Newstead Abbey and Lord Byron
Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire began as a monastic house (priory) in the 12th century and was converted to a domestic home after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. The priory was rebuilt and extended several times prior to its conversion into a country house in the 1500s. The house was inherited by the poet Lord Byron at the age of 10, having belonged to the Byron family for several generations. Byron spent some time at Newstead Abbey on and off between 1808 and 1814 and the Abbey now houses a museum including artefacts from Byron's life.
The Abbey was in a poor state of repair when it was inherited by Byron; the fireplace above is housed in a room which Byron used for pistol practice because he couldn't afford to refurbish it. Apparently, Dr Livingstone banged his head on this fireplace during a game of Blind Man's Buff.
This is Byron's bed, which he brought with him from his undergraduate rooms in Cambridge.
Byron apparently dressed in a manner designed to evoke the romantic heroes from his works. Visitors are given the opportunity to try on different items of clothing in styles favoured by Byron. I tried on a really heavy velvet cloak (seriously, it weighed a ton) which reminds my mum of Scottish Widows but reminds me somewhat more of this. I make an unimpressive romantic hero to say the least.
These three dresses are from the 1840s. The red one in the centre is actually a wedding dress, and they are all ridiculously tiny. I am always surprised by how much smaller people were in the past; the short beds and low doorways look so different to what we're used to now.
References/Further Reading
Newstead Abbey: 1, 2
Lord Byron
13 comments
Wow, wonderful place and wonderful photos, and you are so beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteI'm in constant jealousy of the wonderful places you visit....that and your shoes. You have the greatest shoes.:)
ReplyDeleteAhhh thank youuuu (: I am a massive shoe lover, so glad to see someone else appreciates them as well.
DeleteThat seems like such a fascinating place to visit. Being American, we just don't have that kind of history here. Even without the tie to Lord Byron, visiting a 12th century monastary would be cool in its own right; add him in, and it's just that much more awesome. Admittedly, a significant portion of my knowledge of him comes from reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, though.
ReplyDeleteI like this outfit a lot. I would never think to pair a deep teal with such a pale pink, but the combination works really well, and looks lovely on you.
Cheers,
Jessica, cakeasandcakesvintage.blogspot.com
That dress and those shoes are adorable! :)
ReplyDeleteTamara
www.trulytamara.com
What a lovely outfit, I love the combination of pale pink and teal, never came to my mind, but it looks great!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for showing this great place, it looks very interesting.
love, ette
That looks like great visiting ! Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeletexxx
Love from Paris;
http://lornasharp.blogspot.com
This is AMAZING! I want to live in a monestary-turned-country home! How gorgeous! Wow. Quite obviously, there is nothing like this even remotely near where I live (Oh, young America), so this blog tour is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely outfit and a very lovely place you have visited.
ReplyDeleteThe old gowns are very beautiful.
You are so pretty like always!
Greetings from Denmark.
Sabrina
Vintagevend.com
I was surprised too, when traveling in Europe at the small sizes of so many things. Everything is beautiful here, but I just can't get past your shoes. Just gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteShe Knits in Pearls
I love the photos, and your outfit is stunning!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful outfit - I love the soft pink with the turquoise. Is that a Collectif dress? And the photo of you in the cloak made me chuckle! P x
ReplyDeleteIt's original 1950s vintage :)
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