Adventures with Jane! Day XI: Bath, Bridgerton, and Rugby…

What a day! And the final one for those not doing the London two-day extension…

To continue with our adventure yesterday touring around Austen-related places in Bath, you can see this map

and this website where much is explained: https://18thc-cities.sorbonne-universite.fr/-Map-of-Bath-1803-Jane-Austen-s-.html#3

and this map from JASNA.org:

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But now we are off first thing to the Holburne Museum – with a stop along the way to No. 4 Sydney Place, at the end of Great Pulteney Street, where Jane and her sister and parents lived for their first three years in Bath – it is also the only house in Bath to have a plaque telling us that she had lived here: here are Joy and I, and Michele and Vicki in the required photos at the front door [people who live here must love this constant invasion of their doorstep…]

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Then into the Museum, with again a terrific guide, who pointed out the salient pieces to see on a fairly quick tour – so much here to ponder over: the artwork, decorative arts, and history of the owner:

At the heart of the Holburne Museum is the collection of Sir William Holburne (1793-1874), fifth baronet of Menstrie. William seemed destined for a naval career but, following the death of his elder brother Francis, he inherited the family title and a modest fortune. He left the navy and embarked on an eighteen-month Grand Tour of Europe, visiting Italy, the Alps and the Netherlands. This sparked a life-long interest in art and his enthusiasm for collecting. He particularly loved bronze sculptures, silver, porcelain and Dutch landscapes.

Sir William never married. He lived with his growing collection and his three unmarried sisters on the North side of Bath. It was his wish that his collection be left to the City of Bath for everyone to enjoy. Since his death, more than 9,000 items have been added to his collection including portrait miniatures, porcelain, embroideries and portraits by some of the greatest artists of the eighteenth century.”  [from the website]

We just missed the Turner watercolor exhibit which was to open on May 23 – but to celebrate Austen in this 250^th year, coming up are two evenings of adaptations – the 1995 Emma and 1995 Sense and Sensibility. And from Sep 11, 2025 – Jan 11, 2026, an exhibit on “Illustrating Austen”:

[Marianne Dashwood, by William C. Cooke, S&S, 1892]

I could have stayed here all day taking photos – so here just a few of my favorites:

Queen Charlotte:

English silver:

A chamber pot designed as a planter:

More porcelain:

Richard Cosways’ miniatures:

I was interested in these Bruegels because I was heading off to Belgium on a Flemish art trip at the end of June – apparently this one is definitely attributed to him, the one below has not…:

And hurray! A Woman Artist! Angelica Kauffmann:

And, where there is a harp, can Mary Crawford be far behind??

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And must make a note of the setting of the Holburne Museum as Lady Danbury’s house in the Netflix series Bridgerton – it appears in all three seasons and also in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The museum’s exterior is particularly recognizable when guests arrive at balls, and it’s also the setting for a scene in season 3 where Penelope is upset with Colin.

• you can see all the Bridgerton locations in Bath here: https://visitbath.co.uk/blog/read/2024/05/bridgerton-filming-locations-in-bath-b86

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Then more walking around Bath – across the Great Pulteney Bridge with its great shops – here Joy and I found the perfect spot for tea: Pulteney Bridge Coffee where we had “lemon drizzle” – yum…

And where you then come upon Laura Place, the widest street in Bath, and where Lady Dalrymple lives – the very upper-class (and expensive) location and where Sir Walter is chuffed to bits to be invited…

Here is a great summary of places in Bath that show up in Persuasion:

https://www.janeaustensummer.org/post/here-s-where-jane-austen-s-real-life-and-persuasion-intersect-in-bath

And we cannot in good conscience leave out Hannah More, who lived on Great Pulteney Street from 1792 – 1802:

And this because who could resist:

…an Italian restaurant with Bath’s best Sunday Roast [or so their marketing tells me…]

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Back to the hotel and then onto the bus for the drive to our dinner location: Farleigh House, home to the Bath Rugby Club! You can read about its interesting architectural and ownership history here.

If you want to get married here or throw yourself an elegant party [and I highly recommend it!}, go here: https://www.farleigh.house/

I was most interested in the rugby! My husband played rugby in college and later for a club in Washington DC – but alas! no rugby players in sight, only some views of the playing fields – more about them here: https://www.bathrugby.com/

On entering the house, we were vastly and beautifully entertained by a Regency Ensemble of three: pianist and two singers singing Jane Austen-era songs: “A Delightful Diversion” performed by The Literary Music Ensemble:

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Then into the main hall that serves as the VERY large dining room – on offer was a delicious buffet…

No going upstairs, but one could wish…

Dessert!!

A perfect place for a Regency gathering of like-minded souls – JASNA went all out here for our last evening together:

Claire and Marcia!

Back on the bus heading back to the hotel on a beautiful evening, all very well-fed, very well-entertained, and quite sad to be bidding adieu to each other…:

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A rose at the Holburne Museum…