Beyond Bridgerton: The Georgian Masquerade

Join us at Birdsall House for a richly atmospheric afternoon of Georgian history, literary discovery and elegant hospitality. The event begins with a guided tour of Birdsall House led by Cara Willoughby, offering guests a rare chance to explore this remarkable family home and its history as a place created for entertaining. With Birdsall itself having once hosted masquerade balls in the Georgian Ballroom during this period, the setting offers a wonderful connection to the world of the event.

Following the tour, guests will enjoy tea and biscuits before a talk by author Meghan Kobza on her book The Masquerade. Meghan Kobza is a historian whose work explores the social and cultural world of eighteenth century Britain, and in The Masquerade she brings to life one of the most dazzling and intriguing entertainments of the Georgian age.

The book is the first full history of the Georgian masquerade, those glittering, extravagant events that filled the calendars of fashionable society. Held in opulent ballrooms, theatres and pleasure gardens, masquerades offered a world of spectacle, disguise and revelry, where guests gathered in elaborate costumes to flirt, perform and escape the conventions of everyday life. Richly researched and vividly told, The Masquerade explores not only the glamour of these remarkable gatherings, but also the gossip, mischief and wider cultural fascination that surrounded them.

Set within a house that once played host to entertainments of this very kind, this promises to be a fascinating and memorable afternoon.