Welcome to my blog. I am Louise Allen and I write historical romance, mainly set 1780-1820 and historical non-fiction for the same period. This blog exists to share my passion for everything to do with late Georgian and Regency London – the London of Jane Austen. Jane wrote about London but she also visited, shopped, attended the theatres and walked in its parks and week by week I’ll be blogging about those places and tracing the Georgian city in the London of today.
To read more about me and to find out about my books please see the pages for non-fiction on this site and for my novels go to my website
The images here are from my personal collection of Regency and Georgian prints and ephemera – I hope you enjoy them. Photographs are copyright A J Hilton. (Author photo copyright Harlequin Mills & Boon)
Jane Austen's London 
What a wonderful blog – I was trying to do some research on Regency London and came across you! Am looking forward to a good look round your posts.
Thank you! I’m glad you found it interesting. Good luck with your research
I love your blog too. Came across it while researching the history of the homes I have lived in during my childhood.
What a wonderful surprise to find your blog. It is very, very well done.
I came across it while research a story on George Hoby, the bootmaker, and the Wellington boot for a blog I am setting up and writing for a friend who has a small boot-making firm in France. I am wondering if it would be possible to use your illustration of Hoby’s bill in the feature/post I am writing? I would certainly credit you and link to your site.
By way of introduction I am a writer and photographer, mainly for National Geographic Magazine, although the work I am doing on the boot-making blog is purely for fun. I have written a few books, travel mainly, and done some coffee-table books as well, for National Geographic. I am planning to make my first foray into fiction soon.
Again, I really like your blog. Plese let me know about the image
Yours Sincerely,
Roff Smith
You are very welcome to use it, Roff. I actually have two Hoby bills (both same letterhead) If you would like me to scan the whole thing (this one or both of them) I’m happy to do that. You can email me via my website http://www.louiseallenregency.com/getintouchwithlouise.php
I walk past Hans Place quite often and often think “I’ll google ‘Jane Austen in London’ and see what pops up.” Delighted to have landed here! I write a gift blog – I did a post a while ago about the gifts of Jane Austen which you might like to read! http://bit.ly/1Ie5S1O
Thanks – and I’ll check it out!
Having arrived here via the really enjoyable route of an interest in family history which unearthed Waterloo ancestors which prompted a complete change in direction toward the subject of The Napoleonic Wars, concurrent all things Georgian & the Regency, I have to say what a very interesting and informative blog. many thanks for sharing.
Ed Barker
Thank you, Ed! How fabulous to have Waterloo ancestors – or, at least, I do hope they got through unscathed and this isn’t a tragic story. If you’ll forgive a bit of self-promo, you might find my book on the early battlefield tourists of interest http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VMQWN74/
The Birmingham ‘Boneshaker’ as shown is a pretty poor make and a bodged up look alike. Its a pity a better example was not shown.
Great work. I arrived here while researching about Cavendish square. Your blog has led me to many other things besides. Thank you.
Dear Louise,
I would be fascinated to know if you have come across sources that detail the kind of music played by accomplished young ladies of the period in researching your book about the music teacher.
Assuming the strings are plucked rather than struck, I assume the instrument in your first print is a virginal :
What primarily distinguishes the spinet is the angle of its strings: whereas in a full-size harpsichord, the strings are at a 90-degree angle to the keyboard (that is, they are parallel to the player’s gaze); and in a virginals they are parallel to the keyboard, in a spinet the strings are at an angle of about 30 degrees (Wikipedia – spinet article)
Love your blog!
But perhaps it is a square piano!
Thank you for the detail. I have a number of original copies of ladies’ magazines of the period and Ackermann’s Repository usually has a ‘Musical review’ section which reviews published music and it is clear from the comments that they are being reviewed with an eye to the amateur performer eg “… general favourites with vocal amateurs of cultivated tastes.” “…a book of this kind must prove of great use in the elementary stage of tuition…” “Their style is of the lighter kind, calculated for performers of limited attainments.” The volume for June 1823 has pieces for pianoforte, for trios, the harp and for singing.