In Search of Regency England
Itinerary
Optional pretour
September 4
Main group
Board the Queen Mary 2 in New York to cruise to
Southampton. Feel like an American heiress sailing to
England to find a titled husband! We will have waltzing
lessons and Regency romance novel book discussions.
September 8
Depart the US
September 9
Upon arrival in London, you will be transferred to
Ockenden Manor, a lovely Elizabethan manor set in the
heart of the Tudor village of Cuckfield and an important
coaching town during the Regency period on the road to
Brighton. The balance of day will be at leisure to enjoy the
amenities of your lovely country home, including
wandering the 9 acres of gardens around the Manor house.
The South Downs offer a range of activities from Horse
riding, cycling and walking trails.
September 10 After a full English breakfast, prepare to journey back in
time. Our luxury motorcoach, after picking up the
cruisers, will take us to the English countryside. First, we
will visit the Tyrwhitt-Drake Carriage Museum for a
private tour of the best collection of carriages in England.
Learn the difference between a phaeton and a landau!
From there, we will visit Brighton and tour the fanciful
Royal Pavilion, the opulent seaside retreat built by
the Prince Regent and modeled in the Indian style.
Upon returning to our country home, we will have a
taste test of some of the food items listed in the
novels. Treacle anyone?
September 11 On our drive to Bath, we will visit Winchester Cathedral to
pay our respects to Jane Austin’s grave. Once in Bath,
steeped in the Regency period, we will enjoy a privately
guided tour of the Museum of Costume (What is a
spencer anyway?). After a walking tour of Bath and visit
to the Jane Austin Center, we will take the waters in the
Pump room as was common during that time period. We
will overnight in the Royal Crescent luxury hotel which is
on the world’s finest crescent. This Georgian “grade 1
listed” building remains unchanged since the 18th century.
.
September 12 Today, our walk back in history continues. We will visit the
interior of a country home, Syon House, that many of the
Regency authors use as a basis for their characters’
homes. Then, we will drive to Chiswick House to see a
typical Palladian exterior as well as a country home
garden. From there, we will explore the Museum of Eton
Life to learn what the boys’ lives were really like when
they lived there.
Overnight in London in the historic Chesterfield Mayfair
hotel, tucked away off Berkeley Square.
September 13 9-11 We will have a Walking tour of Mayfair to see the
life of the “Quality” - where they lived, shopped, drank,
gambled and enjoyed the Season in the “ton”.
This afternoon we will explore the darker side of London,
including

The exterior of Old Bailey (criminal law court) and
site of the infamous Newgate Prison

The Temple Church (Norman style) founded in 1185

Lincoln’s Inn Fields, home of the oldest legal
chambers in London

Queen Square – a charming 18th century square
surrounded by literary history – ‘mad’ King George, the
plight of chimney sweeps and a hospital partly funded by
the proceeds from ‘Peter Pan’

The Foundling Museum – site of the first orphanage
in Britain, supported by Handel and the artist Hogarth

See Bow Street, Drury Lane, and Cheapside
We will have the opportunity to visit a costume shop to select
appropriate clothing for our regency era party, if you choose.
September 14 This morning, we will walk to Spencer House to see a
typical “town home” of the era. Several of the regency
romance novelists have used this lovely interior as a basis
for their characters’ homes.
From there, a motorcoach will take us to the National
Army Museum. Here we will focus on the Napoleonic era,
including an extraordinary 130 square foot model of the
Battle of Waterloo with over 70,000 model soldiers which
are brought to life with specially commissioned films that
explore the conflict.
Following this fascinating museum, we will drive to Apsley House, the
home of the Duke of Wellington. There we will get another
perspective of the war, including death masks of both
Wellington and Napoleon.
Since we are on the corner of Hyde Park, we can then walk
through Rotten Row to see the Serpentine, ending back at
our hotel. This evening, we have been invited to a
Regency era murder mystery party. Mingle with your
trip mates and a few invited guests and wait for the
unexpected to happen…
September 15
10:30am-12 noon
Enjoy a rare visit of the
interior of one of the only gentlemen’s clubs left in
London. We will end there with a very civilized sherry.
As a climax to our tour, we will visit the interior of
Buckingham Palace where the Prince Regent’s
mother, Queen Charlotte, lived and birthed all of his
siblings. When he became King George IV, he worked
with John Nash to transform the home into a palace.
September 16
Transfers back to the airport. Sadly, we must fast
forward ahead 200 years to today.
Costs:
Due to the extreme fluctuations in currency, this tour is priced in British
pounds. When you pay, I will give you the exchange rate at that time.
Tour
Per person: 1,599 GBP based on double occupancy
(Add 60 GBP if paying by credit card)
Single supplement: 725 GBP
(Add 26 GBP if paying by credit card)
We can find you a roommate if you are traveling on your own.
Tour includes:
7 nights accommodations in luxury hotels, based on double occupancy
Breakfast daily
Entrances to attractions listed.
VAT of 17.5%
Touring by a Blue Badge guide or site employee
Touring in a luxury 49-seater for 32 passengers
Gratuities to drivers and guides
Porterage
Background Material
Tour does not include:
International airfare
Meals other than breakfast
Optional costume for the Regency period party
Transfers if you arrive outside the group’s time
Deposit: 500 GBP
Balance due 60 days prior to the tour.
Optional Cruise
Queen Mary 2 Prices are based on double occupancy and include all
government charges (subject to change)
Category
D5
B5
B3
A2
Price (USD) Cabin type
$1,389.46pp Inside
Obstructed
$1,628.46pp balcony
Sheltered
$1,771.46pp Balcony
Deluxe
$2,293.46pp Balcony
Contact: Linda de Sosa
Travel Consultant
Regency romance addict
Woodlake Travel, Houston TX
713-499-7105 / 800-245-6180
lindad@woodlaketravel.com