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In Newport: “Downton Abbey” comes to the Goodrich library

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Helene Lang of Shelburne, appearing in the persona of children’s author Beatrix Potter, was the guest speaker at the tea. Her performance, called “Beatrix Potter Revisited,” is sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The famous children’s author lived at the same time as the characters of “Downton Abbey.”  Photo by Elizabeth Trail
Helene Lang of Shelburne, appearing in the persona of children’s author Beatrix Potter, was the guest speaker at the tea. Her performance, called “Beatrix Potter Revisited,” is sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The famous children’s author lived at the same time as the characters of “Downton Abbey.” Photo by Elizabeth Trail

copyright the Chronicle May 13, 2015

by Elizabeth Trail

NEWPORT — It could have been a scene from England between the wars.  In the kitchen, maids in lacy white pinafores laid out trays of iced cookies, thinly sliced cake, and cucumber sandwiches on triangles of thin bread — crusts cut off, of course.  Out in the grand dining room, about 45 guests in their finest hats and gloves admired elegant table settings and chatted with friends while they waited for their tea to be served.

The event was the Goodrich Memorial Library’s “Downton Abbey” Tea, held on Saturday afternoon in the elegant upstairs rooms of Newport’s historic library.  With its grand staircase, high ceilings, and carved paneling, the 1899 library building was the perfect setting for a step back in time.  The library has held fancy teas for a number of years — first a mother’s tea, then a senior’s tea, and for the past two years, the “Downton Abbey” tea….To read the rest of this article, and all the Chronicle‘s stories, subscribe:

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