Children from around the area can now become kings and queens at the Jubilee exhibition in the Assembly Rooms in Bath.
Youngsters can have fun dressing up as monarchs from throughout the ages, including Richard the Lionheart and Queen Elizabeth I, with a range of hand-made replica royal costumes.
Enjoy a majestic parade through the Assembly Rooms adorned in a king’s cloak and crown or practise walking down the aisle in the Queen Mother’s wedding dress.
The miniature replica outfits have been hand-made by the Bath-based fashion professional Heather Gillard. Heather can usually be found behind the sewing machine creating outfits for adult special occasions such as bridal gowns.
Making the miniature replicas has allowed Heather to relive a past hobby when she was wardrobe mistress for a youth theatre company in Bath. She hopes the outfits will encourage children to share in the excitement of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s “Jubilee: Dressing the Monarchy on Stage and Screen” exhibition.
The young – and the young at heart – can also have their photographs taken looking through the seaside-style picture board painted with the outfits of King Henry VIII and one of his many wives.
Councillor Cherry Beath, (Lib-Dem, Combe Down), Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: “This is a great way to keep the children entertained over the summer holidays and to bring history to life. It is a really excellent exhibition in this Diamond Jubilee year and Bath & North East Somerset Council encourages people of all ages to take a look, as there’s something for everyone.”
The exhibition, which runs to 2nd September 2012, traces the progression of the British monarchy from when King Edgar was crowned in Bath Abbey in 973 to the present day and the Diamond Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
Over 50 costumes from theatre, TV and film productions are on display, illustrating how the styles of Royal dress have changed and led fashion, and often been integral to the interpretation of Royal characters.
Exhibits include archive costumes from the Royal Shakespeare Company worn by Dame Helen Mirren, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Richard Burton CBE and Sir Anthony Sher. There are costumes from the latest films on the monarchy, “The Queen”, “The King’s Speech” and “W.E.” as well as classic costumes worn by Sir Alec Guinness, Rufus Sewell, Timothy West CBE and Dame Maggie Smith in dramas of the last few decades.
The crowning glory of the exhibition is the great Tudor dynasty portrayed by actors like Keith Michell, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Dame Helen Mirren as Elizabeth I.
Entry to the exhibition is free when purchasing a ticket for the Fashion Museum. Discovery Card holders and National Trust members can get into the Fashion Museum for free.
