Donna Fletcher Crow, Novelist of British History, has written more than 50 books specializing in British Christianity. These books include: The Monastery Murders, clerical mysteries; Lord Danvers Investigates, Victorian true-crime; The Elizabeth and Richard series, literary suspense; and Glastonbury, The Novel of Christian England. She loves research and sharing you-are-there experiences with her readers.
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Donna Fletcher Crow, Novelist of British History
A traveling researcher engages people and places from Britain's past and present, drawing comparisons and contrasts between past and present for today's reader.
Day 6 at the Jane Austen Festival, Ladies and Gentlemen on Parade, Tea and Games at Parade House
By Donna Fletcher Crow ~ February 19, 2025
Another beautiful day in Bath starts with a cooked English breakfast in our elegant flat. This has to be as close as one can come to actual time travel. Then a brisk walk to the train station to meet our group for the journey to Trowbridge for our “Ladies and Gentlemen on Parade” experience at Parade House.
We are met by our hosts who welcome us graciously to their home in the best 18th century style. And invite us to ramble through the well-appointed rooms and enjoy ourselves at our leisure.
Tamara, Glenda and I take it all in, imagining what it must have been like in its early days as the home of a wealthy cloth merchant when Trowbridge was a flourishing market town. Today the house is privately owned and available to rent as a wedding, corporate, or special event venue.
The furnishings are sympathetically period style, if a bit fussy, but the detailed architecture of the rooms and sweeping staircase are original.
Upstairs, we are invited into the Grand Ballroom for a delicious tea.
Then we play parlor games—a favorite evening entertainment before the days of television and live-streamed movies. First is the “Bells of St. Mary’s Dance” which was rather like a children’s game of London Bridge. Actors entertain us by reading “Dear Abby” style letters, advising the lovelorn, discontented, and bothered on the best Georgian-style etiquette for their situation. Our triumph of the day is the Austen Quiz—which our delighted and thoroughly chuffed table wins by answering all 20 questions right--for which we are awarded a packet of greeting cards to share.
Back at our flat I learn that a parcel, ordered from an English shop for me to transport to our family in Canada, has arrived. It has been playing hide-and-seek with me all week, but His Majesty’s Royal Mail has safely delivered it to the hotel next door. That provides the perfect opportunity for a walk in the garden of the Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa and for a quiet interlude in their lounge.
We spend our evening getting everything organized for our Grand Day Out tomorrow.
Coming next: Day 7, Mimi-bus Tour to Hampshire and Tamara’s Surprise Reveal.
Enjoy more Austen-themed reading:
A Jane Austen Encounter: Join Elizabeth and Richard's second honeymoon tour as they visit all the sites so redolent of Austen and her characters in the beautiful city of Bath. Stay in the Chawton House Library and visit the charming Chawton cottage where Jane’s writing flowered; go to the nearby Steventon church where her father was rector and her own faith was formed; stand by her grave in Winchester Cathedral and enjoy your time at the lovely country estate of Godmersham. But don’t let your guard down. Evil lurks even in the genteel world of Jane Austen.
A Most Singular Venture: Listen in as Richard teaches Jane Austen as a Queen of Crime at the University of London and tag along with Elizabeth’s research into all the London sites Jane knew. But beware—death is about to fall from the sky. What has Richard's brother Andrew become embroiled in with his bid to buy a set of Jane Austen first editions? Is Richard’s student the airhead she seems to be or the victim of spousal abuse? And what are Elizabeth and Richard to do with the young boy thrown into their care?
Donna Fletcher Crow, Novelist of British History, has written more than 50 books specializing in British Christianity. These books include: The Monastery Murders, clerical mysteries; Lord Danvers Investigates, Victorian true-crime; The Elizabeth and Richard series, literary suspense; and Glastonbury, The Novel of Christian England. She loves research and sharing you-are-there experiences with her readers.
Read More: Attending the Jane Austen Festival
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