Regency Locations
Monday, January 5th, 2015Because we wanted to make Regency Solitaire as historically accurate as possible, we spent a lot of time researching every element – from character costumes to interior decor. I thought it might be fun to share a few examples.
For instance, here we are on Brighton beach, a popular location during the English Regency. The town started out as a sleepy fishing village, but by the 1780s it had become a fashionable resort town. The Prince Regent (future George IV) was a frequent visitor, and he constructed the Royal Pavillion there, which can still be visited today.
Take a look at the pier. Our image shows the Royal Suspension Chain Pier on the horizon. This was originally meant as a landing area for boats traveling from France, but it also had a few attractions for visitors, such as a camera obscura. This is one landmark that you can’t visit in Brighton today – heavily damaged by storms, it was dismantled in 1896. We based our image on a number of contemporary paintings of the pier.
Here’s another location, Netley Abbey, not far from Southampton. Jane Austen lived in Southampton from 1807-1809. As well as taking long walks in the surrounding countryside, we know that she visited the gothic ruins of Netley Abbey. Our game is set just three years later, and when I was looking for locations that our heroine Bella could visit as she made her way across the South coast of England, I imagined that she and her sister Charlotte might also enjoy a visit to the romantic ruins at Netley.
I hope you find these details interesting. I’ll be adding more in future posts about other Regency details, including costumes and room decor!
Helen
Regency Solitaire is a product of the GamesLab South West programme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund and led by Creative England.