How the Georgians Banqueted
A look at banquetting in the 18th century
Historian David Bostwick will take his audience on a whirlwind tour to reveal more about banqueting houses and banqueting between 1550 – 1700, in an illustrated talk on Tuesday 29 April at 7pm.
The lecture, which takes place at the National Centre for Early Music, will explore this time period and find out more about the banquets that were held in Georgian times, which were very different from the type of feast we would have today.
Peter Brown, Director at Fairfax House explains: “The world ‘banquet’ is used in today’s terms to mean a large feast of lavish dinner party, but its origins are quite different.
“The banquet was a much more intimate meal or dessert of candied fruits, jellies, biscuits, sweetmeats and wines. In the sixteenth century England the banquet was the stage at the end of the meal where hugely expensive sweetmeats and suckets were consumed in specially built private banqueting houses. These were often situated on the roof of a large country house, to benefit from the views over the estate, but could also be a separate building well away from the mansion and the prying eyes of the servants.”
Tickets for this event are £12 (£10 senior citizens) and are available by calling in at Fairfax House during opening hours or by ringing 01904 655543. For more information about Fairfax House, visit the website at www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk
ends
Press Contacts: Melanie Paris
Tel: 01904 647408
E mail: hello@melanieparis.com
The lecture, which takes place at the National Centre for Early Music, will explore this time period and find out more about the banquets that were held in Georgian times, which were very different from the type of feast we would have today.
Peter Brown, Director at Fairfax House explains: “The world ‘banquet’ is used in today’s terms to mean a large feast of lavish dinner party, but its origins are quite different.
“The banquet was a much more intimate meal or dessert of candied fruits, jellies, biscuits, sweetmeats and wines. In the sixteenth century England the banquet was the stage at the end of the meal where hugely expensive sweetmeats and suckets were consumed in specially built private banqueting houses. These were often situated on the roof of a large country house, to benefit from the views over the estate, but could also be a separate building well away from the mansion and the prying eyes of the servants.”
Tickets for this event are £12 (£10 senior citizens) and are available by calling in at Fairfax House during opening hours or by ringing 01904 655543. For more information about Fairfax House, visit the website at www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk
ends
Press Contacts: Melanie Paris
Tel: 01904 647408
E mail: hello@melanieparis.com