NEWS RELEASE
PR 1714
For Immediate
Release
30 April 2004
Jane Austen’s
Bath
DURING the
month of May, people can enter the world of Jane Austen at a series
of three lunchtime talks at the Assembly Rooms in Bath.
Bath & North East Somerset Council
has organised the free talks as part of Museums and Galleries Month
and to complement the successful new exhibition at the Museum of
Costume – Jane Austen: Film and Fashion.
All the talks take place between 1pm
and 1.45pm. Light lunches will be available from 12.15pm-1pm.
The first takes place on Wednesday,
May 5 when Penelope Byrde – former Curator of the Museum of Costume,
Assembly Rooms and author of the book Jane Austen’s Fashion – will
be speaking about fashionable dress in the time of Jane Austen
drawing on the letters and novels of Bath’s celebrated novelist.
On Wednesday, May 12 local historian
Trevor Fawcett will be talking about the Bath scene around 1800 by
looking at the facilities and amenities on offer to people at the
time as well as looking at depictions of Bath in Jane Austen’s
novels.
The final talk in the series is on
Wednesday, May 26 when Stephen Clews, Curator of the Roman Baths,
will be looking at the impact of the French Revolution and
Napoleonic Wars on the people of Bath.
Jane Austen’s stay in Bath followed
the French Revolution and coincided with the Napolenonic Wars and
Stephen will also be examining the effect these had on her novels
and the characters in them.
Helen Mansfield, Museums Education
Manager, said: “Bath & North East Somerset is sure that these talks
will prove popular. They are a fascinating insight into the life and
times of Jane Austen and we look forward to welcoming you to the
Assembly Rooms for them during the month of May.”
For more information about the
Assembly Rooms and Museum of Costume log on to
www.museumofcostume.co.uk
or call 01225 477789.
Notes to Editors:
The Museum of Costume’s special
exhibition for 2004 is Jane Austen: Film and Fashion and features 24
costumes from well known television and film adaptations of Jane
Austen’s novels alongside original examples of Regency dress from
the Museum’s acclaimed collections.
The Museum of Costume is based at
Bath’s historic Assembly Rooms. It tells the story of fashion over
the last 400 years and is one of the finest museums of fashionable
dress in the world. More than 150 figures dressed in original
garments are on display at any one time, drawn from the museum’s
collection of more than 30,000 historic items.
The Assembly Rooms, built in 1771,
are owned by the National Trust and managed by Bath and North East
Somerset Council. In addition to running events and holiday
activities, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Heritage Services
also hire out the rooms for concerts, dinners and conferences. The
Assembly Rooms were a favourite meeting place for Jane Austen who
often danced there and placed key scenes in two of her novels,
Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, in the Assembly Rooms.
For more information, contact:
Helen Mansfield,
Museums Education Manager, on Tel: 01225 477757 or e-mail
helen_mansfield@bathnes.gov.uk
Patricia Dunlop, Commercial
Marketing Manager - Heritage Services, on Tel: 01225 477759 or
e-mail patricia_dunlop@bathnes.gov.uk
For comment,
contact:
Cllr Nicole
O’Flaherty, Executive Member for Tourism, Leisure and Culture, on
Tel: 01225 310341 or e-mail nicole_oflaherty@bathnes.gov.uk
Issued by: Bath &
North East Somerset Press Office, tel 01225 477827 or 477283, email:
pressoffice@bathnes.gov.uk |
