The somerset country house
Kitty Fisher in Somerset: A Diary Entry & a Besotted Earl
Kitty Fisher in Somerset A Diary Entry & a Besotted Earl An Unexpected Entry Among the papers preserved at Montacute House in Somerset, the diaries of Edward Phelips V offer an invaluable window into the daily life of a Georgian country gentleman. Phelips, born in…
Kitty Fisher: Georgian London’s First Media Celebrity
Kitty Fisher Georgian London’s First Celebrity Featured Image: Nathaniel Hone, Kitty Fisher, 1765. Oil on canvas, 749 × 622 mm. National Portrait Gallery, London (NPG 2354). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Humble Beginnings Catherine Maria Fischer was born on 1…
EDWARD PHELIPS V DIARIES: Excursion to Wiltshire: A Brief Time of Happiness at Stourhead in April 1784 followed by a visit to Zeals House
In Edward Phelips’s diaries statements of activity are recorded, often related to hunting and dining. These statements position Edward and his associates in time and place. Beyond that there is a context that can inform historians. In this case it is the information…
DIARIES OF EDWARD PHELIPS V: 1779 PATRONAGE OF THE LONDON COFFEEHOUSE
I have been working on analysing the diaries of Edward Phelips V of Montacute House, Somerset (1725-1797). This is one of the blog posts which attempts to contextualise entries to examine the culture of the 18th C English country gentry. This post relates to January…
DIARIES OF EDWARD PHELIPS V: Going to the Theatre January to April 1779
Main Picture: Theatre Royal, Bath In Edward Phelips’s diary of 1779 are embedded the plays that he, his family, and acquaintances attended. The theatres they frequented were Covent Garden and Drury Lane. The commercial theatre took off in the 18th C as an enterprise…
EDWARD PHELIPS V DIARY JAN 1779: Coach Journey to & arrival at Parliament Street, London
From what I read in Edward Phelips’s diaries of his trips to London he seems to take different routes. It took two full days of travelling from Montacute House to Parliament Street in London. This post looks at his route to London from Montacute in January 1779. The…
Exploring Building History
Exploring Building History is a non-commercial site. It is my own personal musings on architectural history. There is wealth of built heritage in England, and as I explore and think about what I see, I post my reflections on this site.