ALTON’S Jane Austen period week will burst into life on Saturday with the annual Regency Day on the High Street.

It run from 10am-3pm.

Folks in Regency dress will mingle with soldier re-enactors and visitors, who will have the opportunity to take a horse and carriage ride, enjoy Morris dancing, and shop at three markets, including the Hampshire farmers’ market and the Alton Lions craft market.

A petting zoo will also feature at the event which will coincide with the Alton Lions-run Party in the Park in the Public Gardens and a Teddy Bear Festival in the Assembly Rooms.

From 3.30pm-5pm there will be dancing lessons at the community centre with Hampshire Regency Dancers, providing an opportunity to learn some of the dances that will be performed later at the Regency Ball.

These are just three of the 30 events planned throughout the week, and which include a selection of walks, talks and musical entertainment.

On Sunday, historian Jane Hurst will lead a walk through Chawton to see Jane Austen’s House Museum and Chawton House, there will be a garden tour and cream tea following a tour of the Chawton House gardens, a talk by Caroline Knight on ‘Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage’ at Alton Community Centre, an antique and craft fair in Chawton village hall, and a choral evensong at St Lawrence Church, Alton, with an opportunity to dress in Regency costume.

The nine-day tribute will draw to a close on Sunday, June 24, with the town’s annual Victorian cricket match on The Butts when, following the first ball at 10am, teams dressed in period costume will battle it out for a prize of 500 guineas (£525) while raising money for charity.

In the evening, there will be a Regency musical soiree at the Alton House Hotel, followed by a Regency supper.

Organised by Alton Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and run by volunteers, and sponsored by Alton Town Council, East Hampshire District Council, Robert Simmons solicitors and Hugo Fox website providers, Alton’s Jane Austen Regency Week celebrates both the district’s internationally-acclaimed writer and an interesting period of history, encouraging people to explore their cultural heritage.

Programmes for the event are available from various outlets in the town, including the Alton Herald office, Alton library, and Alton Community Centre, which is also the box office for tickets. Alternatively, call 01420 85057 or e-mail [email protected].