Monday, 10 October 2016

Tea Time Bath: Regency Tea Room with Mr. Darcy & Jane Austen

Bath, England, September 2016

Located at 40 Gay Street in Bath, THE JANE AUSTEN CENTRE situated in an original Georgian townhouse, tells the story of Jane’s life and her writing. From 1801 to 1806, Bath provides the settings to two of Jane’s novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. The plots of her novels often explore the dependence of female on marriage in the pursuit of favorable social standing and economic security, the Genre of her writing, unlike the Victorian Gothic, provides more of ethnography about English town life in the nineteenth century.

Follow costumed ‘character’ guides, the hallway beneath The Jane Austen Centre ground floor exhibit Jane Austen and her family’s portraits, information of Bath and Regence society as well as appropriate quotations from Jane Austen’s novels and letters. At the end of the parlor, visitors are free to try on the dresses or suits of Austen’s time, to test the ability to write with ink and quill, and witness the British contemporary talented actors’ and actress’ notes toward the films they act based on Austen’s novels.


After nearly an hour tour, upstairs on the second floor is The Regency Tea Room, painted in maroon red, opens daily, offers freshly baked scones, cakes and homemade sandwiches, and all served by delightfully costumed staff. How can I miss this great opportunity to have teatime in a historical townhouse since I am such both an Austen fan and heavy tea drinker? The lovely staff offers me an ‘Opposite with Mr. Darcy’ table, later takes order of ‘a set of Dashwood Tea’ . Immediately I reckon that Dashwood sisters are the major characters in Austen’s novel, published in 1811; and in 1995, directed by Ang Lee, based on the same title, the featured movie Sense and Sensibility won numerous awards, inclusive of Oscar and Golden Bear.

Presenting on the round table covered with ivory white cloth is the cream crispy cookies; secondly, the off-white teapot, hot water container, silver-tone tea strainer and dishware accompanied with a porcelain cup of blue rose, holding brown and white sugar cubes. My tea of the day is supreme Darjeeling, so adding a brown cube or two would make the taste sweeter but not too tried. Coming after the tea is homemade raisin bread topped with butter, besides the porcelain enamel blue plate a mini jar of Wilkin & Sons jam, for the change of flavor. The bread is well baked for the fulfillment, and the tea is rich for the warmth of stomach, the whole visual pleasure of the table set is cobalt blue, maroon red and ivory white plus a touch of golden brown. I enjoy my very private tea moments with Mr. Darcy and see the sunshine flittering through the window, only 5,95 GBP allows me travelling back to the good old time.

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