Bristol Hannover Council
Visit to Georgian Fashion Exhibition and Herschel Museum in Bath
On Sunday November 16th, members of BHC visited Bath in order to celebrate two links with Hannover: firstly the exhibition being shown at the Fashion museum, entitled Georgians: Dress for Polite Society. This was a delightful display of court and other dress through the 18th and 19th centuries, when the Georges I-IV were on the throne. There was an interesting addendum also, of clothes from our modern age, such as a dress by Vivienne Westwood, which owe their style to the Georgian period. The group then moved to the exquisite Herschel Museum of Astronomy at 19 New King Street, where one can learn of the work of William Herschel and his sister Caroline, who were both born in Hannover, but settled for some 20 years in Bath. William arrived there having been appointed organist at the Octagon Chapel, for it was as a musician that he was initially known. However, later his fascination with astronomy led him to construct a large and powerful telescope, with which he then discovered Uranus, and spent the rest of his life doing research into the stars and solar system. His sister Caroline, primarily a musician and concerned to ensure their financial survival thereby, became his assistant and a highly competent astronomer in her own right, making numerous discoveries of comets and making a catalogue of stars. They made a great contribution to the world of astronomy, but when William died, Caroline returned to Hannover, where she was honoured by a visit from the Prince and Princess of Hannover on her 97th and last birthday. Visitors can see the workshop with the instruments, the music room and the garden from which the brother and sister scanned the heavens.
Photo: Bristol Hannover Council members at the Georgian fashion exhibition
