THERE is a timely talk – pun intended – at this year’s Bridport Literary Festival (running from 3rd to 9th November) by former prison governor Ian Acheson. With Britain’s failing prison system hitting the headlines again and again, Acheson’s experiences as a Home Office official with expertise in security, safety and reform, should be fascinating….
BRIDPORT Lyric Theatre hosts a multi-arts event celebrating women’s lives, Hersong III, on Sunday 20th October from 6pm. Performers and artists living and working in the Bridport will be taking part in this show which celebrates women’s stories of their lived experiences about love, labour and loss, through spoken word, song, movement and theatre. Expect…
MOST people who know the name of William Barnes will think of him as the poet of the old Dorset dialect, the writer of Linden Lea, and a near-contemporary of a more famous Dorset literary star, Thomas Hardy. But who was at the real Barnes? Historian, musician and actor Tim Laycock is performing his play,…
CATHEDRALS are some of our most remarkable buildings – ancient, up to 800 years old in some cases, beautiful, spiritual and often located in remarkable positions. Durham immediately leaps to mind and St Paul’s in the Blitz is truly described as iconic. But perhaps the most extraordinary is Salisbury, not just for its undeniable beauty…
PHILIPPA Langley, who came to national attention with her persistent – and ultimately successful – efforts to locate the remains of King Richard III (under a Leicester car park), comes to the Electric Palace at Bridport on Thursday 19th September with a talk about her latest historical investigations. Her talk, The Princes in the Tower,…
IT is easy to look at a stone quarry and see nothing but destruction – a great scar in the landscape. But Andy Littler, geologist, chartered engineer and quarry manager, has a very different story to tell when he comes to Sladers Yard arts centre at West Bay, on Thursday 29th August, to give the next…
FORMER Children’s Laureate, best-selling children’s writer Michael Rosen is coming to Bridport’s Electric Palace on Thursday 1st August, celebrating his 50th anniversaries of his live performances and the publication of his first book. The talks are at 11.30am and 2.30pm. One of the world’s best-selling writers for children, and a popular broadcaster, Michael, who was…
THE great West Country moors – Dartmoor in Devon, Exmoor in Devon and Somerset, and Bodmin in Cornwall – are steeped in history and myths. One significant area of Dartmoor is Crockern Tor, once home to the Stannary Parliament, and now the inspiration for a series of story walks, organised by Devon’s Villages in Action,…
WHEN fans of Chalke Valley History Festival heard last year that long-time sponsors the Daily Mail were ending the relationship, there was inevitably concern – how would the festival fare without this major, high-profile supporter? The answer has been a resounding “very well, thank you.” With a renewed focus, a slightly changed name, a wonderful…
THE shipping forecast celebrates its centenary this year, and Charlie Connelly, author of the best-selling book, Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast, performs his hilarious and fascinating history of this important maritime service at Bridport Arts Centre on Saturday 22nd June. The shipping forecast started out as (and remains) an essential service…