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Past Pleasures - bringing history to life

 
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Events. Being the oldest and most experienced costumed historical iterpretation company in the UK, we provice a one stop shop for the heritage sector.
Costumes. Past Pleasures is one of the UK's leading historical costumiers. Our costume department researches, designs and creates historical outfits in their entirety, from undergarments to accessories.
Education & Outreach. Teaching and learning are the heart of everything we do.
Training & Consultancy. Our interpreters are second to none and are hand picked by the companys directors after which they undergo rigorous training in the many techniques of interpretation.

Past Pleasures Ltd is the UK's oldest professional costumed historical interpretation company, providing an unrivalled 'one-stop-shop' for the heritage sector.

 

Founded in 1987, we hold Europe's largest contract for daily live interpretation (for Historic Royal Palaces).

 

 
we interpret

Interpreting history is the core of what we do - devising and producing bespoke historical events, large and small, covering 2,000 years of history in the form of site-specific scenarios and dramatic re-enactments, for corporate clients and sites wishing to expand their repertoire.

 
we educate

Our award-winning education department works with schools, heritage sites and museums to deliver historical education sessions taught by costumed interpreters in first or third person.

 
we consult

Past Pleasures are consultants in our field for national and international sites and institutions, as well as for TV, stage and screen, providing historical entertainers, actors, musicians, falconers, jousters and speakers.

 
we design

Past Pleasures researches, designs and creates museum-quality period clothing and accessories, from any period and for any character.

 
we train

We both recruit and train interpreters for clients, using our experience in the field of interpretation to tailor a working development programme to suit any site.

 
 

Our historical performers work every day at HM Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace, and are also to be found regularly at such sites as Dover Castle and Audley End House (both English Heritage venues).

 
 
 
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Upcoming Events
Hampton Court Palace - Access all Areas!
Hampton Court Palace
02/11/2015 - 23/12/2015
A Victorian Christmas at Audley End House
Audley End House and Gardens
05/12/2015 - 06/12/2015
 
What people say...

"Past Pleasures were really helpful. They were great at drawing our group together and accommodating lots of different levels of knowledge. Specialising in costume and protocol, they really brought the historical material alive."

 

Jeremy Herrin
(Director, 'Wolf Hall' and 'Bring Up The Bodies')
Royal Shakespeare Company

 

"English Heritage has worked with Past Pleasures for almost 20 years and over that time they have provided us with an outstanding quality of work..."

 

Lucy Hutchings
Events Manager
English Heritage

 
 
Want to join the
Past Pleasures' team?

There are currently
no vacancies at Past Pleasures.
We will post any vacancies here - so keep checking back!

 
 
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past pleasures heading - who are wej

Past Pleasures' interpreters come from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds and include teachers, academics, historians, writers, actors and historical performance specialists - with one thing in common: a passion for sharing history with others.

Many specialise in a particular subject area (eg; architecture, military history, material culture, religion, garden design, art history, science) or in a particular practical discipline (such as foodways or the history of dance), while the expertise of others lies in a particular historical period - and our collected interest spans every era from Ancient Britain to the Modern Age: 'From Plato to Nato' or 'From Stonehenge to Safeway'!

All our interpreters possess research skills as well as a wide range of performance abilities - which include storytelling, voice projection, singing, dancing and stage combat - and all have the confidence to stand before strangers and present themselves and their information in period dress. But one of the principal reasons for their success in capturing - and holding - visitors is charm...

 
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past pleasures - how do we do things differently heading

Past Pleasures is unique in that we do not use scripts. Founder and Managing Director Mark Wallis firmly believes that historic sites, museums and galleries are not stages and that visitors are not a passive theatre audience.

"Live Interpretation is like theatre but is not theatre, at least, not conventional theatre."

One advantage of not using scripts is that it frees the interpreter to respond to the visitors' interests - while still adhering to the aims and structure of the event. We use improvisation and dramatic techniques to immerse visitors in our world, should they choose to be immersed.

Because rigorous research (often undertaken in conjunction with the site's education officer) is at the root of our characterisations, clients can relax in the knowledge that their learning outcomes and objectives will be met. Education underpins all our work but is worn lightly.

 
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Contact Us:
Main Tel/Fax: 01428 685755
Costume Dept: 01428 685069
Address: Past Pleasures Ltd, Unit 2,
Capital Park, Combe Lane, Wormley,
Godalming, Surrey GU8 5TJ

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