The Dining Room at Saltram, Devon. The room was designed by Robert Adam in 1768-70

Explore the extravagant world of Georgian dining, where feasting was a display of wealth, status, and indulgence. Dining rooms in grand estates like Holkham Hall, Hardwick Hall, and Blenheim Palace became social stages, where guests were expected to eat and drink to the point of excess. Dr. Amy Boyington will take us through the wild and sometimes bizarre dishes of the time. She’ll also touch on the strange “miracle cures” for overindulgence—such as medicinal brandies and hangover remedies—reflecting the era’s complicated relationship with food and health. This talk will reveal how these meals were not just about food, but about spectacle and rivalry—blurring the lines between indulgence, decadence, and scandal.

Dr. Amy Boyington, is a social and architectural historian who has a PhD in architectural history from the University of Cambridge. Dr. Boyington has worked at Holkham Hall, Goodwood House and Woburn Abbey. She worked as a research consultant for the National Trust at Stowe Landscape Gardens, and for Historic Royal Palaces at Kensington Palace. Her debut book is Hidden Patrons: Women and Architectural Patronage in Georgian Britain (Bloomsbury, 2023). Her most recent book is The Country House Dining Room: A History of Georgian Feasting (Yale University Press).

The rental period has closed for this program.