Austen's Arcadia

Friday 11th & Friday 18th September - 14:00

(duration 1 hour)

Jane Tapley follows the career of one of the earliest and greatest female writers of the 18th century, if not of all time. Hear about her quiet private life as an unmarried vicar's daughter and her personal struggle for independence, and how her novels gathered momentum and appreciation after her death. Talk followed by a Q&A.

Meet: In the Foyer of Theatre Royal, Saw Close, BA1 1ET

Tickets £13 from Bath Theatre Royal

Draw Back the Curtain

Friday 11th & Friday 18th September - 15:30

(duration 1 hour)

Join Jane Tapley, Special Events Organiser at the Theatre Royal, for an illustrated talk on the theatre in Georgian times and its influence on Jane Austen's novels. The talk will take place in Bath's Georgian theatre built in 1805, the year Austen left Bath for the delights of Clifton.

Meet: In the Foyer of Theatre Royal, Saw Close, BA1 1ET

Tickets £13 from Bath Theatre Royal

A Whole Campful of Soldiers - Free Talks

Saturday 12th - 12:30 - 16:00
Sunday 13th September - 10:00 - 15:00 

Visit the encampment of His Majesty's 33rd Regiment of Foot at the Holburne Museum. Listen to their free drop-in talks presenting life at war, experience drill displays, music and chat all things redcoats with their knowledgeable re-enactors.

Venue: Holburne Museum Grounds, Great Pulteney Street, BA2 4DS

Free drop-in talks

From Rags to Royal Navy: Captain Wentworth, Prize Law, and the Legalities of Land Ownership & Social Mobility in Persuasion

Sunday 13th September - 10:00

(duration 1 hour)

How did a man of ‘obscure birth’ become a gentleman without an inheritance? While the Elliots of Kellynch Hall were trapped by the rigid, land-based laws of entailment, the Royal Navy operated under a completely different regime: Prize Law.

Join Nichola McNulty as she explores how Captain Wentworth used maritime meritocracy to disrupt the outdated social hierarchies of Regency-era England. We will examine the socially humiliating legalities of the landlord-tenant relationship and how sea-forged wealth allowed Anne Elliot to bypass the transactional marriage market to choose a union based on love.

Venue: Brunswick Room, Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW

Tickets £13

Retelling Jane Austen: Lucy Andrew’s Harriet Smith Investigates: A Very Vexing Murder

Sunday 13th September - 11:30

(duration 1 hour)

Join crime writer, crime fiction scholar and Jane Austen superfan Dr Lucy Andrew as she spills the tea on A Very Vexing Murder (Atlantic Books; HarperCollins), her cosy crime retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma featuring con-woman-turned-detective Harriet Smith, the first book in the Harriet Smith Investigates series.

Discover how to write a killer Austen retelling, why Emma lends itself to the cosy crime genre and why Harriet Smith is the perfect choice for a detective heroine. And, find out what’s next for Harriet and her long-suffering sidekick, Robert Martin, as they plunge headfirst into Bath society for their next adventure.

Venue: Brunswick Room, Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW

Tickets £13

Clothing in the Novels of Jane Austen

Monday 14th September - 11:30

(duration 1 hour)

This talk focuses on the specific items of clothing mentioned in Jane Austen’s six published novels. Dress historian and recreationist, Dr Melissa Shiels, will explore the social and economic significance of the garments that are alluded to in Austen’s novels - the close bonnet of teenage girls, the riding habit of women on the move, the shoe roses of dancing ladies, the dreaded flannel waistcoat, and mourning for a deceased relative.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £15

The Country House Dining Room: A History of Georgian Feasting

Monday 14th September - 14:00

(duration 1 hour)

Step inside the world of Mr Darcy and Emma Woodhouse with Amy Boyington’s immersive history of the Georgian dining room. Far more than just a place to eat, the dining room was a stage for the intricate social dances of the Regency era. In this talk, Amy explores the flavours and finery of the Regency elite, from the rigid etiquette of the table to the architectural splendour that framed every feast. Discover how the rituals of dining shaped the lives, romances and reputations of the landed gentry in this essential guide to the era’s most delicious history.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Talk & Book Ticket £35 / Talk only Ticket £13

A Beautiful Building Site: What Jane Austen’s Bath looked like

Monday 14th September - 16:00

(duration 1 hour)

Sweeping street of elegant houses may have been how Bath looked in Jane Austen’s time, but it was also a city of half-built and abandoned developments. Dr Amy Frost explores the architecture of Bath as Austen and her characters would have really known it, and invites the audience to imagine (or draw) their own vision for building Austen’s Bath.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

‘A prettyish kind of a little wilderness’ - Landscapes and Gardens in the Novels of Jane Austen

Tuesday 15th September - 12:00 noon

(duration 1 hour)

Timothy Mowl’s lavishly-illustrated talk will consider designed landscapes and gardens in Jane Austen’s novels, not only as representative of current horticultural fads, but as important elements in the plots, providing the background to moments of high emotional drama.
Her life spans the demise of Capability Brown’s minimalist landscaping (died 1783), the growth of Picturesque theory in the late 1780s and 1790s, which she satirizes in Northanger Abbey, and the coming of Humphry Repton, who appears in Mansfield Park, with his promotion of Ornamental Gardening. At the heart of the novels and of this talk are the shrubberies, sweet-scented, shadowy places for exercise, contemplation and romantic assignations.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

The Regency Way of Death

Tuesday 15th September - 14:00

(duration 1 hour)

Join Maggie Barton for a lively, but respectful, look at the rituals surrounding death, grief and funerals in Regency England. Her sparkling narrative will include the roles of clergymen, mutes, mourners and the newly emerging profession of Undertakers. The talk will feature deaths in the Austen family, concluding with the death and funeral of Jane Austen herself – have your black-edged hanky at the ready!

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

Diversity in Jane Austen’s Bath

Tuesday 15th September - 15:30

(duration 1hr 30mins)

Jane Austen’s Bath was a city of spectacle, sociability, and surprising diversity. Join National Trust curator, Dr Tim Manningmore, for a journey into the vibrant world of Georgian Bath and the radical inclusivity of its world-famous assemblies. 

Drawing on extensive curatorial research into the lives of LGBTQA+ people in eighteenth and nineteenth century Britain, and the vibrant histories of People of Colour in Georgian-era Bath, this talk explores the untold narratives of communities who lived and thrived in the city, and shaped the world that Jane Austen knew and wrote about.

Dr Tim Manningmore's research has been enabled thanks to generous funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, in addition to the kind support of National Trust volunteers.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2NT

Tickets £15

Fashion In the Time of Jane Austen: Book Talk with author Sarah Jane Downing

Tuesday 15th September - 18:00

(talk duration 45mins, plus question time)

The Regency period stands alone as an incredible moment in fashion history unlike anything that went before or after. England created its own styles becoming the key fashion influence on the world stage. Men found a bold masculinity, whilst women drew upon a myriad of influences as the season-by-season flux of fashion. 

This extensively researched and lavishly illustrated book offers a fascinating insight into the designs worn by both men and women in the era, the materials used, the fashion etiquette and gives insight into a private aspect of Jane Austen’s personal life. A bar serving wine, beers and soft drinks will be open throughout the event.

The author's presentation will last 45mins - 1 hour with time for questions afterwards.
Regency costume very welcome but not mandatory.

Venue: No.1 Royal Crescent, BA1 2LR

Tickets £10 from No.1 Royal Crescent

Jane Austen's Bath Abbey

Wednesday 16th September - 11:30

(duration 1 hour)

With her family associations, visiting, living and setting two of her novels in Bath, Jane Austen not only knew the city well but also many of its inhabitants. Bath Abbey is full of memorials and some of them relate to people the Austens would have met in the streets, the shops, at concerts, the theatre as well as family friends. Jackie Herring (author of Jane Austen's Bath Abbey) shares new research into just a few of the 6,540 Bath Abbey "residents".

You’ve read the book now meet the people. There will be the opportunity to accompany Jackie on an Austen related tour of Bath Abbey in the afternoon.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

"Violets, Virtues, and Vanities: The Secret Language of Austen’s Flowers - talk"

Wednesday 16th September - 13:30

(duration 1 hour)

Before Floriography became a Victorian craze, Jane Austen was already using botanical codes to define her heroines. Shifting from the cold, scientific botany of the 1700s to the emotional symbolism of the Romantic movement, this talk reveals how flowers spoke when words could not.

Discover why Elizabeth Bennet’s wild gardens were a social rebellion and how Darcy’s violets signalled a hidden modesty. From the Austen family’s crop-tracking to the secret codes of Regency bouquets, join Sarah Bedford to discover the tiny, floral meanings Austen hid in plain sight. Whether you are a gardener, a scholar, or a romantic at heart, you will leave with a new floral lens through which to read your favourite novels.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

The Art of the Regency Seamstress with Janette Haslam: ladies Period Costumier

Wednesday 16th September - 15:30

(duration 1 hour)

Join veteran costumier Janette Haslam for an immersive look into the creation of Regency dress. Drawing on 40 years of experience in film, theatre and the west end, Janette reveals her meticulous process: from historical research and toile modelling to adapting extant patterns and perfecting intricate hand-finishing. This lecture highlights Janette’s recreations from the 2025 Barreto-Lancaster auction.

Attendees will gain insight into historical craftsmanship, followed by an opportunity to examine the garments up close and discuss costume techniques with Janette.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

Tolls, trotters and equine trading in Regency England

Friday 18th September - 10:00

(duration 1 hour)

A whistle stop tour through the trade and trading of harness horses and carriages and the taxation of vehicles on the Regency roads of England. Join Amy Bracey, Project Curator for The Carriage Foundation as she shares her expertise on Regency travel.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

Crafting Worlds: Women's Domestic Accomplishments in the Era of Jane Austen

Friday 18th September - 11:30

(duration 1 hour)

In this talk Dr Freya Gowrley will discuss an array of Georgian crafts in and out of Austen. Focusing on needlework, she will chart good and bad varieties of women’s work, the relationship to education, and why so many women were shown embroidering in their portraits.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

A Bookshelf Full of Austens

Friday 18th September - 13:30

(duration 1 hour)

First editions of Jane Austen’s novels rarely come on the market but when they do they command high prices. But what is a first edition? Is it possible to make money out of old and rare books? Does beautiful mean good or is a plain cover better? Jackie Herring will attempt to answer these and other questions as well as show some of her own very special collection of Austen editions.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

Crime & Punishment with John White

Friday 18th September - 15:30

(duration 1 hour)

John White appears as ‘Thomas Turlis’ - the Hangman at Tyburn during the late 18th century. Equipped with the tools of his gruesome trade, he will take you upon a journey, through the 200 and more crimes for which death was the penalty; as well as detailing the processes of flogging and branding along the way! ‘Turlis’ is the master of his art and, be advised, ‘Turlis’ delights in detailing the nature of the punishments dispensed at his hands - it is not for the feint hearted!

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

Austen Ablaze: The Destruction of Jane Austen's Letters

Saturday 19th September - 10:00

(duration 1 hour)

The burning of Austen's letters by her sister, Cassandra, is one of the most notable moments of literary vandalism in history. Join historian Dr Zoe Screti as she explores Cassandra's motivations. From desires to uphold Austen's reputation, turning witty words unbefitting a woman of sense and delicate sensibilities to ash before she could become subject to prejudice, through Austen being the object of Cassandra's envy, to the persuasions of Austen herself to maintain her privacy (there are secrets in all families, after all!), she'll unpack the leading theories about what really caused Cassandra to shape Austen's legacy forever.

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £13

A Very Private Public Breakfast - talk & breakfast

Saturday 12th September - 9:00

Sunday 13th & Saturday 19th - 10:00

(duration 1hr 30mins)

Sample the delights of an 18th Century public breakfast just as Jane Austen did in Bath. Bread rolls, toasted fruit bread, cake, tea (Jane Austen blend) or coffee - all in the private dining room of a typical Regency Bath house. Breakfast is accompanied by a talk from Jane Tapley.

Venue: Kinwarton, 3 Upper Camden Place, (part of) Camden Rd, BA1 5HX (20 mins walk from central Bath)

Tickets £18

Jealousy in Jane Austen - with John Mullan

Saturday 19th September - 11:30

(duration 1hr 30mins)

Jane Austen’s characters reveal themselves by being jealous. Why do Austen’s heroines have to watch so carefully for the signs of jealousy in others - and how subject to jealousy are they themselves?

This talk will answer those questions, and show the differences between women’s jealousies and men’s. We will see that jealousy is somewhere near the heart of every one of Austen's novels.

Venue:  Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £16

Jane Austen’s Sick Characters with John Mullan - talk

Saturday 19th September - 14:00

(duration 1hr 30mins)

There are plenty of characters in Jane Austen’s fiction who claim to be ill, but how many of them actually are? Do some people bring sickness upon themselves? This talk will look both those characters who seem to relish their ailments, and those who appear to have been made unwell by life.

How can Austen so often treat sickness comically, when she lived in a world where medicine was ineffectual and death always just round the corner?

Venue:  Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Tickets £16

Rummaging through the Reticule - talk & cream tea

Saturday 12th, Sunday 13th & Saturday 19th September - 16:00

(duration 1hr 30mins)

What did Jane and her characters keep in their reticules? All will be revealed when the contents of this C18th handbag are spilt in the privacy of a Regency drawing room. Jane Tapley's talk is followed by refreshments, a traditional cream tea - scones, jam and cream and, of course, tea.

Venue: Kinwarton, 3 Upper Camden Place, (part of) Camden Rd, BA1 5HX (20 mins walk from central Bath)

Tickets £18

Soup to Syllabub - talk & lunch

Wednesday 16th September - 12:30

(duration 2hrs 30mins)

‘Invite him to dinner Emma and help him to the fish and the chicken, but leave him to choose his own wife'
(Emma - Mr Knightley)

Peep into the dining room of the elegant Regency diner and discover all is not as it may seem. From the perils of the promiscuous diner to the presence of the chamber pot in the dining room. Georgian habits will surprise and shock a modern audience.

Jane Tapley will give an amusing illustrated talk on this subject before having a lunch based on an 18th Century menu in the restaurant of The Bird Hotel.

Venue: The Bird Hotel, 18-19 Pulteney Rd (South), Bathwick, BA2 4EZ

Tickets £48 from Bath Theatre Royal