Past Pleasures Ltd

What Past Pleasures Ltd does

Past Pleasures Ltd, trading as Past Pleasures Consulting, is a UK-based heritage interpretation and consulting services firm founded in 1987 by Mark Wallis. It was the first professional Historical Interpretation company in the UK and at its peak employed 170 people fulfilling the largest live costumed interpretation contract in Europe, servicing Historic Royal Palaces (Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace) and English Heritage (Audley End, Dover Castle). Following the COVID outbreak, the business restructured to a lean consultancy model focused on consultation, training, and expertise-sharing, currently operating with approximately 12 staff.

The company's core assets are the Mark Wallis Collection - believed by the V&A to be the largest British collection of historic menswear in private hands, spanning mid-17th century to WWI - and the deep expertise of its founders (Mark Wallis with 50+ years in historic menswear; Stephanie Selmayr as co-owner; Mike Bradley with ~30 years tenure). Revenue streams include heritage interpretation consulting, training and development for museum and front-of-house staff, lecturing and talks (delivered internationally across Europe, North America, and Australia), TV and film costume services (with credits including Napoleon, Lincoln, The Great, The Essex Serpent, and Wolf Hall), and collection access via research, hire, and occasional purchase. The business is founder-owned, privately held, and operates on a quote-based, bespoke engagement model with no publicly disclosed pricing.

Customers span three primary verticals: museums and heritage sites (Historic Royal Palaces, English Heritage, National Trust, V&A, MAD Paris, Colonial Williamsburg, Sovereign Hill); TV and film productions (Scott Free Productions, BBC, PBS, RSC); and academic/educational institutions (University of the Arts London). The company maintains a sales-led, direct-engagement go-to-market motion supplemented by a website and social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X), with revenue largely dependent on word-of-mouth and 35+ years of industry reputation. No external investment, PE ownership, or acquisitions are reported.

Name

Past Pleasures Ltd

Legal name

Past Pleasures Ltd

Website

https://pastpleasures.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Past Pleasures Ltd (trading as Past Pleasures Consulting) is a UK-based heritage interpretation consultancy founded in 1987, providing antique clothing consultation, training, lecturing, and costume services to museums, heritage sites, TV/film productions, and academic institutions, anchored by the Mark Wallis Collection of historic menswear.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Interpretation Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Museums (71211)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Cultural Immersion & Heritage Experiences (Local Hosts, Traditions) (THAJALAJ)

Keywords

• Heritage interpretation services
• Historical costume consulting
• Period clothing collection
• Museum training programmes
• Antique menswear consulting

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Heritage Interpretation Consulting: Providing consultation services to museums, galleries, and heritage sites on live costumed interpretation, best practices, and implementation of immersive visitor interactions.
2. Training and Development: Providing tailored training programmes for museum workers, interpreters, guides, and front-of-house staff across heritage and cultural institutions.
3. Lecturing and Talks: Delivering lectures and presentations on antique clothing, Western Dress, Material Culture, Social History, and Living History topics to museums and cultural institutions internationally.
4. TV and Film Costume Services: Providing costume consultation, hiring out and selling antique clothing and period accessories from the collection for film and television productions.
5. Collection Access (Research, Hire, Purchase): Items from Mark Wallis's collection are available for research purposes, hire, and in some instances for purchase. The collection includes civilian clothing, military uniforms, formal attire, workwear, and accessories spanning mid-17th century to WWI.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Past Pleasures is a heritage interpretation and consulting company that provides live costumed interpretation services for museums, heritage sites, and cultural institutions, alongside the Mark Wallis Collection of historic menswear (the largest British collection of its kind in private hands, spanning the mid-17th century to WWI). The company offers training and development for museum staff, costume consultation and rental for TV/film productions, lecturing on antique clothing and material culture, and museum consultancy services.

Product overview

Past Pleasures Consulting (formerly Past Pleasures Ltd) is a heritage interpretation services company offering a unified portfolio of services built around historical dress expertise. The core offerings include Live Costumed Interpretation Services for visitor engagement at heritage sites, the Mark Wallis Collection (the largest private collection of historic British menswear), and complementary add-on modules including Lecturing & Talks, Training & Development, TV & Film Costume Services, and Museum Consultancy. The company was founded in 1987 as the first professional Historical Interpretation company in the UK, originally operating a workforce of 170 people fulfilling the largest live interpretation contract in Europe. Following COVID, the business streamlined to focus on consultation, training, and expertise-sharing while maintaining its collection and services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers21 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Henry VIII on Tour ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast Pleasures Consulting has been invited to be part of the multi-disciplinary panel for the joint 3-year project 'Henry VIII on Tour; Landscapes, Communities and Performance'. This represents a significant strategic partnership in academic heritage research and interpretation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cosprop: London-based period costume house serving film, television, and theatre. A direct peer in providing historically accurate period costume hire and consultancy to productions, overlapping with Past Pleasures on projects such as heritage dramas and prestige film/TV.
• Angels Costumes: The world's largest film and theatrical costume house, based in London. Directly comparable to Past Pleasures on the TV/film costume hire and consultation side — both supply period costumes and historical accuracy expertise to major productions, though Angels' scale (10+ departments) is far larger.
• Jorvik Viking Centre: York-based immersive heritage attraction combining recreated period environments with costumed interpreters. Past Pleasures has provided training to its interpreters, and it represents the operating model (immersive living history) that Past Pleasures' consulting enables at client sites.

Broad incumbents

• English Heritage: UK government-funded charity that looks after over 400 historic sites, including Audley End and Dover Castle where Past Pleasures provided live interpretation. Comparable as a major institutional customer with its own growing in-house interpretation capability.
• Historic Royal Palaces: UK charity operating unoccupied royal palaces including the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace — Past Pleasures' most prestigious former client and operator of in-house live costumed interpretation, now a competitor-as-customer for training services.
• Colonial Williamsburg Foundation: The largest living-history museum in the world, where Past Pleasures' founder Mark Wallis worked early in his career. Operates immersive costumed interpretation at scale across an entire historic town, representing the broader incumbent model that Past Pleasures' consulting work supports.
• National Trust: UK conservation charity managing historic houses, gardens, and estates. Past Pleasures' client for heritage interpretation; comparable as a major institutional buyer of period costume hire, training, and consultancy services in the heritage space.
• Merlin Entertainments (now Merlin Group): Global attractions operator running heritage-adjacent visitor experiences (London Eye, Tower Dungeons, Warwick Castle). Past Pleasures trained Merlin's guides, and Merlin represents the scaled commercial operator competing for costumed interpretation talent and training.

Regional players

• Shakespeare's Globe: London-based reconstruction of Shakespeare's original playhouse delivering period-authentic performance and education. Comparable in operating live costumed historical interpretation and in commissioning costume expertise from specialist providers like Past Pleasures.

Emerging players

• Berman's Costume Hire: Long-established UK costume hire house with a broad historical and theatrical wardrobe. Comparable as a competitor in costume hire, though less specialist than Past Pleasures on the historical accuracy / menswear niche served to film/TV and museums.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pastpleasures1
• Facebookfacebook.com/bringhistorytolife
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/past-pleasures-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/Past_Pleasures_Ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Past Pleasures Ltd