Were people 300 years ago like us in many ways? Look at this picture of a Coffee House, new and very popular in Queen Anne’s reign. Discussion ranged from trivial gossip to arguing for or against having the Tories or the Whigs being the Queen’s ministers. This drew many men, and only men, to spend hours talking in coffee houses.
Hogarth’s depiction of Southwark Fair shows people in costume of the time, but think of people today at fairs and entertainment centres. Looking for a laugh, a bargain, and some for a pocket to pick. Another insight into eighteenth century experiences which we may see some familiarities.
David Fairer’s specialism is eighteenth century writing: newspapers, books, poetry, and wealth of private journals. Drawing on these insights into private as well as public material, now retired from University work, he writes historical mysteries. He will explain how insights into social life revealed in writing for publication, and personal stories can make historical fiction more revealing of everday life than a more convential history book, Using his trilogy of the Coffee House Murder Mysteries as examples he will challenge us on how much we feel 1708 Coffee House life ‘coming to life’