7 Unusual Regency-Era Hobbies That’ll Make You Hug Your Smartphone

The way you choose to spend your free time not only offers a window into your interests but also the defining traits of the era you live in. 

In 2026, spending hours on your phone, learning pickleball or disc golf, playing online games, tackling the daily Wordle, and listening to podcasts has become the norm. As a society, we've also revived hobbies from previous decades, such as knitting, playing cards, writing letters, gardening, and reading physical books.

If someone from Regency-era England were transported to the present day, they might express concern over our technology habits: sitting and scrolling for hours, faces illuminated by a tiny glowing screen. Yet, as we’ll explore further, we might be equally confused by what passed for entertainment in their time.

Here are seven Regency-era hobbies that were so unusual, they'll make you think twice before swearing off social media and wishing you were born in a different century. 

ANTHROPOMORPHIC TAXIDERMY

Most people are familiar with taxidermy, the practice of preserving animal skins to maintain a lifelike appearance, but anthropomorphic taxidermy takes the concept to an entirely different level. During the Regency era, it was trendy to pose these animals in elaborate, human-like scenes, such as squirrels dining at a table or foxes mingling in the drawing room. These imaginative displays provided both amusement and conversation for Regency high society. 

According to Always Austen, Queen Victoria herself referred to this hobby as "marvelous." 

CEMETERY PICNICS

If arranging dead animals wasn't your thing, you might be found enjoying a meal at your local graveyard. After all, who needs a public park when you can picnic at a cemetery? 

Parks were scarce in England in the early 1800s, so members of the ton gathered at cemeteries with beautiful lawns and gardens. The adults sat down to enjoy meals while their children ran among the headstones. This hobby was so popular that you could purchase books that recommend the best cemeteries to visit for a quaint afternoon with the deceased. Inviting! 

DRIZZLING

During the Regency era, people were captivated by the practice of unraveling braids, tassels, and tapestries to extract individual threads. These threads, often crafted from gold and silver, were then brought into the village and sold to goldsmiths.

This pastime required little concentration or particular skill (though having small, dainty hands was advantageous), allowing people to carry on conversations as they unraveled the threads.

COLLECTING FERNS

For those seeking a less morbid pastime during the Regency era, fern collecting was one of the few options. It was so prevalent at the time that it was given its own name: pteridomania. The hobby gained popularity with the creation of the first-ever terrarium. Botanist Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward helped spark the trend of spending time outdoors collecting ferns. Women were especially intrigued with the hobby because it was one of the rare occasions they were "allowed" to be on their own, unsupervised. 

MAKING SHOES

Another wholesome Regency-era hobby was shoe-making. What began as a lower-class profession evolved into a favored activity among the elite. With its growing appeal, kits were developed to help England’s upper class create fashionable shoe styles, and many would invite shoemakers into their homes to teach them how to assemble and sew the pieces themselves.

This pastime was arguably one of the more productive Regency-era hobbies, as it provided financial support to the poor while also giving the wealthy a meaningful activity to occupy their leisure hours.

CONTACTING THE DEAD

Death was not a topic people danced around in Regency times (though you’ve likely already guessed this, given that cemetery picnics were all the rage in the early 1800s). They literally surrounded themselves with reminders of mortality. This being said, spiritual seances, gathering in an attempt to communicate with the departed, were a common ritual for women, often marked by theatrics.

The "medium" would enter a closet looking perfectly normal, allegedly make contact with a spirit, and come out of the closet covered in flour, cornstarch, and water. The ritual also saw people hiding in chimneys, making ghostly sounds, displaying flickering candles, and dramatically navigating an Ouija board. 

HOBBY HORSE(ING AROUND)

Hobby horses walked so that bicycles could run. 

As the Regency era drew to a close, this pastime was especially popular among men interested in athletic competition. It wasn't uncommon for them to take lessons to perfect their skills and ensure they could race long distances with speed and control.

History Extra mentioned that dukes and princes owned hobby horses and were very fascinated by their creation. As competitors became increasingly reckless, authorities introduced fines and imposed restrictions.