An 1875 dinner party invitation discovered at Lincoln Cathedral will bring a whimsical twist to a production of Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland in the city this December.
Providing an insight into a real-life Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Cathedral staff recently uncovered an invitation to dinner for several guests, including some of those who inspired the author’s work.
Sent by Carroll to the then precentor of Lincoln, Henry Ramsden Bramley – who is known for his Victorian revival of Christmas carols – the invitation was accompanied by a menu and seating plan.
It features the words ‘cloud-capped towers’, a reference to William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, while the menu includes soup, black curry, lamb cutlets, apple souffle and apricot cream.
Among guests were Carroll’s former tutor, Prof Bartholomew Price, nicknamed the bat as his lectures went “above the audience’s heads”. He is said to have been the inspiration behind Caroll’s famous story’s ‘Twinkle Twinkle little bat, how I wonder what you’re at’ line.
To mark the find, excerpts from the document have been stitched into the costumes for an upcoming production of Alice in Wonderland at Lincoln Arts Centre, 11 -21 December.
Audiences might be able to spot a little handkerchief featuring prints of the invitation, which will be tucked into the Mad Hatter’s coat.
So far, there is no word on what will happen to the original invitation, menu and seating plan.
For more details about the performance, visit https://lincolnartscentre.co.uk/event/alice-in-wonderland-2025/
For tourist information about visiting the county, see www.visitlincolnshire.com
