News

Bath man chosen to promote British tourism
A Bath man dubbed ‘England’s most photographed person’ has been chosen to represent Britain by the government’s official tourist board. Martin Salter, the 46-year-old meeter and greeter from the Jane Austen Centre in Bath will help promote British Tourism Week, which runs between 15 and 21 March 2010 and has Prince Charles as its patron. A photograph of Martin dressed in his Regency costume was ‘highly commended’ by BTW judges after it was selected from the thousands of entries for its annual poster competition. The poster will be seen around the world in promotional material. The image was submitted by David Lassman, Press & PR Manager for the Gay Street attraction, who said: ‘I am not surprised Martin has been picked, as he does such a great job representing Bath that he is an obvious choice to promote British tourism both here and abroad.” British Tourism Week is organised by VisitBritain, the UK’s official tourist organisation, to raise awareness of the importance of the country's £114 billion visitor economy and to highlight the contribution made by businesses and individuals to the tourist industry. In the letter Martin received announcing his selection he was also told he had won a night for two at a four-star accommodation and was thanked for his work at the Jane Austen Centre It is through this role he has also earned the unofficial title of ‘England’s most photographed person’, posing each year for many of the several million visitors that flock to the city from all over the world. Martin Salter: “I thoroughly enjoy welcoming all the visitors and promoting my home city of Bath, but to be chosen to do this for Britain is just fantastic and quite overwhelming.” Lucy Weaver, PR & Communications Executive, Bath Tourism Plus: “Martin is a very popular character in Bath. He must feature in thousands of visitor's photos and every day helps tourists from around the world, so it's great to see that he has been selected to help promote British Tourism Week.” Have a look at the British Tourism Week poster. For more information contact: David Lassman (Press & PR Manager) Mobile 07804 246931 or press@janeausten.co.uk British Tourism Week website: http://www.britishtourismweek.com/
'Persuasion' memorabilia bought for the Centre
The Jane Austen Centre in Gay Street beat off several other bidders from around the world to secure memorabilia connected with the BBC's 1995 film of Persuasion. The production starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds includes many scenes shot in Bath and tells the love story between Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth which won a Bafta TV award for 'Best Single Drama' in 1995. Persuasion was the last novel written by Austen and was published in 1818, a year after the author's death. The BBC adaptation was written by Nick Dear. The memorabilia also included signed photos of the main cast and was sold to raise money for Weldmar Hospice in Dorchester. The "very busy" auction, which attracted interest from the US, took place at Duke's in Dorchester last week. Valuer Deborah Doyle said: "There has been a lot of interest and we have had a few bidders from America, as well as local interest." David Baldock, Centre Director, said: "We are really thrilled to have secured these items as not only does the production have connections with Bath, but Amanda Root appeared at our very first Jane Austen Festival and has given the Centre much support over the years." The memorabilia will form part of a future exhibition at the centre called 'Jane Austen Today'. For more information contact: David Lassman (Press & PR Manager) Mobile 07804 246931 or press@janeausten.co.uk
It's a record!
There were cries of ‘huzzah’ along with bonnets and parasols being thrown in the air, as Jane Austen fans celebrated the setting of a new Guinness World Record in Bath this weekend. The attempt to set the record for the largest gathering of people dressed in Regency costume took place during the Grand Regency Promenade that opens the annual Jane Austen Festival in the Georgian city. The Promenade attracts Janeites (as fans of the writer are called) from around the world, all of whom converge on the city to walk a route through the classic streets and architectural masterpieces such as The Kings Circus and The Royal Crescent. This year, however, there was the stop en-route at the Assembly Rooms, where a total of 409 festival-goers were registered, counted and escorted into the main ballroom for the 10 minute gathering required for universal acknowledgement as the new record holders. View the promenade and record attempt on YouTube The number would have been even greater, however, but not everyone was dressed in authentic Regency costume and so had to wait outside during the record-breaking challenge. One costumed couple taking part in the event had even more to celebrate later in the day, when they were officially married at the Guildhall. Kelly Walpole and Ian Charlesworth from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, had decided to tie the knot during the Festival and were joined by friends, family and festival-goers - all in Regency attire – for the 40 minute ceremony. After the couple exchanged vows and were declared man and wife, wedding photos were taken outside the Royal Crescent accompanied by a volley of shots fired by re-enactors of the 32nd Cornwall Regiment. Festival Director, Jackie Herring, says: “With the setting of the new world record and the Regency wedding, this has to be the best opening to the Festival in its entire history.” The groom, Ian Charlesworth, says: ‘We wanted to do something unusual and special for our big day, so what better than to get married during the Jane Austen Festival and be surrounded by hundreds of people dressed like this.’ Images of the Promenade, world record, and wedding are available here http://images.janeausten.co.uk
Festival starts with record attempt
Real-life regency wedding and world record attempt A Guinness World Record attempt and a real-life Regency Wedding are just two of the highlights of the opening weekend of this year’s Jane Austen Festival, which begins this Friday 18th of September in Bath. One of the most popular events of the festival is the Grand Regency Promenade - a spectacular costumed perambulation through the Georgian streets – and this year the several hundred Jane Austen fans it attracts from around the world will attempt to break the world record for the largest gathering of people dressed in Regency costume. The Promenade begins at 11am on Saturday (19th) from the Roman Baths in the centre of the city and then makes its way through the streets, passing many of Bath’s most famous landmarks including The Circus and Royal Crescent, before finishing in Queen Square. This year the route also includes The Assembly Rooms, where the world record attempt will take place. After registering, all participants have to remain together for ten minutes in order to successfully achieve the record. A town crier, naval personnel and a drummer will also been attendance during the Promenade, along with re-enactment groups and societies that include members of the 32nd Cornwall Regiment and a group of hobby horse-riding enthusiasts called 'The Dandy Chargers'. Also participating in the record attempt will be Kelly Walpole and Ian Charlesworth, although the highlight of their day will come in the afternoon, when after months of preparation they will be tying the knot at their dream Regency Wedding at Bath’s Guildhall. The couple have invited festival-goers along to help celebrate their big day, all guests being required to be dressed in Regency costume and after vows have been exchanged, wedding photographs will be taken outside the Royal Crescent accompanied by a volley of shots fired by the Cornwall Regiment. Jackie Herring, Festival Director, says: "With both the world record attempt and regency wedding happening on the same day, this promises to be the best opening weekend to a Jane Austen Festival in its nine year history." The groom, Ian Charlesworth, says: ‘We wanted to do something unusual and special for our big day, so what better than to get married during the Jane Austen Festival and be surrounded by hundreds of people dressed in Regency Costume.’
Campaign launched to recognise most photographed person in the South West
A campaign to get a Bath man officially recognised as the most photographed person in the South West has been launched by the Jane Austen Centre. The name might not ring a bell but the sight of Martin Salter standing outside the Jane Austen Centre in Bath is a familiar one to anyone who passes by on a regular basis. Since joining the centre two years ago, 46-year-old Martin, dressed in authentic Regency costume, has been responsible for meeting and greeting the tens of thousands of fans, tourists and visitors who flock to the Gay Street attraction from all over the world. During this time he has become what the Jane Austen Centre believes to be the most photographed person in the South West and the centre now wants this title officially recognised. The Centre’s PR Manager, David Lassman, says: “On average Martin poses for around 250 photos a week, which equates to being photographed thirteen thousand times a year, although even this may be a conservative estimate as he achieved this total on one recent Saturday alone.” “We therefore feel that Martin is the most photographed person throughout the South West and want him to receive the recognition he deserves. We are in contact with Visit Britain, the UK’s official tourism agency, to see what verification is required.” The Jane Austen Centre, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, attracts around 55,000 people a year and it only takes one person in four to take Martin’s photograph to achieve this total. Add to that the numerous tour buses and the hundreds of other visitors to the city that pass the centre each day and the figure might become even greater. David Lassman adds: “Politicians such as Bath’s MP Don Foster or locally-based celebrities such as Nicholas Cage might receive a lot of press attention and have their photographs taken a great deal, but where as these are usually taken by groups of paparazzi, Martin poses for each photograph individually. “And Martin is outside the centre all year round and in all weathers. Even the new witch at Wookey Hole is only there during the summer months and on certain public holidays.” As well as posing for visitors from around the globe, Martin has also appeared many times on television including the BBC’s One Show and American television network NBC. He also played a major part in the recent documentary Crazy About Jane about the Jane Austen Festival which takes place each September in Bath. Lucy Weaver, PR & Communications Executive at Bath Tourism Plus says: "It would not be surprising if Martin was the most photographed person throughout the region. He is a very popular character in Bath and tourists love to stop and take photos. The Jane Austen Centre is such an important attraction for the city of Bath drawing visitors from around the globe, and Martin really helps to bring things to life" Don Foster, MP for Bath, says: “Martin Salter plays an important role supporting tourism in Bath. The sheer volume of photographs taken of him highlights not only the importance of the Jane Austen Centre and the work undertaken there to preserve her legacy, but also the huge significance of Austen’s work, which is loved by many millions of people across the World. I would be amazed if anyone else in the region is photographed more than Martin and he richly deserves proper recognition for all he does in the city.”
Firth beats Olivier at Regency World Awards
Colin Firth’s portrayal of Mr Darcy, the smouldering hero from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, has been voted the best ever by Austen fans, beating such luminaries as Laurence Olivier and Peter Cushing. Firth’s interpretation of Austen’s most famous male character, which took place in the BBC’s 1995 miniseries, received more than half of the entire votes in the second annual Regency World Awards organised by the Jane Austen Centre in Bath. And although often regarded as the greatest actor of the twentieth century, Olivier’s portrayal of Darcy in Hollywood’s 1940 film version could only manage fifth place, after Matthew McFadyen’s later depiction starring opposite Keira Knightley. Peter Cushing came seventh. The BBC version, in which a shirt-soaked Firth emerges from a lake, is often regarded as one of the greatest television programmes of all-time and is credited as having been the trigger for the billion pound Austen industry that has flourished in recent years. The six-part miniseries was adapted for the screen by acclaimed scriptwriter Andrew Davies and his association with Jane Austen continued at the Regency Awards through another of his adaptations. His 2008 version of Sense and Sensibility won the best adaptation category, while two of its cast members won the best actor and best actress categories; David Morrisey for his portrayal of Colonel Brandon and Hattie Morahan as heroine Elinor Dashwood. On Sense and Sensibility’s trio of awards Andrew Davies said: “What delightful news! We’d been feeling a bit under-appreciated having been ignored by the Baftas.” The remaining categories of best supporting actor, best new fiction and best non-fiction, went to Hugh Bonneville, Emma Campbell-Webster and Lori Smith respectively. All winners were announced at a prestigious black tie event at Bath’s Hilton Hotel. The Jane Austen Regency World awards celebrate and reward the work of actors, authors and others associated with the writer and are voted for on-line by fans from around the globe. Jane Austen Centre director David Baldock says: “What is good about these awards are that they reflect the choices of fans worldwide and therefore are becoming seen as the most prestigious awards associated with Jane Austen.”
Who's Your Favourite Darcy?
Vote online for your favourite Darcy of all time in the Jane Austen Centre 'Regency World' Awards. Will it be Matthew MacFaddyen or possibly Laurence Olivier? There are other categories which recognise the contribution of actors and writers to forwarding Jane Austen today. Go ahead and vote here
New Exhibition at the Jane Austen Centre
Romance and Reality BAFTA and Emmy award winning designer Andrea Galer is exhibiting the key costumes from the BBC drama Miss Austen Regrets, at the Jane Austen Centre from March 21st 2008. This startling new exhibition will be of interest to all film fans and lovers of bespoke period costume and occupies a large part of the ground floor of the Georgian building. The exhibition is already generating much interest and the comments book is full of praise for the wonderful costumes and the way the exhibition has been transformed. All of the costumes are trimmed with hand-made lace from The Power of Hands foundation. More
Rejecting Jane Austen
How would Jane Austen fare today? If Jane Austen was alive today she would be a penniless, unpublished author scribbling away in a world oblivious to such classics as Persuasion, Emma and Pride & Prejudice; with all literary ambitions having been dashed by uninterested publishers and short-sighted agents. At least, this is the assertion put forward by an article in the latest issue of Jane Austen’s Regency World, which is published today. The article, entitled ‘Rejecting Jane’, is based entirely upon letters received from several of the UK’s major publishing houses and literary agencies, who were all responding to sample chapters of Austen’s novels the magazine sent out surreptitiously earlier this year. The chapters, taken from Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and Pride & Prejudice, the latter having recently been voted the number one book the British nation could not live without, were accompanied by a brief synopsis and biographical letter signed by A. Laydee; a play on the original pseudonym Jane Austen used for her earlier works. Only the names of the main characters and title of each book were changed. The article's author David Lassman said, ‘I thought something like this might happen, but I was totally staggered by the response. Here is one of the greatest writers that has lived, with her oeuvre securely fixed in the English Canon and yet out of all the chapters sent, only one recipient recognised them as being Austen’s work and the classic literature they truly are; at best their letters were mildly apologetic about declining the material and at worse completely indifferent to rejecting out of hand what they had in their possession.’
Major new exhibition for the Jane Austen Centre in Bath
'Costumes from ITV's Persuasion' Starting at the end of March a large part of the Jane Austen Centre in Bath will be taken over and re-themed for a major new exhibition. Entitled 'Costumes from ITV's Persuasion' the exhibition will feature the work of BAFTA award winner Andrea Galer. Andrea made the costumes for ITV's new adaptation of Persuasion which will be aired in the UK on April 1st. 'We are not just putting in some costumes,' said Centre Director David Baldock, 'we will be completely changing the look and feel of Centre with professional set-dressing, mood music, holograms and a new film. We are all very excited.' This exhibition marks the first stage in the collaboration between the Jane Austen Centre and Andrea Galer. Future events and developments at the Centre will connect film, costume, fashion, education and crafts. 'Andrea Galer is at the top of her profession in film and costume design. She will be using all her experience and skills to make this exhibition and future developments at The Centre absolutely stunning,' says David Baldock Press launch Thursday 29th March 1pm-3pm
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