| Regency
House Party
A
Q&A with the participants of this new "hands-on history"
series
 
Regency
House Party's intrepid time travelers
sacrificed everything from mini-skirts and running water to spaghetti
and cosmetics in the hopes of finding their soul mates. What was
life really like behind the walls of Kentchurch Court? Now back
in the 21st century, the partygoers answer a few questions about
looking for love in Regency England.
Q:
What aspect of Regency life did you have the most trouble accepting?
Larushka
Ivan-Zadeh, Countess Griaznov (Highest-ranking female guest):
The day-to-day lack of independence
for the ladies. You couldn't put the kettle on, dress yourself,
or even know the time (no watches) without asking a 'servant.'
Lisa
Braund (Gentlewoman): For me it
was the double standard between men and women.
Hayley
Conick (Gentlewoman): STATUS!
Everything revolved around it -- where you slept, where you sat
at dinner, your wardrobe, when you could have a bath (and whether
you got clean water), your ability to do fun things. It was a
microcosm of how society was then, and in many ways how it still
is.
John
Everett (Wealthy gentleman): Easy!
Dinner times! Agonizingly slow, served at six, it would drag on
for hours and we'd be there boiling hot in all our clothes, sitting
inside, candles blazing at the nicest time of day.
Q:
Speaking of dinner, how was the food?
Victoria
Hopkins (Industrial Heiress):
The food was unbelievable. The chef has a lot to answer for --
mainly the chocolate meringue. I put on so much weight, none of
my clothes fit me when I came out!
Francesca
Martin (Lady's Companion): Suckling
pig … incredible!
John
Everett: Strange…I yearned for
a plate of spaghetti or a good chili.
Q:
And aside from spaghetti and chili, what did you miss most about
the 21st century?
Elizabeth,
Lady Devenport (Chaperone to Victoria Hopkins):
Bathrooms and physical freedom.
Larushka
Ivan-Zadeh, Countess Griaznov:
Cinema and contact lenses.
Francesca
Martin: Make-up, short skirts,
flashy tops, the exfoliators, the hair straighteners, the shampoo…I'm
not a massive fan of natural beauty!
Hayley
Conick: We would have been grateful
for some deodorant -- it was so hot, and we thought rubbing lemons
under our armpits worked, but I've been since informed that they
did not.
Jeremy
Glover (Gentleman naval captain):
The things I thought I'd miss I didn't -- email, phones, TV. I
missed little things like breakfast cereal. The two biggest things
I missed were physical contact -- not just sex, but holding someone,
being able to express affection and intimacy.
Q:
How did the Regency quest for a mate compare to dating in the
21st century?
Chris
Gorell Barnes (Master of Kentchurch Court, party host, highest-ranking
male): One didn't really "date"
in the Regency. It was marriage or nothing! I found it very annoying
not being able to have a friendly chat with a girl unchaperoned,
and such gossip circulated if you were able to sneak a quick conversation.
John
Everett: What I disliked about
Regency dating was also what I found intriguing about it -- the
formality of the courtship process.
Jeremy
Glover: To fancy someone I need
to get to know them to some degree. This was very difficult in
the house, with the various separate activities for men and women
and chaperones keeping us apart. In the Regency, courtship, even
in its infancy, had to be carried out in full view of the micro-society
around us with all its rules of etiquette.
Victoria
Hopkins: In the house I was one
of the lucky ones -- I could have married for love. But marriage
was a business for the majority in the Regency and I think it
must have been very sad for those who were forced into marrying
a muppet for money or social standing.
Q:
Some of you played characters that ranked higher on the social
ladder than others. What was that like?
Hayley
Conick: [When I saw my profile],
and it said that I was the lowest status woman and as such would
have to pay extra close attention to the rules and the wishes
of my hostess and that I wouldn't have the advantages the other
girls had…it really threw me. It was also frustrating how ignorant
people higher up in the order were of how things were at the bottom.
And there was some ridiculous snobbery.
Mark
Foxsmith (Gentleman cleric and tutor):
I hated the class divisions and not being allowed to treat the
"servants" as people and equals.
Fiona
Rogers (Chaperone to Countess Griaznov and Tanya Samuel):
I found it very sad that some people seemed to think that the
status they were given in the house reflected reality. In Regency
times, "breeding" was the most important thing, whereas
now it is "celebrity status" that counts. So nothing
really changes, I suppose!
Larushka
Ivan-Zadeh, Countess Griaznov:
In order to stay in Regency character, most of the other girls
couldn't be permitted to do all the fun stuff I could, and I found
that constantly frustrating.
Q:
What are your thoughts on Regency fashion?
Lisa
Braund: I loved the corset and the clothes and having
my hair dressed for the evenings.
Victoria
Hopkins: [Among the most annoying
things about the experience] were having to wear four layers of
clothes in the heat, and the bonnets.
Mark
Foxsmith: Two of my jackets were
very ill-fitting and got ripped, which made me very uncomfortable
and hot.
Hayley
Conick: I never thought I'd take
to the girly dresses and parasols, but I think I regressed slightly
and came to quite like them. I definitely predict Regency fans
will be the must-have accessory next summer.
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