I am often asked the cost of a multiple of items in the Regency era. I do not know from where the idea came that I might know these things. However, in this case I do have a bit of information. You see, I keep a very large file of “Regency Tidbits” on my computer. When I come across something that might be of use to me in writing my novels, I copy and paste it there. Sometimes, it is a paragraph or two. Most of the time there are links to similar bits of information.
Therefore, when a reader asked about what I knew of refurbishing a house, I knew where to look. I have placed a bunch of tidbits together in the file and had used some of it when I wrote Amending the Shades of Pemberley. In that book, the Bennet family property and the belongings in the house are to be put up for sale, so I had completed my homework on that matter.
“You have willfully misunderstood me, Miss Bennet. You have no worry of my releasing you, for I do not wish you to perform as a governess to my daughter, but rather as my wife and the mistress of my hereditary estate.”
Elizabeth Bennet had thought the stranger quite handsome; yet, she had ignored those first tendrils of interest, for she was in no position for the gentleman to pursue her. She and her sister Mary were all who remained of their family. Moreover, Longbourn and its furnishings were to be sold. They were destitute, and, if fortunate, headed for service in some stranger’s household.
Fitzwilliam Darcy’s proposal of marriage would save both Mary and her, for her sister had agreed to assist with the gentleman’s young daughter. But what of the man’s tale of having corresponded with her father and of Mr. Bennet having purported a marriage between this stranger and her? Elizabeth knew nothing of the arrangement nor of the man’s existence. Though their marriage would solve all her troubles, what if the man’s tale was not completely truthful? Would Mr. Darcy become her enemy or a man she could learn to love?
So, back to the question at hand. What does it cost to refurbish a house during the Regency?
My information was shared by another Regency author on what was once the Romance Writers of America website. I apologize for not knowing the person’s name. When I copied and pasted the information, I foolishly assumed RWA would be around for a long time. Wrong! The person referenced Brunswick Square in Brighton in the 1820’s. For a wealth of info on this, please look at Regency Town House info here: https://www.rth.org.uk/building-regency-houses Fabulous info!!!
Also, if you can find the book, Brighton and Hove (Yale University Press, 2008), it is a goldmine on building homes, squares, churches and more in Brighton from approximately 1800 through the late Victorian period. I have used the book to “build” and “furnish” many houses in Brighton and other places in a few of my novels. I bought this in Brighton a few years ago and it has been invaluable:
Antam and Morice, BRIGHTON AND HOVE. Yale University Press, 2008.
As I recall a Regency Town House in Brighton, a new townhouse in the Square (without drapes, chandeliers, paint to order, plastering etc.) would cost approximately 3000 Pounds.
Of course, a very good guide would be if you subscribe to BRITISH NEWSPAPERS of the time where one can find houses for sale, land, others at auction with and without furnishings and cost of drapers, cabinet makers, etc.
Here is an article you can read online from the Economic History Review: “How Much did the English Country House Cost to Build, 1660-1880?”
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2599140?seq=1
This website has some of that kind of information:
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/stamford/lxiv-lxix
I have a note among my bits of inforamtion that says the following and might apply, taken from The Georgian London Town House: Building, Collecting and Display:
In 1805, 2nd Earl of Grosvenor bought Gloucester House in Upper Grosvenor Street for £20,000. Alterations to the interior cost him £17,000 and the new furniture £7,000.
So the year is a little off, and this is a town house vs. a country house, but it was larger than the “standard” town house, and the decorations were some of the most impressive/expensive in London at the time. So it will depend on how large and fancy you want your country house to be. I would find £3,000 plausible for a certain level of remodel, but if it is huge and it is going to be completely redone to the latest fashion, it seems like the number would be higher.
Also, there are other things to consider. Does the roof need replacing or repairing? That is one of the most expensive parts of re-doing a house. Your character probably would want to include some indoor plumbing and restore the well and the ice house. £3000 is too little if any of these things has to be done. If the place is just to be cleaned and painted and a window or two replaced, £3000 would cover it, along with new mattresses for the beds.
Every Woman Dreams... 