ENGLISH REGENCY SOCIETY IN DAYS OF YORE: FADED MANSIONS AND GRAND PALACES

 

 

 

An urban explorer has spent two years travelling hundreds of miles to document decaying and abandoned buildings, including French mansions and grand palaces in Germany. Ernest Sébastien, 32, photographed the formerly opulent places, which have been left abandoned for decades, having succumbed to the ravages of time. He has spent the past two years visiting more than 300 buildings across Europe, sneaking in to snap pictures of the crumbling ruins before they are reclaimed by nature or vandalised beyond recognition. Sébastien has explored forsaken buildings in France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Holland, Luxembourg and Austria  in search of derelict former factories, crumbling castles, and decaying mansions - and been arrested three times. Highlights of his travels include a rusting high-security prison in northern France, a neglected university chemistry laboratory in Belgium and a dusty royal palace in Belgium complete with tapestries and antique furniture. The keen urban explorer went inside his first abandoned building two years ago, and has explored an estimated 150 buildings a year. +12 Vaulting ambition: An abandoned former palace turned luxury hotel in central Italy, now abandoned. Ernest Sébastien of Belgium says he is trying to preserve such places before they are completely forgotten   Regency costumed guests arrived in their dozens for dinner and dancing at the Pride and Prejudice Ball at Chatsworth House yesterday. Jane Austen, who stayed there while penning her famous novel of the same name, is believed to have based her depiction of the fictional Pemberley, Fitzwilliam Darcy's residence, on the stately home. Guests turned out in stunning regency attire including full length gowns with classic square necklines and short puff sleeves, made from soft muslin fabrics. +12 Costumed guests pictured left to right - Simon Bourne, Rebecca Markillie, Chrissie Sheerstone, and Bruce Goodwin Most dresses were fitted tightly under the bust in a period-perfect empire style and paired with long gloves, which ladies always wore when outside the house. Gentlemen, meanwhile, dressed up as dandies in so-called 'Wellington boots' - knee-high footwear at the height of regency fashion - perfectly tied silk cravats, waistcoats and dinner jackets. The ball in Derbyshire staged an evening to remember, celebrating the 201 years since the publication of Pride and Prejudice. Dubbed the Pride and Prejudice Regency Ball, the soiree began at 7.30pm and ended at approximately 11pm, with tickets costing £85 per person. The evening began with champagne and canapés in the Painted Hall with live entertainment from Lady Georgianna, an 18th century girl band. Guests were then invited to tour the North Wing of the house before making their way to the Carriage House restaurant to enjoy a sumptuous, themed five-course dinner. Lady Georgianna joined guests at dinner with Regency style poems and songs.     Women wore frocks with square necklines, puff sleeves and empire waistlines (l) while some went all out in long gloves - which were always worn outside the house +12 Young Austen fan Juliette Boland from Los Angeles, America, wore era-appropriate attire With capacity for 100 or more, the vast majority of Austen fans turned out in full costume - a key point of the ball, though the fancy dress wasn't compulsory. Jane Austen visited Chatsworth House in 1811 while staying at the Rutland Arms in Bakewell while writing Pride and Prejudice. The stately home is believed to be her inspiration for Pemberley, the residence of the novel's romantic hero Mr Darcy. Austen wrote in the novel: 'The eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of the valley into which the road into some abruptness wound. 'It was a large, handsome, stone building standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal, nor falsely adorned.' In the book, lead character Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr Darcy for the first time at a similar event to the Pride and Prejudice soiree - but takes an immediate dislike to him. +12 Ladies in full-length gowns and gents in dinner jackets walk up Lodge Hill to the Stable Courtyard for dinner   Gillian and Ray Ingles from Bramcote, Nottinghamshire, dress up for the part (l) and Vicky and Andy Robinson from Manchester wear matching burgundy outfits (r) The stately home has been the seat of the Dukes of Devonshire since 1549 and is mentioned in Pride and Prejudice as one of the stately homes that Elizabeth Bennet visits before arriving at Pemberley. Chatsworth also featured in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie starring Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfayden. Visitors are encouraged to ponder the grand staircase and ceiling of the Painted Hall - where Lizzie and the Gardiners start their tour of Pemberley. The Sculpture Gallery - which features the beautiful veiled Vestal Virgin sculpture - was used in the scene where Lizzie Bennet sees the bust of Mr Darcy, and his housekeeper describes his many good qualities. +12 The ball in Derbyshire staged an evening to remember, celebrating the 201 years since the publication of Pride and Prejudice The scene was originally set to be in a gallery of paintings, but was changed to make use of Chatsworth's collection. Chatsworth has been used as a setting for other Pride and Prejudice themed outings, from fans coming to see the locations and enjoy 'Pemberley', to themed photography, such as their Pride and Prejudice themed photo shoot. Known as one of England’s greatest country estates, Chatsworth provided the perfect setting to launch the Peak District estate's Georgian Summer of events (27 July - 29 August 2013) celebrating the bicentennial anniversary of Austen's novel.   Gentlemen dressed up as dandies in so-called 'Wellington boots' - knee-high footwear at the height of regency fashion - and perfectly-tied silk cravats +12 Guests had a regency themed five course dinner at the Pride and Prejudice Regency Ball, 7.30-11pm +12 The vast majority of Austen fans turned out in full costume - a key point of the ball, though the fancy dress wasn't compulsory   +12 Faded glory: A manor house in Belgium with peeling paint on the ceiling is otherwise luxurious. The keen urban explorer went inside his first abandoned building two years ago +12 That's some ceiling! The abandoned hotel in Belgium has a rather impressive main hall with this view as you look upwards. The carpet not so much +12 Not so grand piano: The music room in a decaying castle in Belgium still has an air of faded glamour. The urban explorer has trekked across seven different countries so far +12 This still-furnished castle in Belgium is just one of more than 300 abandoned buildings photgraphed in the series. 'I am often amazed at what I find,' Sébastien says   +12 Musique à vos oreilles? A dilapidated piano is tucked under the grand staircase of this manor house in central France. 'Sometimes these beautiful buildings quickly become looted and vandalised,' says Sébastien sadly +12 Cooling off period: This central energy cooling tower in Belgium is another place Sébastien has visited in the last two years, running the risk of arrest each time +12 It's got chemistry: In this university chemistry lab in Belgium, the writing is still on the blackboard +12 Underneath the arches: A forgotten church in Belgium is a perfect spot for the urban explorer to set up his camera. 'Then comes the pleasure of capturing the moment, usually quietly and quickly, and I can leave the place happy,' he says +12 Abandoned building selfie: Ernest Sébastien has spent the last two years travelling around Europe photographing more than 300 abandoned buildings +12 It's oh so quiet: This high-security prison in Northern France has a dangerous geometric beauty to it in the context of its abandonment +12 Not sure about the wallpaper: A once luxurious hotel in Austria succumbs to the ravages of time. Sébastien wants to photograph every abandoned building on the continent before the forgotten ruins disappear forever