Connaught Village, the beautiful Georgian village at the heart of the Hyde Park Estate, is celebrating a notable 150-anniversary milestone with a series of events throughout summer.
Launching Thursday 5th July, 3-7pm, with an immersive walk through time, expect a journey through the ages with food and drink, live music and street entertainment spanning the last 150 years to the current day. This fun, free event is the perfect way to celebrate such an important anniversary with The Church Commissioners.
The starring attraction will be two performances by the family favourite, Horrible Histories, brought straight from the West End. Performing exciting live scenes from the Birmingham Stage Company’s ‘Barmy Britain’ and featuring your favourite characters, audiences can expect an educational laugh.
Globally recognised experiential brand and jellymongers, Bompas and Parr, are bringing their exciting food art to the village. Be prepared to see and taste some spectacular jelly in an array of flavours ranging from traditional to the obscure. Re-enactment specialists from Past Pleasures will be bringing some of the quirkier parts of the history of the estate alive with interactive presentations in costume with dance and music, architectural talks, a phrenologist and fashion shows. The actors will be there to guide you around the village where free entertainment such as prosthetic makeup from London College of Fashion, flower crowns, a tie-dye workshop, 1920s Charleston dance classes and Victorian street games can be enjoyed. You will also be able to see ‘then and now’ fashion such as day dresses in the height of fashion, made of purple and white patterned silk using the recent invention of aniline dyes, especially magenta, known as the ‘queen of colours’.
The retailers in the village will be offering In-store promotions and exclusive offers, free workshops, masterclasses, and interactive activities for all ages such as an embroidery workshop at The Place London, wine tasting at Connaught Cellars and a vertical cheese tasting (different age profiles of cheese to highlight the journey through time) at Buchanans Cheesemonger. Fé Hair and Beauty will also be offering makeup and hair braiding through the eras for those who want to be transported back in time. There will even be the chance to have your dog photographed in front of a choice of three historical backdrops at the Hyde Park Veterinary Centre.