I am somewhat amused that it takes a Bristolian to show us how we are underappreciating one of our own!
A Bath-born woman who could be said to have been the Taylor Swift of her age.
While we are rightly happy to celebrate Jane Austen and Mary Shelley – to name but two famous writers who stayed in our city – are we doing enough to promote a local Georgian songstress who, in the 18th century, was wildly famous both for her voice, her charisma and her beauty
Painted in oils by both Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds, it seems we only remember Elizabeth Linley for her elopement from the family home in Bath’s Royal Crescent, with the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan.
Last October saw the publication of a book that does much to ‘add flesh to the bones’ and fill out the life of this amazing woman.
Called ‘The Nightingale of Bath’, it has been written by Bristol-based Thomas Messel, a man better known as an internationally recognised bespoke furniture designer.
Thomas is giving a talk about Ms Linley and his book – which is available on Amazon – at No 1 Royal Crescent in Bath at 6 pm on Thursday, May 14th.
For tickets, visit: https://tinyurl.com/3bz6ucpb
A while ago, Thomas came to Bath to meet me and talk about the book – outside Elizabeth’s former Royal Crescent home. A time when the house was covered in scaffolding.
