In 1842, the Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette wrote: "Such a scene of gaiety was never before witnessed on Salisbury Plain… Parties of gentlemen and elegantly dressed ladies were scattered about in all directions."

Beneath the gaiety and carousing ran an undercurrent of anguish: The country remains locked in a ferocious war with Russia.

Beneath the gaiety and carousing ran an undercurrent of anguish: the country remains locked in a ferocious war with Russia.

The staging strenuously strives to leave an impression of fun in capital letters, but the forced gaiety creates quite a racket.

Where the drops are sparse in detail, the frame delivers in an undeniable elegance and gaiety.