Zoom Rental | Christmas in Georgian London
2025-12-10 - 2025-12-31 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States
At the start of the Georgian period, Christmas was a refined and relatively modest affair, especially among the upper classes. Gone were the Tudor boisterous revels. Instead, the holiday was marked by elegant entertainments, subdued gatherings, and traditional fares such as rosemary garlands, Christmas porridge, and the ever-popular buttock of beef. However, by the late Georgian period, shifting changes in custom led to a wave of nostalgia for the festive customs of “Old England.” This change brought renewed enthusiasm for traditional celebrations tied to St. Nicholas Day and Twelfth Night festivities, and the development of new foods and culinary treats. Accompanying the ascension of the new monarch in 1714, King George I, came the now popular custom of serving plum pudding as part of Christmas dinner. Join Rob Smith for a lively virtual tour of Christmas in Georgian London, as he unwraps the layers of tradition, transformation, and theatricality that shaped the holiday season.
©National Trust Images/William Shaw
From candlelit masked balls and extravagant feasts, to bustling frost fairs on the Thames, and raucous pantomimes on Drury Lane. Along the way, Rob will share stories of seasonal indulgence and holiday tales, including a tale of a highwayman who funded his Christmas celebrations through robbery. Join us as we explore how Georgian London celebrated the season and historically peer through the city windows lit by candlelight and alive with holiday cheer.
Tickets: $30 members*; $40 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

LA | Fred Astaire in London
2025-12-15 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | The Ebell of Los Angeles, 743 S Lucerne Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90005
Fred Astaire, 1940s, Original publicity still from former Marilyn Blaisdell Collection
Though born in Omaha, Nebraska, and raised in New York City, dancer Fred Astaire spent a significant portion of his early career in the United Kingdom. From 1922 to 1932, he and his sister Adele captivated London audiences in three wildly popular West End musicals, sparking a sensation so intense that critics dubbed it “Astairia.” During his time in London, Astaire immersed himself in British culture; he studied music theory at London’s Guildhall School of Music alongside Noël Coward and socialized with the aristocracy. After a decade in London, Adele retired from the stage to marry Lord Charles Cavendish, the second son of the Duke of Devonshire, and moved to Lismore Castle in Ireland. The pair’s decade of dancing and performing in London had an equally profound effect on Fred. With his new dance partner, Claire Luce, he expanded his repertoire, incorporating sweeping, romantic movements as well as an English sense of style. His impeccable fashion sense, effortless charm, and refined elegance—so central to his legendary dance films of the 1930s through the 1950s—were deeply influenced by the customs and style he observed while mingling with British high society and even the royal family. Victoria Kastner will explore the profound impact of Astaire’s years in the UK, revealing how his time on the London stage helped shape the dancer, actor, and icon the world came to adore.
Victoria Kastner is the leading scholar and author about the architect Julia Morgan as well as about Hearst Castle, where she worked for 30 years and was the historian. She is the author of Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House, with a foreword by George Plimpton, published by Harry N. Abrams in 2000; Hearst’s San Simeon: The Gardens and the Land, May 2009; and Hearst Ranch: Family, Land and Legacy. She co-authored The Beverly Hills Hotel: The First 100 years with Robert Anderson. In 2022, Victoria published; Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect. Ms. Kastner has lectured extensively on Julia Morgan, Hearst’s art collection, and the history of collection for many museums and groups: including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the American Museum in Britain in Bath; and the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. She has also written about Hearst, San Simeon, and Morgan for The London Telegraph, the American Institute of Architects, Oxford University’s Journal of the History of Collections, and The Magazine Antiques.
Tickets can be purchased at the door. Online ticket sales have been closed.
Tickets: $35 members*; $45 non-members
Reception at 6pm; Lecture at 6:30pm
741 S Lucerne Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90005

*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account
