Synopses & Reviews
Every year come April, since the days of the Prince Regent in the early nineteenth century, young men and women have structured their summer diary around a series of showpiece social events all within reach of London that, if one really does have a profile to maintain, one just must be seen at, darling. The Boat Race and the Cheltenham Festival in March provide the unofficial overture, and then it is the Chelsea Flower Show followed by Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood, the Derby, Henley Regatta, opera at Glyndebourne and Cowes Week. Dedicated Season veterans might insist on adding the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition and the Lord’s Test. Here, Sophie Campbell sets out to tackle the Season – in its modern form, by squeezing her feet into unsuitable shoes and waving the credit card to magic up an unfeasible hat and go to every single event in the calendar – and in its history, by examining why it arose, how it has evolved, and where it is going (no Queen Charlotte’s Ball for debutantes at the end of the Season any more, far too many vulgar parvenus at Royal Ascot for many people’s liking, and do we count a cool but reassuringly expensive festival like Latitude as part of it nowadays?). The result is a delightful, spirited and often hilarious journey through an utterly English institution in the company of a witty, intelligent and thoroughly determined participant, which builds into an alternative anatomy of Englishness in all its endearing tradition and daftness.
Review
"Sophie Campbell is a joyful companion on this jaunt. An intelligent and affectionate portrait of the English at play." â?? The Field
Synopsis
A wonderful romp through the summer of some of England's most notorious socialites.
Synopsis
Sophie Campbell writes frequently for the Daily Telegraph. She lives in London.
Synopsis
When travel journalist Sophie Campbell squeezed into heels and a hat to investigate the English social season, she got more than she bargained for. Why, she wondered, were events such as the Chelsea Flower Show, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, The Derby at Epsom, Royal Ascot, the Henley Royal Regatta, Wimbledon Fortnight and Glorious Goodwood so formal, so fashionable and so famous? Her hectic and sometimes hilarious journey through the English summer proved as exotic as any tribal rite of passage as she swam the River Thames in the dark, partied with owners and trainers at Ascot, camped out for Wimbledon, joined Irish Travellers at The Derby, infiltrated the parents’ stand at the Eton v Harrow cricket match and got caught using a mobile in the Stewards’ Enclosure at Henley. En route she found a fascinating and surprisingly complex social structure dating back to the time of the Stuart monarchs and involving fashion, food, art and the marriage market. The English summer will never be the same again.
Synopsis
When travel journalist Sophie Campbell squeezed into heels and a hat to investigate the English social season, she got more than she bargained for. Why, she wondered, were events such as the Chelsea Flower Show, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, The Derby at Epsom, Royal Ascot, the Henley Royal Regatta, Wimbledon Fortnight and Glorious Goodwood so formal, so fashionable and so famous?
About the Author
Sophie Campbell writes regularly for the Daily Telegraph and is a qualified London Blue Badge Guide. She lives in London.