Gorgeous costumes at the 2015 Warwick Christmas Regency Ball

The Warwick Christmas Regency Ball held on Saturday 12th December in the restored Court House ballroom in Jury Street was a spectacular evening with all the guests dressed in gorgeous period costumes to recreate the assemblies held there 200 years ago. 

Live music was provided by the midland musicians ‘Dampiers Round’, with the popular dance director Frances Richardson ‘calling’ the moves so that even guests with no experience could quickly learn dances such as ‘The Old Wigg’, ‘The Leamington Dance’, and ‘The Female Saylor’, all popular in Jane Austen’s time.

The Ball Organiser, Tricia Scott, says, “The costumes were dazzling. Everyone joined in with great enthusiasm and clearly loved the evening. Many of the guests came from Warwick and Leamington, but others came from far and wide – from Wiltshire, Somerset, Staffordshire and Surrey. A number of visitors stayed overnight to enjoy a weekend in the historic town, which can only be good for Warwick as a whole. The guests were all given dance cards to be able to book partners for particular dances, and to ensure that everyone mingled. As far as I could see, the only time people sat out was when they’d become ‘a trifle fatigued’ from their exertions”.

During the interval, the volunteers served canapés, and the guests watched a short extract from Richard Sheridan’s 1775 play ‘The Rivals’, performed by members of The Court House Players.  Already there are calls for the Christmas Ball to become a regular event on the Warwick calendar.