GeorgianGem - programme 2009

He’s Much to Blame

A comedy in five acts by Thomas Holcroft
first performed in 1798 at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden
directed by Colin Blumenau

This delightfully funny and sharply observed satire may be one of the eighteenth century’s finest comedies. A cast of hilariously eccentric characters populate a story of lost love, ladies in disguise and old scores to be settled, as Holcroft shines a harsh light on the vices, vanities and virtues of his time.  Will Maria recover her vanished suitor, Sir George Versatile? Will Lord Vibrate finally take action to save his family’s fortunes? And will the German Doctor Gosterman continue to create mayhem with his indiscretions and blunders?

Following last year’s hugely successful production of Elizabeth Inchbald’s Wives as they Were, and Maids as they Are, the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds presents the acerbic wit of Inchbald’s friend and fellow radical thinker.

“At a time when the classic tradition is under threat, this excellent revival
reminds us of our vanishing heritage.”
(Michael Billington on Wives as they Were, and Maids as they Are, The Guardian, 2008)

The Celebrated Mrs Inchbald

written and performed by Katie Bonna

A fascinating and beautiful study of Bury’s own playwright, Elizabeth Inchbald. Independent, determined, ambitious, witty and talented, the ‘beautiful Mrs Inchbald’ was a remarkable woman. Born in 1753 in Stanningfield, near Bury St Edmunds, she became one of the most successful playwrights of her time, and her play Lovers’ Vows is immortalised in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. Come and join us for an encounter with the celebrated Mrs Inchbald herself.

7pm performances with The Celebrated Mrs Inchbald on Monday 07, Friday 11 and Friday 18 September.
Audio Described performance Thursday 17 September

For a detailed performance schedule and to book, please visit www.theatreroyal.org.

A Georgian Gentleman’s Library

The Cullum family’s thirst for knowledge and passion for reading led them to put together a ‘working’ library in an age when libraries were often a ‘must have accessory’. Students will have a chance to browse through many of these rare books making this an opportunity not to be missed.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact Bury Record Office on 01284 352360. The cost of £5.50 includes light refreshments.

Discovering Paine's World

Members of Thetford's Tom Paine 200 Celebrations committee will share their experiences of this summer's festival and what they have learnt about the town's famous radical.

For more information on the festival, visit www.tompaine200.org.uk.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact Bury Record Office on 01284 352360. The cost of £5.50 includes light refreshments.

Georgian Special at the Malthouse Project

Why not visit the Malthouse Project to find out its Georgian History and sample some of our Georgian Specials and cakes in the Kiln Cafe?

On Thurs 17 September, at 7pm, Dr Pat Murrell will also be hosting a Georgian Talk on the "Bury Fair".
Staged over several weeks, this great annual gathering drew most of "the better sort" from far wide. What Georgian delights were on offer? With assemblies and balls at which to see and to be seen was it really more a market for ladies than merchandizes as one contemporary claimed?
Fully illustrated with slides and based on extensive original and as yet unpublished research.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact the Malthouse on 01284 732550 or purchase your ticket in person at the Malthouse reception or the Kiln Cafe. The cost of £5 includes tea or coffee and cake.

Bury’s Georgian Assembly House

Today’s Athenaeum stands on a site once occupied by one of the largest private dwelling complexes of late seventeenth century Bury. Transformed in the early Georgian period into one of the town’s leading ‘arenas of display’, frequented by nobility, gentry and the better sort. Its history provides a fascinating glimpse of high status leisure and harsh commercial realities.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact Bury Record Office on 01284 352360. The cost of £5.50 includes light refreshments.

Bury Fair

Staged over several weeks, this great annual gathering drew most of "the better sort" from far wide. What Georgian delights were on offer? With assemblies and balls at which to see and to be seen was it really more a market for ladies than merchandizes as one contemporary claimed?
Fully illustrated talk with slides and based on extensive original and as yet unpublished research.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact the Malthouse on 01284 732550 or purchase your ticket in person at the Malthouse reception or the Kiln Cafe. The cost of £5 includes tea or coffee and cake.

Your Most Affectionate Father and Mother

Explore life in eighteenth century Bury St Edmunds through the eyes of Thomas and Susan Macro while residing in their Great Market home (Cupola House). Based on unpublished letters to their daughter and son-in-law, it provides a rare opportunity to ’eavesdrop’ on the goings-on and gossip of the day.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact Bury Record Office on 01284 352360. The cost of £5.50 includes light refreshments.

Georgian Ickworth

Experience life at Georgian Ickworth. Activities for all the family. Authentic replica costumes to try on, Regency dancing in the Rotunda and the 95th Rifle Regiment will have a military encampment in the park. Ickworth’s own forestry team will be demonstrating authentic wood chopping on the North Lawn and interpreters will lead you through life at Georgian Ickworth.

Additional admission applies (to park and garden): Non-members £6.50, Child £2.20, Family £15. NT Members £2, Child £1, Family £5.

Henry Crabb Robinson - the Man who Knew Everyone

Henry Crabb Robinson, born in Bury in 1775, became war correspondent for ‘The Times’ and later a leading barrister on the Norwich circuit. His voluminous diaries record his close friendships with many of the leading literary and artistic figures in Europe during his long life. A frequent visitor to Bury St Edmunds, he died in 1867.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact Bury Record Office on 01284 352360. The cost of £5.50 includes light refreshments.

Shop till you Drop - Late Stuart and Georgian Style!

A consideration of shops, shopkeepers and stock. Hear how fashionable Georgian ‘bow’ windows and increased advertising tempted customers to buy in an age when commercialization took off. Beat the credit crunch—step back in time and do some ‘visual’ reality shopping with this slide illustrated lecture!

If you wish to book this talk, please contact Bury Record Office on 01284 352360. The cost of £5.50 includes light refreshments.

‘Read All About It’ - the development of the provincial press in Georgian Suffolk

English newspapers have been, and still often remain, a much neglected source for historians. The proprietors, printers, format, circulation, distribution, coverage of national and local events plus numerous advertisements all feature with regard to this fascinating subject.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact Bury Record Office on 01284 352360. The cost of £5.50 includes light refreshments.

LOST - Late Stuart and Georgian Memorials of St James’s Church, Bury St Edmunds

Using the notes of prominent Suffolk antiquaries and a variety of additional unpublished sources, Pat Murrell rediscovers the memorials within St James’s Church that have been lost, removed or hidden by subsequent alterations. Find out about the monuments and a glimpse of the lives of the people behind them.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact Bury Record Office on 01284 352360. The cost of £5.50 includes light refreshments.

St Mary’s Church, Bury St Edmunds in late Stuart and Georgian Times (1660-1830)

The majority of Bury’s late Stuart and Georgian inhabitants were buried in the Great Churchyard. Some of its more high profile, wealthier residents however, were laid to rest or commemorated inside St Mary's Church. Concentrating on bringing to life some of the Georgians who worshipped or are remembered there, and a variety of events associated with the building, this will be of interest to parishioners and visitors alike.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact Bury Record Office on 01284 352360. The cost of £5.50 includes light refreshments.

The Georgian Imbiber

A light hearted look at drink and drinking in an age not known for its restraint in this sphere. Local ‘tipplers’ and ‘tipples’ will be ‘stirred not shaken’ in this cocktail of alcoholic liquors. Whatever your ‘shout’ - be it beer, spirits or wine—come and take in this illustrated draught dispensed with a generous measure of Pat’s inimitable brand of humour.

Please book your ticket on 01284 352360. Price includes light refreshments.

Late Stuart and Georgian Ipswich (1660-1830)

A look at life in the town during a period about which little is available in print. Illustrated with a wide range of documentary sources this offers a rare glimpse of Georgian Ipswich.

If you wish to book this talk, please contact Bury Record Office on 01284 352360. The cost of £5.50 includes light refreshments.