Free talk by Heritage Chester on the masquerades hosted by Susanna Mainwaring in 1820s Chester.
Heritage Chester are bringing a talk on Mrs Mainwaring's Masquerades to Bishop Lloyds Palace on Saturday 14 November, and it's one of those local history things that's actually a bit of a story. The whole thing centres on Susanna Mainwaring, a woman who, for a brief but bright spell in 1820s Chester, threw open the doors of her grand townhouse on Watergate Street to host some of the city's most glittering masquerades. Back then, masquerades were the talk of the town, and Mainwaring was the one leading the way.
The talk is built on the speaker's own original research and published work, so it's not just a few anecdotes. It tells Mrs Mainwaring's story and looks at how her gatherings fit into the wider fashion for masquerading at the time, as well as how they sat within Chester's own long theatrical traditions. If you've ever wondered why the city had such a thing for dressing up and playing parts, this is a good place to start.
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It's a single hour's talk, running from 7:30pm to 8:30pm, and it's free for general admission. You'll find Bishop Lloyds Palace at 51-53 Watergate Street, CH1 2LE, which is fitting given that Mainwaring's own house was on the same street. If you're into Chester's social history, this is a straightforward one to drop into.
