers, guests will enter the world of Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy. Those unfamiliar with cotillions, quadrilles and country dances will be guided by professional Regency dancers with dance master, Ellis Rogers, prior to and during the Ball.  Green Ginger will play for the dances and there will be much to see and do during the evening with music, singing and words of the Regency period, including a rare opportunity to view Edward Austen’s suit and the Jane Austen ‘Sir Charles Grandison’ manuscript.

Guests will include visitors from overseas who will be welcomed by Sandy Lerner, Chairman of Chawton House Library, together with Richard Knight and other direct descendants of Jane Austen’s brother, and distinguished actors who have played Austen characters in film and television adaptations.

A chance to step back in time two hundred years to the era of Jane Austen….

Guests will meet and be invited to dance with the Darcy's (in the form of David Rintoul and Elizabeth Garvie) as well as direct descendents of Edward Austen Knight.

The days before and after the Ball the guests can immerse themselves in the world of the Austen's - private visits, lunches, talks, walks and entertainments have been arranged at the houses and places in Hampshire that the family knew well and loved. This will also include a private viewing of the Jane Austen House Museum, which has recently undergone significant renovation.There will be lunch at Ibthorpe House home of Mary and Martha Lloyd, Mary Married Janes's brother James Austen. Together with our guide, Elizabeth Proudman (Official Wessex Tourist Guide), who will conduct an exclusive tour of Winchester. The day after the ball there will be a Jane Austen tour with Phill Howe of Hidden Britain Tours, to see the houses and landscape that the Austens' knew well, and will kindly be allowed entry into establishments not normally open to the public.

                                  
All applicants will receive personal invitations and full details of the evening.

        Reception 7 o'clock          Carriages 1 o’clock

 Tickets for ‘Dancing with Darcy’ are £3,000 or $5,000 each.

This is a very special event to raise funds for the Chawton House Library Education Programme.

Tickets for ‘Dancing with Darcy’ are £3,000 or $5,000 each. Ticket prices include exclusive Austen related visits and tours in Hampshire on the days before and after the Ball.
                                            

For further information and to apply for an invitation, please contact -

Susie Grandfield: on +44 (0) 1420 541010
or email:  dancingwithdarcy@chawton.net   

Learn more here http://www.chawton.org/news/dancing.html

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