Georgian Valentine's Ball at The British Library

Valentine's Day 2014

with

The British Library, Edmonds and Gerrish, Peyton & Byrne, The Georgian Group and The Young Georgians

2014 is the Tercentenary of the Hanoverian Succession and the Georgians, a peoples who shaped so much of what we treasure so many years later. This is a bumper year for all things Georgian!!

Sophie Edmonds and I arrived at the Library armed with a dozen full Georgian costumes, umpteen bunches of flowers, petals, silverware, table centrepieces and all the other trappings of a party…all to sort out in under two hours! I always think the adrenalin rush from not having quite enough time to do something makes doing that thing well even more of a thrill, and I hope people enjoyed the Ball, hosted by us, The British Library, Peyton & Byrne and in conjunction with The Georgian Group and The Young Georgians. 

Drinks commenced by The King's Library and there guests drank Eighteenth-Century-style cocktails and were serenaded by music by Mozart, Haydn, Vivaldi and more.

From The King's Library guests were beckoned to the Ballroom by the Master of Ceremonies resplendent in his L'Ordre du Saint-Esprit.

Miss Zuleika Parkin and The Master of Ceremonies

Air on the G String…music for Valentine's Eve

The Ballroom was adorned in flowers, red and gold and, after guests had sat, the parade of the Pig's Head to herald dinner being served.

Homage to Lady Hamilton

Guests dined on three huge hog roasts, expertly cooked by Peyton & Byrne. During dinner there were tableau, poetry, ballet and opera…this was me singing from the balcony hoping not to put people off their food!

Quadrilles commenced and people forgot the threat of indigestion and danced with much gusto and energy! Outside the Ballroom, by The King's Library, the Georgian Speed Dating began. This was interesting to see and more so to take part in; one poor chap was put on the spot as a finely dressed diamond festooned lady enquired as to the length of his drive, as she had heard he had a large acreage, and would it be too rough for her to ride down…!!

During all of this a great Meringue Dome arrived in the Ballroom to sustain the revellers.

Speed Dating

All in all the Ball was a marvellously fun start to this momentous year, and there is much more to come from us at The Georgian Group and The Young Georgians!

The Gorgeous Georgians!!

www.georgiangroup.org.uk