The Box Hill Regency Picnic

 The inaugural Box Hill Regency Picnic was a huge success!

Regency Picnickers at the Look Out on Box Hill, 6th July 2024

We awoke on the morning of Saturday 6th July to a forecast of drizzle and were concerned that our attendees would stay home, but we needn't have worried. Austen fans are made of sterner stuff!

Ladies sporting delightful homemade bonnets

By midday, the allotted start, we already had over a dozen participants with us on the green, all dressed exquisitely and excited to meet fellow Regency costume lovers.

Summer muslins, reticules and parasols

We soon had over fifty picnickers, many of whom had travelled across the country, from as far as Bristol, Norfolk, Chester, Kent and London.

It did rain, but our lovely guests simply opened their parasols or trotted under out two gazebos to wait it out. The sun shone for most of the afternoon, certainly long enough for us to take some gorgeous photographs (thank you Steve) and make a short video.

Walking to the Lookout after the rain

We had a wonderful time and look forward to welcome more of you on the first Saturday of July next year. But will always have affection for our inaugural attendees. Thank you all for launching this fabulous event, a collaboration between Leatherhead Museum and National Trust Surrey Hills.

Celebrate Jane Austen's Surrey Novel

 

The Inaugural Box Hill Regency Picnic will take place on Saturday 6th July and the museum team are super excited! It's taken 2 years to take this idea from a mid-lockdown Zoom chat to this public event, a collaboration between Leatherhead Museum and National Trust, Surrey Hills.

Last year the museum volunteers had their own dress rehearsal in August. Here we all are in costumes we made or cobbled together from nighties, party dresses and the dressing up box.

This year is the full public event with Jane fans and costume enthusiasts coming from all over the region (and perhaps the world!) to celebrate Austen's Surrey Novel, Emma, and the infamous picnic scene where Emma Woodhouse is rather rude to poor Miss Bates (and get's soundly reprimanded by Mr Knightly).

Join us from 12 noon on the Donkey Green (over the road from the Lookout), bring a picnic or treat yourself at the National Trust Cafe. Regency costume is encouraged but not essential. Come and see the pageant even if you can't dress up.

Box Hill has been a favourite picnic spot for hundred of years

Nearest train station is West Humble then follow the signs 1.5km to the summit on foot. The Arriva 465 bus stops at the foot of the hill (1km walk) and the Metrobus 21 via Headley stops at the Box Hill East car park. Park your 'carriage' at the National Trust car park opposite the visitor centre (charges apply).

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/box-hill/events/

Open for 2024!

 The museum opened for the 2024 season last Saturday, with a surprise guest to cut the ribbon.

Miss Austen (Claire Howes) Photo C. Brett

A young author from Hampshire, currently visiting her cousins in Great Bookham, joined us for the day. We understand she has had some success with her writing (novels entitled Pride and Persuasion, or some such) and that she is writing another, set in Surrey. She says EMMA will be inspired by Leatherhead.

Our visitors were also introduced to the first tenant of Hampton Cottage (the 17th Century building that houses the museum). Mistress Fering is the widow of the Falconer, William Fering. Mistress Fering and her 3 children would have lived in some comfort on a local estate until her husband died. As neither she nor her eldest child was able to take on the Falconer's role, the family were evicted. In much reduced circumstances they were installed in Hampton Cottage, which was owned by the church.

Miss Austen (Claire) and Mistress Fering the Falconer (Mandy, assistant curator) Photo R. Christian

Our Mistress Fering is our preferred alternative version of history, where she took her husbands job training and flying birds of prey for the local land owner. We think it's a shame this never happened, though the role of Falconer was often taken by women.

The museum is now open Thurs-Fri 1-4 and Saturday 10-4. Free entry. Come and see our new exhibits including Young Mr. Turner, which we'll tell you more about very soon. 

Thank you to all the museum team who have worked hard all winter to maintain the museum and put together brand new displays and fascinating local stories. Bravo!

If you'd like to join us as a volunteer, pop in and talk to a steward. There are lots of fun jobs to do, either guiding and greeting visitors or working behind the scenes with our collections and building.

Young Mr. Turner Exhibit in the Hollis Room upstairs. Photo C. Brett

Closed for a Winter Break

The Jane Austen's Leatherhead exhibit

The Leatherhead Museum is now closed for it's winter break. We close our door to visitors during the coldest months for several reasons. The first is that our Grade 2 listed 1640s building is very cold in winter and not a very comfortable place to be for visitors or our wonderful staff of volunteer stewards. The second is that we have a long list of maintenance jobs to keep the building water tight and safe. The four months that we are closed is also our opportunity to clean our precious artefacts, design new exhibits, and to plan a program of community events for the whole year.

Look out for news of our grand reopening in April and a very exciting collaboration with the National Trust Box Hill planned for July!

The brilliant volunteer curatorial team at last year's museum opening