Bath, England - Jane Austen Centre and Mary Shelley's House of Frankenstein - August 2024

We didn't go all of the way to Bath to not go to the Jane Austen Centre! Not only did we get reservations for the first tour of the day, we also got reservations for "High Tea with Mr. Darcy." I'd also seen online some recommendations for Mary Shelley's "House of Frankenstein" just a couple of doors down; A loves all things weird as much as I do, so she was also all-in on visiting that. We spent some time studying these two amazing, historic women who were ahead of their time.

The Jane Austen Centre outlined Jane's life, in particular her years in Bath. Her family originally came to Bath and stayed at 4 Sydney Place, the swanky home in which we stayed (see previous post). However, her father passed away during their time in Bath, and Jane, her mother, and sister all moved to progressively worse locations. I loved the museum, but it's definitely for hardcore Austen fans. The tea was absolutely wonderful, however, and would be enjoyed by anyone who can put aside that it's probably a bit "twee" for the average person.

This wax rendering is likely the closest facsimile to Jane we'll have. Our "Emma" tour guide showed us the different sources from which information has been pulled, largely provided by her sister's drawings.

This letter in the hall is one of many sent to the Centre. This is from Emma Thompson, who played Elinor Dashwood in the 90s Sense & Sensibility. Another from the Prime Minister hung in the bathroom - I'm not sure if that was a political commentary, but it is true.

This actor, portraying Jane's father, is considered the most photographed man in the UK. He was also ridiculously nice, especially considering he was wearing breaches and an overcoat in 80 degree weather.

One of the most fun parts of the Centre was dressing up in period wear and getting our picture taken with Mr. Darcy. The only problem is that he looks a lot more like Mr. Wickham from the 1995 miniseries, which sort of made it getting our photo taken with the villain. Regardless - Darcy!

A enjoyed writing with a quill and ink! She wrote a letter to one of her friends on the note paper.

I also wrote a letter to my husband - my side of my hand was fairly covered in ink by the end.

"Obstinate, headstrong girl!" <3

The Regency Tea Room Menu

So, yeah - a little twee and dear. But the china was beautiful, Mr. Darcy was over the fireplace, and the food was delicious.

A's teacup earrings were the perfect accessory.

High tea! There was waaaaaay too much food here, but we tried our hardest.

In the US, I freaking hate scones; I've definitely said before, "I've never met a dry-ass scone I haven't hated." But in the UK, they're amazing... and clotted cream is amazing. I guess there's some UK turf war over whether you put the jam down first with clotted cream on top, or vice versa - I wasn't aware of this, the cream just seemed right on the bottom. Anyway - I ate two full (non-raisin) scones because they were so good.

Mary Shelley's "House of Frankenstein" was just two doors down from the Austen Centre. As you walked through the four or five stories, it took you through Shelley's life. Everything from her marriage to that turd Percy Bysshe Shelley and writing quartet with him and the even bigger turd Lord Byron, through her writing of Frankenstein (the first quarter of which occurred in Bath), her losses, and her final years.

The House of Frankenstein has the most realistic likeness of Frankenstein's monster based off of the description of him in the book. There's no green, no bolts in his neck, etc. The rest of the laboratory is also imagined.

More of the laboratory.

A and I found this story fascinating. Next to it (but not in this picture) is a photo of his grave, which is in the Cimitero Acattolico (Protestant Cemetery) in Rome - I had been fortunate enough to see it during my first trip, and showed A the photo from my phone (see below).

My photo of Percy Bysshe Shelley's grave from an earlier trip to Rome.