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Jane Austen fans enjoy afternoon tea in regency attire

BBC Three women and a man sitting at a table inside Parade House. The table is laid out with afternoon tea, using delicate flowery teacups and champagne glasses. The women are wearing dresses with puffy sleeves and hats, with their hair curled and slightly pulled out at the front. The man is wearing a red army parade tunic with gold detailing.BBC
Afternoon tea was enjoyed at Parade House in Trowbridge

Fans of one of England's most celebrated novelists have taken to the streets dressed in regency attire, to pay homage to their literary hero.

The annual Jane Austen Festival in Bath runs until 22 September. Around 3,500 people are expected to attend over the 10-day event.

More than 100 people, dressed in period clothing, lined the platform at Bath Spa station to board a train to Trowbridge.

There, they enjoyed a guided tour of Wiltshire's Georgian buildings in the Heritage Quarter, before sitting down for afternoon tea at the historic Parade House.

A group of eight people wearing regency clothing. The women are wearing long modest dresses with short lace gloves, and one is holding a yellow frilled parasol above her head. There is also a man linking arms with one of the women on the left, wearing a red army parade tunic with gold detailing. They are all standing on the train platform at Bath Spa station on a sunny day.
Pastel parasols were an essential on a sunny September day

Jane Austen's novels, set amid the English middle and upper classes, are famous for their social observation and witty insights into the lives of early 19th century women.

Her plots often explore women's dependence on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security.

Her most notable works include Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), Persuasion and Northanger Abbey (both 1817).

Around 12 women standing on the train platform at Bath Spa station. They are wearing long modest dresses and hats with under the chin ribbons. One is holding a wooden parasol with red fabric, and another is holding a wicker basket.
Festival attendees lined the platform at Bath Spa Station

The first Jane Austen Festival in 2001 took place over one weekend at The Jane Austen Centre in Bath, and has since grown into a 10-day programme.

The festival is usually based in Bath but last year the organisers wanted to expand the popular event to the wider region.

Around 20 people standing and sitting around a table in a ballroom in Parade House. The table is set with candlesticks, champagne glasses, and delicate china teacups. There is a large gold mirror on the wall and a glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Everyone is dressed in period clothing in light pastel colours.
Guests enjoyed regency parlour games following their afternoon tea

Guests enjoyed an afternoon tea with champagne at the Grade I Listed Parade House, before playing regency parlour games in the first floor ballroom.

Parade House was built for a wealthy clothier in 1720 and has been restored to its former glory by its current owners, boasting its original features, a selection of antiques, and a grand sweeping staircase.

It is thought that the novelist herself would stop off at the venue on her journeys from Hampshire to Bath.

Around 50 people wearing Regency clothing standing outside Parade House in Trowbridge. It is a large historic stone building with 13 sash windows. It is a sunny day and everyone is lined up outside the entrance, ready for a photo.
Guests were welcomed to Parade House by Trowbridge town crier, Trevor Heeks

The event holds the Guinness World Record for the "largest gathering of people dressed in regency costumes".

Full of bonnets, soldiers, and drummers, the backdrop of Georgian Bath transports visitors back to the time of Jane Austen.

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