The Beau Monde is the Regency Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. I’ve been a member for years and it is my go-to place for any questions about historical accuracy. To several of you, this comes as no surprise. You are probably members of Beau Monde as well, and you will have seen this information.

I just could not resist passing these treasures on.

Readers of Regency romance are familiar with Rotten Row, that part of Hyde Park where gentlemen and their ladies could ride on horseback, usually in the morning. This is not to be confused with the “fashionable hour” when gentlemen and ladies rode through the park in their curricles or high-perch phaetons.

This week on the Beau Monde loop, I learned of these treasures.

First is Kathryn Kane’s very thorough, very well-researched article on Rotten Row for The Regency Redingote (What a treasure trove her blog is! Scroll around in it a little)

I learned a new term from this blog–hacking–meaning, riding for pleasure. I also learned that Rotten Row was available for grooms to exercise their employers’ horses. I had not ever thought about where grooms exercised the horses or when.

But there was so much more there.

Angelyn was the person who pointed us to a video of Hyde Park. This is from the 1930s, but it is not too difficult to imagine it from a century earlier.

SPRING IN HYDE PARK – ROTTEN ROW

Thank also to the British Pathe for that video!

On my 2003 trip to England, on the Regency Tour organized by Patty Suchy of Novel Explorations, Amanda and I joined authors Brenda Hiatt, Galen Foley, and my friend Julie for a walk across Hyde Park. It was one of the highlights of the trip! Here they are, from L to R Amanda, Brenda, Galen, and Julie:

Have you ever been to Hyde Park? Seen Rotten Row?

What park is your favorite for a nice long walk?

Well, Lydia Bennet wanted to go to Brighton.  And by the time Pride & Prejudice was published, Brighton was a thriving seaside resort and, apparently, the location of some highly desirable soldiers – Lydia’s main reason for wanting to go.  As we approach the start of summer and those nice, lazy, seaside holidays, let’s take a look at Brighton.

Brighton was originally a fishing village, one of the flourishing ports along England’s south coast.  By 1740, however, it was pretty much in decline due to erosion of the town’s beach resulting in loss of buildings, several severe storms, and an ageing population.

Fortunately for Brighton, during the late 18th century sea bathing came into fashion in a big way.  The growth in national wealth that resulted in large estates and grand manor houses, also caused urban centers to be more prosperous.  People who chose to live in towns had the means to travel outside them.  Seaside resorts offered something more than available in the towns or even the countryside.

Spas surrounding mineral springs, such as Bath and Buxton, had been frequented for health reasons from time immemorial.  The 18th century saw the advent of seabathing as another healthy activity.  The first resorts were located in declining coastal towns such as Brighton, Hasings, Margate, Scarborough, and Weymouth.

Brighton, in particular, benefited from its location in a densely populated region of England and its easy access from London. Moreover, failing economy in the area resulted in a surfeit of accommodation, providing places for visitors to stay.

Brighton was well-established as a seaside resort before the Prince of Wales (later George IV) took a fancy to it in  1783.  However, George’s visits and his Royal Pavilion, begun in 1786, certainly increased the draw, first as the place frequented by the Prince of Wales and, later by the Pavilion itself as a tourist attraction.

If you wanted a little seabathing in Brighton during the Regency, you did not have to wait for an invitation from the prince.  Brighton had plenty of hotels and guest houses from which to sally forth in your fetching bathing dress and rent a bathing machine for your dip into the channel.

So, do you want to go to Brighton?  Or do you have something other than a little seabathing in store for your holidays?

Recommended sources: Georgian Brighton by Sue Berry and Spas of England and Principal Sea-Bathing Places by A. B. Granville.