Laura Rocklyn
@lauralostintime
I’m a writer, actress, and first person historical interpreter who loves to share stories — true and imagined! Currently a PhD researcher in English Literature with Creative Writing at the University of York Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies.
Always remember to look up… This is the extraordinary ceiling of the Chapter House @yorkminster.bsky.social #gothicarchitecture #yorkuk #sourcesofinspiration
A splendid day at the #YorkGeorgianFestival! It began with a promenade through the city of #York. Next came a performance by #GalliardDancers, followed by Drills & Displays by #Pultney’s13thRegimentofFoot. Then we repaired to the pub before getting ready for the Masquerade Ball!
I made it back to London just in time to catch the #Outlander exhibition at #Bonhams on its final day before the auction tomorrow! Discovering exquisite details in #costumes and #props that at first sight seemed so familiar from watching the show over and over (and over and over) again was magical.
@lindenplace.bsky.social is one of my favorite locations to perform. Today I had the treat of looking around the #HistoricHouseMuseum before my program. The graceful design of the house was done by architect #RussellWarren in 1810, and the layers of the house’s #history are fascinating to explore.
An exciting day at @mhs1791.bsky.social exploring the diaries of a young woman in Boston between 1811 and 1815. So much delicious gossip, so many delightful tidbits about sleigh rides and cotillions, and then suddenly the sobering line, “War declared.” #skystorians #womenshistory #research #writer
I spent a splendid afternoon exploring the reopened #18thcentury galleries in the #ArtoftheAmericas Wing at the @mfaboston.bsky.social. It was exiting to be immersed once again in the world I’ve been writing about from afar for so many months.
I had never visited #MartinHouseFarm before my #AbigailAdams performance there today and I was completely charmed! The house is a fascinating window into farm life in #NewEngland immediately following the #AmericanRevolution and it is in a beautiful, bucolic location. #americanhistory #timetravel
Sunset by the sea in Newport, Rhode Island. The first deep breath in months. #summervibes #oceanviews
My #AbigailAdams performances with the #ClassicTheatreofMaryland at #ReynoldsTavern July 17th, are my only shows of the summer in the DC area! There are 3 seatings for the play and a delicious tea at 11:00am, 1:30pm, & 4:00pm. Visit the CTM website to book: ci.ovationtix.com/36626/produc...
On the first day of the July tour of my #AbigailAdams play, I arrived early for my first performance in #WeymouthMA, so I stopped by the #AbigailAdamsBirthplace to spend a few minutes in the garden absorbing the atmosphere and preparing to share Abigail’s story over the next few weeks.
Many thanks to @cecs-york.bsky.social for an illuminating day at the symposium on Radical Print Culture in the Long Eighteenth Century. It was exciting to hear the insightful presentations and to get a peek at some of these treasures in the @uoyborthwick.bsky.social collection.
There was a moment today as I stood in the shadow of @yorkminster.bsky.social speaking the words of the @yorkmysteryplays.bsky.social when I was struck with the enormity of being part of a tradition that has been ongoing in this place for nearly 650 years. Here are some pics I caught around the city
It was unforgettable to attend the Alton #Regency Week Supper and then return to @chawtonhouse.bsky.social where we were staying in the North Wing Flat. I’ve performed as #JaneAusten opposite @sarahrosekearns.bsky.social’s Cassandra in two of Rose’s plays, so it was special to share this with her.
Tickets for new dates are now available for performances of my one-woman play #AbigailAdams: Love & Politics in the #AmericanRevolution: #TheArmoryOnTheAssabet, July 12 @lindenplace.bsky.social ,July 19 @goreplace.bsky.social, July 23 #HistoricBeverly, July 24 NEW #PaulRevereHouse, July 25
Today was all about #LouisaCatherineAdams! I found the site of the house on Cooper’s Row where her family lived, and returned to #AllHallowsByTheTower to see the marriage register signed by Louisa Catherine Johnson and #JohnQuincyAdams in their crypt museum.
Day 2 of the @wolfhall.bsky.social began with a #ThamesRiver Cruise that gave us stunning views from the water of historic sites including the #TowerofLondon, #TowerBridge, #GlobeTheatre, the #HousesofParliament, and the #LondonEye! It was lovely to see these familiar places from a new perspective.
A day steeped in #history, at @wolfhall.bsky.social at #AllHallowsBytheTower. Insightful talks topped off by a staged reading of #TheMirrorAndTheLight. As I prepare my new play about #LouisaCatherineAdams, it was also a powerful to be in the church where she and #JohnQuincyAdams married in 1797
An updated list of dates & venues for my #NewEngland #AbigailAdams performances in July: July 12, #ArmoryOnTheAssabet, Hudson , MA July 19 @lindenplace.bsky.social, Bristol, RI July 23 @goreplace.bsky.social, Waltham, MA July 24 #HistoricBeverly, Beverly, MA July 26 #MartinHouseFarm, Swansea, MA
It was an absolutely stunning day to take a walk in the footsteps of the #Brontës out to the #BrontëWaterfalls, which the sisters called “the meeting of the waters,” and #TopWithens, which has been thought to be a spot that inspired #WutheringHeights. #brontesisters #brontewaterfalls #brontecountry
A breathtaking day in #Whitby ascending the 199 steps to explore the Abbey ruins. Whether one visits in search of the historical abbess and theologian #St.Hilda, or of #BramStoker’s fictional creation #Dracula, there is inspiration to be found around every corner. #whitbyabbey #literarytravel
Atmospheric evening @yorkminster.bsky.social for The Ebor Singers’ Baroque Gala Concert. It’s evocative to be in that space at twilight before all the overhead lights are turned on… #englishcathedrals #gothicarchitecture #yorkminster #yorkuk #perpendiculargothic
There are few places I’ve visited that feel as enchanted as the #ruins of #TheOldBellChapel. Once you’ve stepped through the gate, time stands still. These remains are of the #Church of St. James, built in 1612. It’s likely that there was a place of worship on this site as early as the 13th century.
It was so special to arrive on a sunny spring evening at the #BronteBirthplace in Thornton and be welcomed to settle in for a cup of tea by the fireplace in front of which Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne #Brontë were born. If you have not yet visited the Birthplace, I can’t recommend it enough.
A free Friday night in #London means I can spend the evening with some of my favorite #historicalwomen in the arts at the @nationalgalleryuk.bsky.social. The work and stories of these women are a constant inspiration: #ArtemisiaGentileschi, #MaryBeale, #LadyMaryWortleyMontagu, #SarahSiddons
My new play “Louisa Catherine Adams in America,” a sequel to my #play “The Adventures of #LouisaCatherineAdams,” premiers for the #NationalFirstLadiesLibrary on 12 June. This photo by #LouisaScottPhotography is of me in a reproduction of Louisa Catherine dress in her portrait by #CharlesRobertLeslie
Afternoon light at #FairfaxHouse It’s lovey to be back in #York and back as a room host at Fairfax House, talking with visitors about the exquisite architectural details of this mid-eighteenth century townhouse, and the stories of the fascinating family who lived there. #historichousemuseum
A book, a cup of coffee, and a view of the ocean is a perfect way to start the day… #oceanviews #bookstagram #morningcoffee
What a delight to be able to explore the “New Fashions for the New Woman” exhibition at #UniversityofYork. The exhibition does a wonderful job of showing the politics woven into women’s rapidly changing #fashions in the #20thcentury. The exhibition only runs until April 20 so catch it while you can!
Back in my happy place at @mhs1791.bsky.social to see their brilliant new exhibition “1776: Declaring Independence.”