Regency Sunday

Overview

If the image of a sopping wet Mr Darcy striding through the flowers at Pemberley has never quite left your mind, add Regency Sunday to your calendar posthaste. The Historic Houses Trust is opening the doors of Elizabeth Farm for a day of partying like it's 1815 — complete with climactic pistol duel.

Attending in costume is encouraged, and the fun on offer promises to be interactive and immersive enough to make you believe you really have time-travelled: throughout the house and grounds there will be lawn games, period music, dancing and food tastings.

If playing make-believe is not your jam, there's also opportunity to learn about the daily life of Regency-era Sydneysiders through hands-on craft workshops, talks and performances. The 73rd Regiment of the Foot will present the dramatic climax, a re-enactment of the notorious real-life duel between John Macarthur (the "father of the wool industry", for whom the house was built in 1793) and his own commanding officer William Paterson.

Regency Sunday is the first of a series of 'Vintage Sundays' at Sydney's heritage properties. Stay tuned throughout 2013 for events that will celebrate the daily life of the Gothic, Victorian and later periods.