The Lady and the Highwayman

The dramatic coastal scenery and picturesque Pelican Inn are fabulous backdrops for your 17th century attire. Are you a dashing highwayman, a lady in silk, or a courtier in disguise?

We’ll enjoy a three-course lunch of hearty English country fare at Marin’s only 16th century coaching inn, and then stroll on the beach while keeping an eye out for smugglers. Those in need of a warm-up can return to the pub for drinks, pub fare and darts.

Menu: Hearty English fare at its finest, your meal will include:

• First course: Soup or salad
• Second course: Your choice of bangers and mash, fish and chips, or vegetarian ploughman’s lunch
• Third course: Apple crumble

Drinks are available no-host at the bar.

Costume: Costumes are required for this event. Think 17th century – Dastardly highwaymen, dashing musketeers, courtly ladies, picturesque peasants. This can include the formal Jacobean look, the high-waisted Cavalier style, the long bodices and frock coats of Charles II’s reign, or even the Queen Ann mantuas, complete with fontange headdress. Remember to bring wraps – the beach is cold in the winter! For further details, please refer to our costume policy.

Reference & Links:

• Books:
  • Men's Seventeenth & Eighteenth Century Costume: Cut and Fashion – Theatric design book with general character information and patterns.
  • Seventeenth-Century Women's Dress Patterns: Book 1 and Book 2 – Contain patterns taken from extant garments with beautiful detailed photographs.
• Films:
  • The Lady and the Highwayman (1989) – From the novel by Barbara Cartland. Cast includes Oliver Reed and Hugh Grant.
  • Three Musketeers (1973) – Classic with Oliver Reed and Raquel Welch.
  • The Devil’s Mistress (2008) – UK Miniseries set during the English Civil War (1642-1660).
  • Stage Beauty (2004) – Set in 17th century England, starring Clare Danes and Billy Crudup.
  • Girl With a Pearl Earring (2003) – Set in Dutch Republic, 1665. Stars Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson.
• Internet:
  • Pintrest - 17th Century Fashion

Location, Directions & Parking:

The Pelican Inn
10 Pacific Way
Muir Beach, CA 94965 (map)

The inn has their own parking lot behind the main building. There's also parking at the beach, a short walk up the road.

Practicalities: Bring your sense of adventure – highwayman and smugglers are always among us! Also bring warm wraps. Marin County beaches are cold at any time of year and especially so in winter. Warm cloaks, muffs and gloves are a must.

Children: This event is appropriate for older children, ages 13+. Costumes are required for children, although just as for adults they do not have to be authentic reproductions.

Tickets: Advance tickets for all attendees (children & adults) are required for this event.

You must be a GBACG member* to receive the member price. (*Or a member of one of our Sister Organizations: Costumer's Guild West, Art Deco Society of California or Somewhere in Time, Unlimited.) If you are a member and are purchasing several tickets for yourself and friends who are not members, then only you are entitled to the member price. You must pay the non-member price for your friends.

Tickets to GBACG activities ARE NOT REFUNDABLE, but are transferable. Purchasing tickets to a GBACG activity is the same as buying tickets to the Symphony, Ballet, or Theatre. If you have purchased tickets to a GBACG activity and are unable to attend, you may sell your tickets to someone else, but GBACG does not make refunds.

Latecomer Policy The GBACG and its event hosts are not responsible for providing meals, performances or other services for guests who arrive late, and latecomers are not eligible for refunds. Please plan accordingly. (For further details, please reference our full latecomer policy.)

Questions? Email Event Coordinator, Catherine Scholar at .

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