They Gave Us the Keys to the City!
Natchez, Mississippi was the trip of a lifetime
Dear wonderful readers,
I am writing this from the United States after one of the most extraordinary heritage trips Luke and I have ever taken. We were invited to speak at the inaugural Living History Natchez festival in Mississippi, and the entire experience reminded us just how powerful the love of historic houses can be.
It was a week full of restoration stories, passionate preservationists, historic homes, music, and Southern hospitality.
In this newsletter you will find:
• Our sunny stop in Fairhope, Alabama
• Arriving in Natchez and the historic house where we stayed
• A wonderful patron evening at Holly Hedges
• Our presentation on preserving Mapperton
• A standing ovation and the key to the city of Natchez
• Touring remarkable historic houses on the Natchez tour
• A magical recreation of the Jenny Lind concert of 1851
• A final visit to an inspiring restoration project
Let’s begin at the beginning…
Fairhope, Alabama: a perfect beginning
We flew from London to New Orleans and picked up a convertible Mustang, which felt like the only proper way to begin a road trip across the American South. (Luke always goes for a Mustang!)
Our first stop was Fairhope, Alabama. This was a place we had been wanting to visit ever since speaking in Alabama last year at the Wilcox Historical Society. Everyone we met there told us the same thing: y’ou must go to Fairhope!’
They were absolutely right.
Fairhope sits right on Mobile Bay and the moment we arrived we were greeted with sunshine, warm weather, and incredibly kind people. It was exactly the kind of place that invites you to slow down and enjoy being outside!
We walked along the waterfront, I did a 10K run to help fight the jet lag, and we enjoyed some wonderful farm-to-table meals. One highlight neither of us will forget was a strawberry shortcake baked Alaska that was flambéed right at the table. We had never seen anything like it!
Between runs, gym sessions, and a bit of writing time, it was the perfect way to ease into the trip before the real reason we had come to the United States.
Arriving in Natchez
From Fairhope we drove west to Natchez, Mississippi for Living History Natchez.
This was the inaugural year of the festival, organised by Laine and Kevin from the hit YouTube channel and Instagram account ‘@ourrestorationnation’ , and when they first contacted us several months ago we said YES immediately! Their passion for historic preservation aligns perfectly with what we believe in at Mapperton.
The founders of Living History Natchez kindly put us up in a beautiful historic house, Edelweiss, overlooking the Mississippi River. The house was built in the 1890s during the Gilded Age, which felt rather fitting considering how much of the architecture in Natchez dates to that same period.
Natchez is truly a town where history lives in the buildings. Walking through its streets you immediately feel that sense of continuity.
The Patron evening at Holly Hedges
The week began with a wonderful Patron party hosted by Tammy and Wes at their gorgeous historic house called Holly Hedges.
Nearly 50 patrons attended! And they were all passionate about historic houses and preservation. It was such a warm and welcoming evening. Guests arrived with glasses of fizz, and there was white wine, beer, soft drinks, and of course plenty of sweet tea.
The food was outstanding! Suzie and her team prepared a beautiful spread of canapés and Southern dishes, and the atmosphere felt relaxed and joyful.
This is the menu she put together:
Zesty, Lemon Marinated Gulf Shrimp
Mushroom Filo Tartlets
Suzie’s Classic Deviled Eggs: savory, creamy filling 1/2 of the topped with green olive and 1/2 with capers
Endive Cup with Bleu Cheese Mousse, Toasted Pecan, and 1/2 Grape
Crisp Genoa Salami Cup with Brie Cheese, Chives, and Suzie’s Flowering Fig Jam
It was the perfect beginning to the week and gave us the chance to meet so many people who care deeply about historic houses.
Our presentation: Preserving England’s Finest Manor House, Mapperton
The next evening, Luke and I gave our presentation at the Natchez Convention Center.
More than 200 people attended (it was sold out!), which was incredibly humbling!
Our talk was called “Preserving England’s Finest Manor House,” and we shared the story of Mapperton across the centuries. We talked about the 1st Earl of Sandwich, the 4th Earl, and (of course) Alberta Sturges, whose life connects American and British history in such a fascinating way.
We also spoke about how we began documenting our restoration work during Covid through our YouTube channel Mapperton Live! and how that storytelling has helped build a global community of people who care about heritage.
During the presentation we discussed several of the projects currently underway at the estate:
• The conservation of the 18th century peacock tapestries
• The restoration of Alberta’s House of Worth dress
• The preservation of the 18th century Japanese ‘Tale of Genji’ screens
• The Mapperton Wildlands nature recovery project
• The care of the family’s coronation robes
The talk lasted about an hour. When we finished the audience stood up for a standing ovation, which was incredibly moving!
And of course there was the unexpected honour. The Mayor of Natchez presented Luke and me with the key to the city!
It was a moment we will never forget.
Meeting heritage lovers from across America
After the talk we held a meet-and-greet session, which had completely sold out.
More than 100 people attended, and it was such fun getting to meet everyone. People had travelled from all over the United States to attend Living History Natchez!
We were told that visitors from 44 different states were represented during the week, which shows just how much enthusiasm there is for heritage and historic houses.
Touring Natchez’s historic houses
One of the central events of Living History Natchez is the tour of homes.
More than a dozen historic houses were open to the public across two weekends. We were not able to visit them all, but we managed to tour 5 during our time there.
Two particularly memorable houses were Wigwam and Propinquity. The restoration work happening inside these homes is extraordinary.
The homeowners are doing meticulous work to preserve the structure of the buildings and the stories that live inside them. You could see how much care and dedication goes into maintaining these historic properties!
Even the houses we did not manage to visit had long queues of people waiting outside to tour them.
The Jenny Lind concert
One of the most magical moments of the week was the recreation of a historic concert by Jenny Lind.
Jenny Lind was the famous Swedish opera singer often called the “Swedish Nightingale.” She performed in Natchez in March 1851 during her famous American tour.
This year marked the 175th anniversary of that visit, and the festival recreated the concert.
Earlier that day, we had visited Propinquity where the owners showed us something remarkable. They had preserved the original programme from the 1851 Jenny Lind concert!
Seeing that programme and then attending the recreated concert later that evening felt like stepping back into history.
Afterwards we rode in a horse drawn carriage through the streets of Natchez to an after drinks gathering where guests enjoyed canapés, macarons, and another glass of fizz. It was beautifully organised and such a special way to end the evening.
A television interview on historic houses
While we were in the region, I was also invited to appear on a morning television programme, Great Day Louisiana, to talk about the Gilded Age and historic houses!
One of the fascinating things about New Orleans is how many historic buildings have survived. Unlike New York, which demolished many of its Gilded Age mansions during waves of redevelopment, New Orleans preserved much of its architectural heritage.
That slower pace of development meant that today you can still see entire neighbourhoods filled with historic buildings.
A remarkable restoration at Hope Farm
Before leaving Natchez, we visited one more extraordinary project.
Laine and Kevin, the co-founders of Living History Natchez, are restoring a historic house called Hope Farm. The property suffered a devastating fire in 2023.
Rather than walk away, they began rebuilding it using reclaimed wood and traditional materials. The project is ambitious and SO inspiring.
Eventually the house will become a bed and breakfast, welcoming visitors into a restored historic home.
Seeing the work underway was a powerful reminder that preservation often requires resilience as much as passion.
Why Natchez matters
One of the things that struck us most during the week was the enthusiasm of the visitors.
At several houses we saw long lines of people waiting to tour. Clearly Living History Natchez has tapped into something meaningful!
Historic houses tell stories about architecture, families, and communities, and events like this bring those stories back to life.
If you love heritage and restoration, I cannot recommend Natchez strongly enough. It is truly one of the most fascinating historic towns in America.
Follow the story
If you would like to follow the projects behind this new festival, you can find them here:
• Living History Natchez on Instagram
• Our Restoration Nation on Instagram
• And of course on Mapperton Live! and American Countess YouTube channels...because you KNOW that we filmed it all!
Thank you, as always, for being part of this community and for supporting the preservation of historic places.
Xx Julie
It was such a pleasure meeting you in Natchez! The festival truly was a wonderful celebration of historic houses and preservation — I loved hearing your talk on Mapperton!
Fantastic! Also, The Tale of Genji is considered to be the first novel, and it was written by a woman. People argue for the Epic of Gilgamesh, but that is an epic poem. How amazing that your screens represent this literary achievement.