Past Pleasures Consulting is a one-stop service for a wide range of Heritage and Live Costumed Interpretation, Lecturing, Design and Creation. Formerly trading as Past Pleasures Ltd we led the field in Live Costumed Interpretation, guiding Museums, Galleries and Heritage sites in implementing a new approach in immersive visitor interactions. Following the COVID outbreak we have streamlined our business model to concentrate more on consultation, training and sharing our expertise in this field. Among our recent projects, Past Pleasures Consulting was approached by Ridley Scott’s production company to provide original clothing and accessories for his major new film Napoleon, we have been training heritage staff in Split, Budapest and Prague and worked on deportment and etiquette with Sir Mark Rylance and other cast members from the BBC production of Hilary Mantel’s last book.
Mark and Stephanie continue to lecture across the UK and Europe and maintain their impressive, private collections of original clothing which offers an invaluable resource for scholars, designers and historians. Most recently, Past Pleasures Consulting have been invited to be part of the multi-disciplinary panel for the joint 3-year project, Henry VIII on Tour; Landscapes, Communities and Performance.
Past Pleasures is founded by Mark whilst working at Colonial Williamsburg.
Lancaster City Council commissions Past Pleasures to provide Georgian characters for its ongoing Legacy Festival.
Past Pleasures is awarded the contract to provide daily Live Costumed Interpretation and Education services by Historic Royal Palaces.
Past Pleasures is established as a limited company.
English Heritage contracts Past Pleasures Ltd to work at its flagship sites of Audley End and Dover Castle.
Past Pleasures Consulting is formed.
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Mark Wallis is considered one of the foremost authorities on men’s historical dress working today. After studying Theatre Design and History at UAL and Pittsburgh University he created Past Pleasures Ltd in 1987, the first professional Historical Interpretation company in the UK.
With a client list that included Historic Royal Palaces, English Heritage and National Trust, Past Pleasures Ltd held the largest contract in Europe, providing live interpretation on a daily basis at the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace.
During this period Mark continued to collect historic menswear and accessories, which is thought by the V&A museum to be the largest British collection in private hands.
Mark has worked with Museum staff across Europe as well as the United States, Canada and Australia. He continues to conduct training training workshops on Live Costumed Interpretation as well as consulting on best practice in this field. He continues to lecture on all aspects of Western Historic Clothing and Material Culture, consults on TV and Film, providing original pieces when requested and is currently in the process of writing a book on the social history of mens’ dress 1730 – 1930.
Mike Bradley has been part of the furniture at Past Pleasures for almost 30 years, working for Mark and Steph in a variety of guises since joining in 1993, a couple of years after studying in Liverpool for a Social Science degree. During that time he has spanned the historical spectrum, working as a Bronze Age man, a Medieval King and a 1970s Fashion Icon as well as working behind the scenes in several administrative roles. He is pleased to continue his long-standing friendship with Mark and Steph, helping out wherever and however he can as part of the Past Pleasures family!
