Hardwick Hall, the Model for Athcourt

Because readers seem to be very interested in the posts about locales and vehicles mentioned in Lord of Scoundrels*, I'm continuing the visual guide.

Athcourt, where Lord Dain resided, is on the fringes of Dartmoor.  It’s based, however, on Hardwick Hall, which is in Derbyshire.  But there are moors there, too, and Hardwick Hall certainly is atmospheric.  I chose it because it looked like the sort of place Dain would have grown up in and because I had a picture of it in cross-section—so helpful in seeing the movie in one’s head.  Since a great deal of action takes place in this house, the cross-section was invaluable.

You can see a black and white version of the cross section here.

The National Trust publication about Hardwick Hall includes a cross section in color, as well as many interior views, including the Long Gallery, down which Dominick runs au naturel. Below is a Victorian pseudo-Elizabethan view of the gallery, but it hasn't changed much.

*Yes, still celebrating the book’s 20th anniversary.
 

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Images: North View of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire and
Interior View of the Hall at Hardwick, by John Buckler (1813), courtesy Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection. Gallery image from The Mansions of England in the Olden Time, Vol 2, 1870 - See more at:

Lord of Scoundrels & the Coaching Inn

In January, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Lord of Scoundrels' publication.  This gives me a good excuse to explain some of the references in the story.  You can also find images on my Pinterest page.  Below is s a blog I did for Two Nerdy History Girls about coaching inns, so you'll have an idea of what Jessica & Dain were looking at.

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Hatchett's-The White Horse Cellar

Those of us writing books set during the coaching era often puzzle over coaching inns.  Even when we actually visit coaching inns in England, we may not feel enlightened.  We don’t see the horses or the stablemen.  The once-bustling yard is often converted to an eating area, with picnic benches and flowers.  Sometimes the interior has been redone to look more ye olde than is quite authentic.  Here’s the basic layout, courtesy H.D. Eberlein & A.E. Richardson, The English Inn Past & Present.

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Custom had decreed the arrangement of an inn plan.  There was the usual courtyard with its arched or beamed entry.  There was a hall for receiving guests, a main staircase, a coffee room and a dining parlour.  Some inns could boast a special apartment for dining coach passengers only.  In addition there were smaller apartments known respectively by the names Sun, Moon, Star, Crescent or Paragon.  From 1700 to the year 1760 the arched entries were low, for until the latter date outside passengers were not encouraged.  After the accession of George the Third, when outside travelling became more general, the inside passengers were treated as belonging to an inferior order.  Not only did landlords show increased respect to the outside passengers, but a subtle compliment was paid to the coach proprietors by the landlords when alterations to the arched entries were made to their respective inns.   ...

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No definite system of planning seems to have been adhered to through the centuries for inns other than to provide a yard around which were grouped sets of lodgings and a further yard for stabling and wagons ... The old inns of London consisted in the main of a block facing the street with an entry to a courtyard within, the front part of the house being reserved for sitting-rooms and eating parlours. The problem of the Georgian buildings was to provide easy ingress though an arched entry for coaches, which made their way out through a gate in the further yard.  To right or left of this entry, which varied according to circumstance, there was generally a large room where coach passengers could dine; to the left was the coach office and a passage connecting with the bar and the coffee room.  The drawing room was on the first floor.  This arrangement was generally followed in all parts of the country.

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Images:  Pollard, Hatchett’s, the White Horse Cellar, Piccadilly (from which my hero and heroine set out in Scandal Wears Satin).  From Denver Art Museum collection.  T.H. Shepherd, The Old Bull & Mouth Inn, from London and Its Environs in the Nineteenth Century (1831 ed), courtesy Internet Archive.

Lunch with Kristine Hughes

Adventures in Florida this year included lunch with Kristine Hughes, one half of the Number One London blog team.  

Not many days earlier, I had the pleasure of spending time with her blogging partner, Victoria Hinshaw, at the Southwest Florida Romance Writers conference.  

It’s always a joy to spend time with another nerdy history girl, and Kristine certainly qualifies.  There was not a yawn or a glazed look in the house (not at our table, at least) as we discussed posting and the business of changing horses (at length), the Dukes of Wellington—past & present—the Duchess of Devonshire (née Deborah Mitford) and her autobiography, the "Debutantes of 1939" video, Victoria & Albert & the wonderful book about  their marriage (We Two is one of the best bios I've ever read), blacking stoves, farming books, travel in England—including her and Vicky's forthcoming Wellington Tour—and other matters historical.  Yes, we found time to discuss some of the ups and downs of family life, too. 

Outside our window, a dolphin cavorted in the harbor, and egrets and herons and pelicans zoomed in when a fishing boat docked, adding natural wonders to the delights of historical nerdiness. Conversation with a historical kindred spirit, a great view, delicious food, and a refreshing cocktail:  How much better can it get?

Thank you, Kristine, for a fabulous afternoon!