An illustrated talk by Mary Lister on blackmail and scandals at the heart of the Georgian Court, part of the York Georgian Festival.
Mary Lister is back at York Mansion House on Monday 10 August for an illustrated talk on blackmail and scandal at the heart of the Georgian Court. It's the final day of the fourth annual York Georgian Festival, which runs from 6 to 10 August and spends the week filling the city with the sights and sounds of 18th-century life through talks, tours, performances and workshops. Lister is a regular with the festival, so this is a familiar face returning to the programme.
The talk is held at the Mansion House itself, in St Helen's Square. Built in 1725, it's the oldest residence for a Lord Mayor in the country and has been a museum since 2018. Inside are four floors of scandal, decadence and outlandish feasting, with a gold and silver collection, a grand State Room and an 18th-century kitchen that stages cooking demonstrations. It's a fitting place for a talk about court intrigue.
Lister's session is one part of a wider festival. The standout event is the York Georgian Ball at the Grand Assembly Rooms, which is a Masquerade Ball this year with a York Gin welcome and live music by Eboracum Baroque. The rest of the programme takes in Georgian fashion at Fairfax House and York Castle Museum, free displays of dancing and military drill in St Helen's Square, and a promenade led by His Majesty's 33rd Regiment of Foot.
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If you're around for the whole thing, the festival runs from 6 to 10 August, with Lister's talk on the Monday. The Mansion House is at St Helen's Square, York, YO1 9QL.
