3 Top English Places To Include In Historical Romance Novels

There is a certain whimsy surrounding writing best-selling historical romance novels. Whether it is the handsome men that litter the pages or the relateable strong female leads we all secretly aspire to be. Weaving in some authentic historical components makes these books even more enjoyable. 

Suppose you are looking to traditionally publish your historical romance or regency-related novel. In that case, you must have authentic historical elements within the text. 

But, if you are self-publishing on Amazon, you can take some creative liberties. As a passionate regency lover, you will enjoy learning about these popular destinations regardless of your publishing pursuits. 

1. Theatre Royal In London For Historical Romance Novels

Does it get any more regal sounding than this posh destination? The Birmingham Royall was also called the Birmingham Theatre. It was built in London in 1774. Unfortunately, you cannot visit it today because it was demolished in 1956 due to fire damage it received over a century ago. Many regency authors simply call this destination the Theatre Royal; however, another English location had this name. You could weave this fire or events at the theater into your novel. The Birmingham Royall caught fire in two different years: 1792 and 1820. 

The theater had a vast Shakespearean stage and typically only showed plays in summer. If you want to read a fantastic fictional take centering around the Theater Royall with a rags-to-riches plotline, then check out the historical romance novel Governess of Prodigious Skills by Emily EK Murdock. It is number four in The Governess’s Bureau series. 

2. Assembly Rooms

If you have read many lower class or gentry Regency-era novels, you will have noted the use of assembly rooms instead of ballrooms as the hot marriage mart destination. The assembly rooms are also popular in books set around Bath, England, since they had great assembly rooms too. 

Regardless of where you have come across the term “assembly room,” each tale has probably been quite memorable. The assembly room was a daytime excursion, though they had evening dances. The events were much less “stuffy” than a high-class ball. 

One of the iconic historical assembly rooms of Regency-era England was the Manchester Assembly. They are located in central Manchester on Mosely Street. The structure was built in 1792. For geographical reference, Manchester is located on the northern side of the UK. It is 208 miles from London but not too far from Gretta Green. Manchester is only 128 miles from that iconic elopement town. If you are writing an elopement book, you could include a stop in Manchester and make a small excursion to the assembly rooms part of it. 

The Manchester Assembly rooms had a lot to do, and they cost a small fee to get into:

• Grand entrance for greeting people
• Ground floor offices and waiting rooms perfect for a romance novel tete-a-tete setting
• Ballroom with 12 chandeliers 
• Beautiful seating area with orange-colored sofas
• Huge tea room with a portrait of Lord Strange above the fireplace
• Cardroom covered with Chinese paper that had bird paintings on it

If all of that does not set an extravagant historical romance scene, you should probably choose a new profession. 

One extraordinary fictional rendition that includes a spin on the classic assembly rooms is the gentry-inspired book An Agreeable Alliance by Kasey Stockton. It is the fourth book in the Sons of Somerset series.

3. Edinburgh New Assembly Rooms

The popular highland romance version of the classic assembly room outing was the rooms at Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the “little London” of the highlands, so to speak, where every Laid stops when he is taking his English bride home to the keep in romance novels. For your next romance that involves a sexy Scottish brogue, be sure to liven up the journey in Edinburgh. The assembly rooms include:

• A modest ballroom with an organ and orchestra
• Tea-room
• Card assembly
• Grand saloon

Edinburg is the life of the party in the winter months. Each week, two assemblies were held at the assembly rooms in the regency era. One was for dancing, and the other was primarily for cards. 

Lyon In The Rough by Meara Platt is a fantastic fictional take on the festive, rowdy assembly and other such life in Edinburg. Plus, being a part of the Lyons Den series, it is also just a great book. 

Put It In A Historical Romance Novel

Writing and self-publishing a book in a genre you love doesn’t have to be tricky. In fact, you can grab a copy of the Grammarly editing software to help you line edit your work. The free version checks for spelling and punctuation mistakes, but you get more options with the paid version. For example, you can see how others might perceive the tone of your book. You can also set up professionalism settings that give you word recommendations. I am American, and most of my website traffic comes from America too. If you want that British English dialect in your books, Grammarly has a setting for that! It is perfect for regency romance writers. 

Grab a copy of Grammarly today to give your writing a more professional polish. Or check out the Regency romance writer’s ultimate guide to using Grammarly if you are on the fence about the program. You will be able to get an in-depth look at all of its helpful features. 

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