Dancing with Darcy Regency Ball July 2007

We played for a Regency Ball to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s arrival in Chawton village.

Details of the event:

Two hundred years since Jane Austen took up residence in the village of Chawton, a Regency Ball 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 3 July 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.

Reception 7 o’clock Carriages 1 o’clock

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

All applicants will receive personal invitations and full details of the evening. Ticket prices include exclusive Austen related visits and tours in Hampshire on the days before and after the Ball.

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