Flora Thompson (1876–1947) author of 'Lark Rise to Candleford,' 'Heatherley,' 'Still Glides the Stream' and 'The Peverel Papers'		Sculpture of Flora Thompson at Liphook by Philip Jackson

This site is dedicated in particular to her time in
Grayshott (1898–1900) & Liphook (1916–1928)

Contact: John Owen Smith
News – Books – CDs – Drama – TV – Timeline – Walks – Talks – Tributes – Verse – Wanted List
Links/Contacts – Photographs – Discussion Topics – General Notes

Do visit the Flora Thompson room at the Old Gaol Museum in Buckingham It's the only one in the world …

Flora's grave in Dartmouth had been in a sad state (see far right) but has since been tidied up (in Aug 2018 by Ruth and Mel and in May 2024 by Clare, Christine & Michael). Thank you ! If you visit, please keep us updated on its condition.

May 2024

Aug 2018

Books written by Flora Thompson (in chronological order):—

	Bog-Myrtle and Peat by Flora Thompson Published 1921 by Philip Allen & Co, London 24 poems by Flora – see contents This was Flora's first published work (my thanks to Jim Iley for the picture of the cover) – photo of some real bog-myrtle and peat (taken on the Isle of Jura!)
	Gates of Eden / Bog-Myrtle and Peat by Flora Thompson Gates of Eden was her only completed novel, written while she lived in Liphook but never published by her. Bog Myrtle & Peat, a set of poems written in Liphook, is also included in this volume.. ISBN 978-1-873855-78-2 – John Owen Smith – July 2024 – details

The Peverel Papers, by Flora Thompson Nature notes written in Liphook, Hampshire 1921–1927 First published in The Catholic Fireside ISBN 978-1-873855-57-7 – John Owen Smith – May 2008 – details – in full and in chronological order in one edition

Guide to Liphook, Bramshott and Neighbourhood A 1925 guidebook to the village, largely written by Flora Reprinted by the Bramshott & Liphook Preservation Society in 1995 – details

	Lark Rise to Candleford, a trilogy by Flora Thompson (see also Heatherley) Penguin Modern Classics, 2008 — ISBN 978-0-141-18331-2 (paperback) The Trilogy: originally published in 1945 by OUP with an introduction by H.J. Massingham, this 2009 edition has a new introduction by Richard Mabey In 2009 Penguin also published the three books of the trilogy Lark Rise , Over to Candleford and Candleford Green as separate volumes again
	Lark Rise to Candleford, a trilogy by Flora Thompson The Folio Society, 2009 — no ISBN given (hardback) Illustrated by Sue Scullard; new introduction by Kathryn Hughes
	Lark Rise to Candleford, a trilogy by Flora Thompson Oxford University Press, January 2011 — ISBN 978-0-19-960160-8 (hardback) With original wood engravings by Julie Nield; new introduction by Phillip Mallett

Lark Rise was first published by Oxford University Press in 1939, Over to Candleford in 1941, Candleford Green in 1943; issued together as a trilogy in 1945. Trilogy published by Penguin Books 1973, reprinted in several Penguin Classics versions thereafter.
The story of three closely related Oxfordshire communities – a hamlet, the nearby village and a small market town – this immortal trilogy is based on Flora Thompson's experiences during childhood and youth in the 1880s and 1890s.

Note that: "The Illustrated Lark Rise to Candleford" 1989 published by Cresset Press in 1989 has a text abridged by Julian Shuckburgh – it says "In abridging the text for this one-volume edition it has been possible to avoid a number of overlaps and repetitions which were necessary in the three separate books and to omit some descriptive passages designed to set the scene for new readers of the second and third volumes. But to contain the book within its present compass other deletions were necessary. It is in Lark Rise, her first volume, that Flora Thompson paints the most vivid portrait of the countryside, and the way of life that was already disappearing as she herself grew up. These chapters have been abridged much less than the second two volumes in which Laura ventures into the grown-up, and to us more familiar world of Candleford. All omissions in the text have been indicated by the insertion of three full points."

Lark Rise in Japanese translated by Hideko Ishida ISBN 978-4-86085-068-5 (hardback) – published 2008 by sakuhokusha.co.jp

Candleford in Japanese translated by Hideko Ishida – contains 'Over to Candleford' and 'Candleford Green' ISBN 978-4-86085-139-2 (hardback) – published 2021 by sakuhokusha.co.jp

Translations of 'Lark Rise' and 'Candleford Green'/'Over to Candleford' into Japanese by Mrs Hideko Isheda. The translations are an interpretation of the content and style of the books with, for example, English country idioms being replaced with the nearest appropriate Japanese idiom. It is well recognised that there are close similarities between English and Japanese social history, particularly in respect of rural life and the countryside in general, albeit at slightly different time periods. Japanese visitors are often to be found during the summer months walking the lanes and byways of what has now become known as 'Flora Country'. [My thanks to Tony Webster for this information]

PS: We all know that Lark Rise to Candleford is difficult to classify. Would you expect to find it as Fiction or Non-Fiction in your bookshop or library?
The last time I looked, Waterstone's had it under Biography; Foyles had it under Fiction.
When I asked Hampshire Libraries their classification of it, they came back with the following list – and I'm sure it's not exhaustive, so take your pick!

• B/THO (bibliography)
• Classic Fiction
• 302.72 (social sciences - social interaction)
• 630.1 (technology - agriculture & related technologies)
• 942.57 (history & geography - England & Wales)

Heatherley, by Flora Thompson – her sequel to Lark Rise to Candleford – written in 1944 directly after she had finished writing 'Candleford Green' but never submitted by her for publication Republished from the original typescript with new introduction, chapter-head illustrations and historical notes in September 1998, to mark the centenary of her arrival in Grayshott, Hampshire ISBN 978-1-873855-75-1 – John Owen Smith – details – in stock at Foyles in London, under Fiction!

More Tales from Lark Rise written by Flora's younger sister Betty Timms at about the same time that Flora wrote Lark Rise to Candleford ISBN 978-1902-279459 – published by The Wychwood Press in Sept 2012 – contains further information about Juniper Hill and Cottisford.

Still Glides the Stream, by Flora Thompson Oxford University Press – first published 1948, tenth impression 1990, now out of print ISBN 0-19-281192-4 (paperback)

'An enchanting portrait of an Oxfordshire village and its inhabitants around Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887'
This was the last book written by Flora Thompson — published posthumously.

See also 'Flora Thompson and The Real Charity Finch' including another potential association of Flora with Hampshire.

A Country Child Taking Notes, by Flora Thompson — Extract from the Readers'Union magazine, May 1945

A Country Calendar and other writings by Flora Thompson Selected and edited by Margaret Lane Oxford University Press – first published 1979 – out of print since 1992 * but see below ISBN 0-19-281418-4 (paperback)

• Selections from The Peverel Papers, the nature notes which were written by Flora while she lived in Liphook during 1921–1928 and published in the Catholic Fireside magazine .
• Seven of Flora's poems from her collection Bog Myrtle and Peat, published (1921) while she was living in Liphook.
• Heatherley, the fourth part of her semi-fictionalised autobiography which she started in Lark Rise to Candleford— covering her time in Grayshott (1898–1900) and alluding to her time in Liphook (1916–1928). Written in 1944.

The Peverel Papers, by Flora Thompson A yearbook of the countryside by the author of Lark Rise to Candleford Edited and introduced by Julian Shuckburgh ISBN 0-7126-1296-3 – Century Press – first published 1986, now out of print

Contains selections from The Peverel Papers articles which Flora wrote for The Catholic Fireside magazine during 1921 to 1927 – generally these are different selections from those chosen by Margaret Lane (see above).

Note that this publication and that edited by Margaret Lane as A Country Calander have together printed only a fraction of Flora's total output for The Catholic Fireside, which she wrote over a period of seven years. See below for a full republication.
In addition to her monthly Peverel Papers, Flora also contributed some short stories and a monthly Fireside Reading Circle article of literary criticism, which have never yet been republished in any collected form. Copies of The Catholic Fireside may be seen at the British Museum Newspaper Library in Colindale, London – Tel: 020 8200 5515 Ext 7356

Biographies and other literature ralating to Flora:—

Flora Thompson – The Story of the 'Lark Rise' Writer The complete biography of Flora Thompson, by Gillian Lindsay ISBN: 978-1-873855-53-9 – John Owen Smith – May 2007 – details (replaces ISBN 0-7090-4594-8 – Robert Hale – first published 1990 – reprinted with corrections 1996)

On the Trail of Flora Thompson – beyond Candleford Green From Heatherley to Peverel; Grayshott to Griggs Green The story of Flora Thompson's time in East Hampshire, by John Owen Smith (including 'Flora's Trail') ISBN 978-1-873855-24-9 – John Owen Smith – first published 1997 – details

Flora Thompson:– Beyond Candleford Two plays about her time in Hampshire, by John Owen Smith also published separately as Flora's Heatherley and Flora's Peverel ISBN 978-1-873855-63-8 – John Owen Smith – February 2011 – details

The World of Flora Thompson Revisited, by Christine Bloxham This updated biography gives particular emphasis to Flora Thompson's roots in the Oxfordshire countryside – details ISBN 978-0-7524-4348-5 – Tempus Publishing 2007 (replaces 0-946978-06-6 – Robert Dugdale – first published 1998)

Without Education or Encouragement, by Ruth Collette Hoffman The Literary Legacy of Flora Thompson – details ISBN 978-0-8386-4206-1 – Farleigh Dickinson University Press 2009

Dreams of the Good Life, by Richard Mabey The Life of Flora Thompson and the creation of Lark Rise to Candleford – details ISBN 978-1-846-14278-9 – Allen Lane 2014

Headley's Past in Pictures Includes pictures from Flora's time in Grayshott, then in the parish of Headley ISBN 978-1-873855-27-0 – John Owen Smith – first published 1999 – details

Characteers of Headley's Past Includes a page showing Flora and her associates when she worked in Grayshott ISBN 978-1-873855-68-3 – John Owen Smith – published 2017 – details

Walks around Headley … and over the Borders A dozen circular walks starting in Headley will take you through much of the countryside Flora grew to love during her time in Grayshott and Liphook ISBN 978-1-873855-49-2 – John Owen Smith – first published 2005 – details

Walks through History … at the West of the Weald A dozen circular walks with a historical theme in areas which Flora would have known during her time in Grayshott and Liphook ISBN 978-1-873855-51-5 – John Owen Smith – first published 2007 – details

The Hilltop Writers – a Victorian Colony among the Surrey Hills, by Bob Trotter Details of 66 writers who worked around Haslemere and Hindhead in the last decades of the 19th century when Flora worked nearby at Grayshott – including Conan Doyle and Bernard Shaw who both came to her post office ISBN 978-1-873855-31-7 – John Owen Smith – illustrated edition published 2003 – details

Growing Up in Griggs Green, by Joe Leggett Recollections of life at the time of the First World War, by Flora's next-door neighbour ISBN 0-9511829-9-4 Bramshott & Liphook Preservation Society, 1999 – details

	Cottisford Revisited, by Ted and Joan Flaxman Flora's 'Fordlow'. A brief history of the parish and its people. Illustrated, including photographs of the war memorials to Edwin Timms and Peter Thompson. Ted and Joan Flaxman 1999; 62pp – RRP £5.00 (by post £6.00) – e-mail
	The Real Lark Rise Parish, by Ted and Joan Flaxman A new account of the parish in Oxfordshire where Flora Thompson spent her childhood and about which she wrote so engagingly, many years later, in "Lark Rise" and its sequels. Illustrated. Ted and Joan Flaxman 2009; 108pp – RRP £8.00 (by post £10.00) – e-mail

Fringford Through the Ages, by Martin Greenwood A stroll round the village on which Flora based her 'Candleford Green' Illustrated, including a previously unpublished photograph of Flora thought to have been taken in the 1890s ISBN 0-9539627-0-9 Martin Greenwood 2000; 76pp – RRP £6.95

	Villages of Banburyshire, by Martin Greenwood including Lark Rise to Candleford Green Cottisford, Cropredy, Fringford, Fritwell, Great Tew, Horley, Juniper Hill, King's Sutton, Lower Heyford, Sibford Gower, Sibford Ferris ISBN 1-902279-24-7 Wychwood Press 2006; 174pp – RRP £9.99
	In Flora's Footsteps, by Martin Greenwood Daily life in Lark Rise country 1876–2009 Cottisford, Finmere, Fringford, Godington, Hardwick, Hethe, Juniper Hill, Mixbury, Newton Purcell, Stoke Lyne, Stratton Audley ISBN 978-1-922279-37-4 Wychwood Press 2009; RRP £9.99

The Real Candleford Green, by Martin Greenwood The Story of a Lark Rise Village Including previously unseen letters from Flora herself, Kezia Whitton (Dorcas Lane in Lark Rise), and Sarah Butler Rennison, who succeeded Flora as a letter-carrier ISBN 978-1-908738-22-6 Robert Boyd Publications 2016; RRP £9.99

Not for Sale - The Peverel Book of Verse Published c.1925 by The Peverel Society, Liphook Printed by the Catholic Publishing Co Ltd, London, Liverpool and Manchester Fifty-six poems by members of the Peverel Society, selected and arranged by Flora Thompson – details

• Lark Rise
• Over to Candleford
• Candleford Green

For further information or to order a Large Print title, phone ISIS on (01865) 250 333
— they tell me that they have too many titles to put them all on their website!
Unfortunately, 'Heatherley' is no longer available from ISIS in large print—see above for options.

• Lark Rise
• Over to Candleford
• Candleford Green
• Lark Rise to Candleford (trilogy)
• Still Glides the Stream
• A Country Calendar

— DRAMA — Dramatisations of Flora Thompson's life and works:—

Flora Thompson:– Beyond Candleford Two plays about her time in Hampshire, by John Owen Smith also published separately as Flora's Heatherley and Flora's Peverel (see below) ISBN 978-1-873855-63-8 – John Owen Smith – March 2011 – see details

Flora's Heatherley – brings to life the period 1898–1900 in Grayshott ('Heatherley') when Flora passed through her 'sinister street' days. First produced in September 1998 as a community play project on the Surrey/ Hampshire border. See video. Performed again in May 2006 – see photos The script is available from this website for general release – order

Flora's Peverel – brings to life the period 1916–1928 in Liphook (her 'Peverel') when, against the odds, Flora won the fight to write. First produced in May 1997 as a community play project on the Surrey/ Hampshire border. See video.  Performed again in July 2007 see photos and July 2022 – see photos and video The script is available from this website for general release – order

Two plays adapted by Keith Dewhurst from Flora Thompson's trilogy 'Lark Rise to Candleford' – 'Lark Rise' enacts the first day of harvest from sunrise to sunset – 'Candleford' depicts a day in midwinter First produced the late 1970s as promenade performances in the Cottesloe Theatre, London. Scripts available from Samuel French, 52 Fitzroy St, London W1P 6JR

Performance of 'Lark Rise' by the New Farnham Repertory Company — July/Aug 2000 — the Redgrave Theatre rose again in July and August 2000, in a marquee in the garden of Farnham Library, and 'Lark Rise' was chosen as the opening production. Picture shows the cast about to make their entrance at the start of the show.

Performance of 'Flora's Heatherley' by Headley Theatre Club — May 2006 — on tour to Liphook, Haslemere, Headley and Tilford – see details Picture shows the cast photograph taken in the garden of Haslemere Museum.

Performance of 'Lark Rise' at Juniper Hill by the Wheatley and Garsington Barnstormers — May 2007 Picture shows part of the cast at the end of the show. Cover of the 20-page souvenir programme

	Performance of 'Flora's Peverel' by Headley Theatre Club — July 2007 — on tour to Bordon, Haslemere, Tilford, Petersfield, Liphook and Headley – see details Picture shows the cast photograph taken in the garden of Haslemere Museum.
		One of these is the real Flora and the other is Mel White playing Flora — but which is which? (Even Mel's mother guessed wrong!)

19-27th June 2009: Headley Theatre Club presented 'Candleford' at five locations in east Hampshire/west Surrey: Bohunt School at Liphook; The Petersfield School; Rural Life Centre at Tilford; The Phoenix at Bordon and ending at Headley Village Hall – see details Picture shows the cast at dress rehearsal in Headley Village Hall

8-16 July 2016: Headley Theatre Club presented 'Lark Rise' at six locations in east Hampshire/west Surrey: The Triange, Liss; Liphook Village Hall; Rural Life Centre at Tilford; Butser Ancient Farm; Haslemere Museum and ending at Headley Village Hall – see details Picture shows the cast at dress rehearsal outside Headley Village Hall

Performance of 'Flora's Peverel' by Headley Theatre Club — July 2022 — on tour to Bordon, Liphook, Haslemere, Liss, Headley and Alton – see details Picture shows the cast photograph taken in front of Headley Village Hall.

'LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD' — 3-person stage version adapted by Daniel Buckroyd

Toured with the New Perspectives Theatre Company from 9th March to 22nd May 2011.

'LARK RISE' — Sylvia Read and William Fry tell the story and play all the characters in a new adaptation of the book.
Flora Thompson's classic work brought vividly to light in a new adaptation in which the stonemason's children, Laura and Edmund, conjure up the characters, gossip and excitement of their tiny Oxfordshire hamlet in the 1880s, from the horror of pig-killing by torchlight to the thrilling visit of the cheapjack.

Having seen this play myself, I can thoroughly recommend it – Webmaster

"A truly magnetic two hours" IndieLONDON
"Don't miss" The Stage

Phone for general enquiries: 020 8455 4752 (Mobile 07774 638800)

'LARK ON THE WING' — a play based on the life of Flora Thompson by Ron Perry.
First performed 25-28 May 2022 by Redlynch Players and Fordingbridge Players in Redlynch Village Hall.

"Another little gem from these enterprising drama companies"

— NEWS — PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE . . .

Upcoming events — Please tell us of any Flora Thompson-related events you would like to see posted here …

Lark Rise to Ambridge

See BBC iPlayer

"The residents of Ambridge recount Flora Thompson's joyous tales of a rural childhood in the 1880s, evoking the hardships, the challenges and the exuberant sense of community"

This was broadcast in two episodes:–
Part One: Lark Rise on 1st Oct 2023
Part Two: Candleford on 8th Oct 2023

Past events —

At the Heatherley Wood woodland natural burial site in Grayshott, they are creating a new lawn burial area with a flower garden and benches and is named Flora's Garden in honour of Flora Thompson and her association with Grayshott. It was opened on Sunday March 11th 2018.

"Flora's Garden" on its opening day

Shelswell History Festival 2017 – 7/8/9 July 2017, included a talk on Flora Thompson by Martin Greenwood at 6.30pm on Sat 8th July
After the talk there was an excellent Question & Answer session with a panel of Flora Thompson experts in attendance (see below) —

The Panel (L to R): Carol Knight (gt-niece of John Thompson); Judith Harvey (current owner of Lark Rise Cottage); Martin Greenwood (local historian at Fringford); Christine Bloxham (author of The World of Flora Thompson); John Owen Smith (local historian at Grayshott); and Gillian Lindsay (author of Flora Thompson – The Story of the 'Lark Rise' Writer) See also Judith Harvey's notes on Living at Lark Rise Cottage.

On 28th June 2017, an 'Evening at Lark Rise' was held in the Old Gaol Museum in Buckingham to commemorate Flora's life 70 years after her death. For a report on this and other aspects of their Flora Thompson connections see this extract from the Old Gaol Summer 2017 Report.

2016 was the centenary of Flora's arrival in Liphook. We marked it with local events. See list below for details.

• May 13: an illustrated talk was given by John Owen Smith in Headley Village Hall entitled "Flora Thompson: Beyond Candleford Green".
• Jun 25: an illustrated talk on the life of Flora Thompson was given by Julia Mayo in The Triangle, Liss.
• Jul 8–16: performances in the Liphook area of the play Lark Rise. Details here
• See also pp 20&21 of the Spring 2016 edition of the Liphook Community Magazine

Sat 23rd March 2013 – Unveiling at Hindhead of several sculptures designed by local schoolchildren to celebrate the opening of the A3 Hindhead Tunnel. One is based on the works of local authors and shows quotes from Flora Thompson's Heatherley (along with some from Arthur Conan Doyle and Alfred, Lord Tennyson).

Sunday 4th July 2010 – Plaque unveiled in Fringford, aka 'Candleford Green'

There was a special service in Fringford church at 3pm followed by tea. Linda Bassett ('Queenie' of TV) unveiled the plaque which is carved on a Welsh slate roundel (see photo courtesy of Gillian Lindsay) For further information, contact Martin Greenwood – 01869 278317

Flora's poem 'Home Thoughts from the Desert' was broadcast on Radio 3's 'Words & Music' programme 'The South Country' at 22.45 on Sunday 28th March 2010, read by Tamsin Greig . It's good to see her recognised for her poetry!

Flora's house in Grigg's Green

Good news. Plans to demolish Flora's house Woolmer Gate at Liphook seem to have been shelved for now.

Woolmer Gate was the first house that Flora and John owned – they bought it new in 1926 and sold it in 1928 with an asking price of £750.

From the 1911 census

At 2 Edge Hill Road, Bournemouth:

John William Thompson, Head, 36, Married 8 yrs, Sorting Clerk (code 402),
Post Office worker, born IoW Ryde

Flora Jane Thompson, Wife, 32, Married 8 yrs, 2 children surviving, born
Oxford Cottisford [she was actually 34]

Winifred Grace Thompson, Dau, 7, School, born Hampshire Bournemouth

Henry Basil Thompson, Son, 1, born Hampshire Bournemouth

At Juniper Hill, Brackley, Northants:

Albert Timms, Head, 56, Married, Bricklayer (code 290), born Bucks
Buckingham

Emma Timms, Wife, 57, Married 36 yrs, 12 children, 6 surviving, 6 dead,
born Oxon Ardley

Edwin Timms, Son, 31, Single, Farm Labourer (code 140), private army reserve, born Oxon Cottisford

Frank Wallington Timms, Son, 22, Single, Farm Labourer, born Oxon
Cottisford

Lark Rise to Candleford on BBC1:

Of the first series of Lark Rise to Candleford in 2008, the BBC said: "We are delighted with our audience's positive and warm reaction to Lark Rise To Candleford and have subsequently commissioned a second series of 12 episodes for transmission in 2009." And a third, and a fourth … but they never got as far as Heatherley.

• First Series — first of 12 episodes broadcast in January 2008
• Christmas Special — broadcast Sunday 21st December 2008 at 7.45pm on BBC1
• Second Series — first of 11 episodes broadcast at 8pm on Sunday 4th January 2009
• Third Series — first of 12 episodes broadcast at 8pm on Sunday 10th January 2010
• Fourth Series — first of six episodes broadcast at 8pm on Sunday 9th January 2011

See the BBC TV website

The series are now available to enjoy on DVD.

2008/2021: Lark Rise and Candleford in Japanese are now available.

May 2008: The Peverel Papers is now available.
It is the first time that these have been published in full, in chronological order and in one volume.

See what went on in 2007 to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Flora's death

Celebration of Flora's 130th birthday Ann Mallinson organised readings from Flora's work at a meeting in Liphook Library on Tuesday 5th December 2006. The photo shows (from the left) Gill Lindsay (Flora's biographer), John Owen Smith (publisher of Heatherley and The Peverel Papers), Brenda Adams (actor), Flora's statue, Anne Silver (hidden, from the Bramshott & Liphook Preservation Society), and Anne Mallinson.

Dramatic re-creations, 2006/7
Headley Theatre Club ran Flora's Heatherley during May 2006 (130th anniverary of Flora's birth) and Flora's Peverel during 2007 (60th anniversary of her death), touring locally in the area of Grayshott and Liphook, in east Hampshire – see details.

Flora Thompson Museum
The Old Gaol Museum, Buckingham now has a permanent Flora Thompson exhibition.

A Flora Thompson Society?
At the present time there is no Flora Thompson Society. Gillian Lindsay (her first biographer) and I would like to start one. If anyone else has an interest in helping to create and run such a Society, please contact me in the first instance.

April 2004: Flora's house at 'Lark Rise', a 'one-up, one-down with some later additions', sold for £350,000 – picture

INFORMATION from the 1901 census: Flora was at Yateley, Hampshire, working in the Post Office on 31st March 1901 – her occupation given as 'Post Office Clerk' – living with the sub postmaster William Bettesworth and his wife and their servant. This has come as something of a surprise, since we had expected her to be either in Grayshott or Bournemouth!

From the same source, we now see that John Thompson (aged 26, born Ryde) was working as a Post Office Clerk at nearby Aldershot (a boarder at 27 St Michael's Road). So the assumption is that they met then – as indeed Margaret Lane had stated in her introduction to A Country Calendar (p.19) where she says: "When she was twenty-four, however, this independent single life came to an end, for in the course of the penny readings and village soirées which went on in the neighbourhood she met John Thompson, a young post-office clerk from Aldershot, and as soon as he was transferred to the main post office in Bournemouth they were married."

[My thanks to Sarah Farley of the Hampshire Record Office for the census information]

We also believe we have identified from the 1901 census for Grayshott the house where Flora lodged and the identity of 'The Parkhursts'. See more.

Text of Flora's unfinished novel Dashpers is available from Mark Dashper in New Zealand

AT ANY TIME
Flora's Trail — See details of this guided walk from Grayshott to Griggs Green and back (5 miles each way) through the countryside which Flora loved.
If you are considering doing the walk and would like assistance, contact me.
An alternative 6-mile circular walk from Griggs Green, prepared by Anne Mallinson, is available from East Hampshire District Council (01730 266551) or local Information Centres.

2007 was the 60th anniversary of Flora Thompson's death – the following events happened…

Friday 18th May 2007: 7.30pm – Talk and musical performance by Doctor Gillian Warson (author of Fact and Fiction: Flora Thompson and the Fewcott Part book, a book about Flora's grandfather, John Dibber), at the Old Gaol Museum, Buckingham.

Monday 21st May 2007: 2.30pm – Anne Mallinson organised her annual tribute in Liphook Library; with readings from Flora's works and a posy of flowers laid at the base of the sculpture.

Friday 25th May 2007: 11am – Opening of the new Flora Thompson audio-visual exhibition at the Old Gaol Museum, Buckingham.

Friday 25th May 2007: 8pm – Presentation and musical performance by the Ashley Hutchings ensemble band at Buckingham Community Centre. Ashley Hutchings was the musical director and performer on the original 'Keith Dewhurst/Albion Band' productions of 'Lark Rise' and 'Candleford', at the Cottesloe National theatre in 1979, as recorded in 1980. He was instrumental in forming 'Steeleye Span', 'Fairport Convention', 'The Albion Band', and currently heads up 'Rainbow Chasers'. A selection of these traditional folk CDs can be found at the Old Gaol Museum, Buckingham.

Saturday 26th May 2007: 'Open Garden' event at 'Lark Rise Cottage', at Juniper Hill.

Saturday 26th May 2007: Afternoon – Production of 'Lark Rise' by the Wheatley and Garsington Barnstormers at Juniper Hill. This was the first performance of 'Lark Rise' actually at Lark Rise and Keith Dewhurst, who wrote the play, was present.

Sunday 27th May 2007: Noon – a blue plaque to Flora unveiled at The Ferns in Grayshott, Hampshire, where Flora lodged after she stopped living at the post office.

Wednesday 30th May 2007: 10.30am to 12.30pm – Old Gaol children's activity, 'Children's Victorian Games – To celebrate and discover the author, Flora Thompson'.

July 6th to 14th 2007: Jo Smith's Flora's Peverel was on tour in east Hampshire and west Surrey – see details
Fri 6 – Phoenix Arts Centre, Bordon
Sat 7 – Haslemere Museum (matinée)
Sun 8 – Rural Life Centre, Tilford (matinée)
Mon 9 – Petersfield library
Fr 13 – Liphook Millennium Hall
Sa 14 – Headley Village Hall

FOR FLORA THOMPSON — ENGLISH WRITER

— WANTED —
'The Peverel Monthly'

While she lived in Liphook, Flora started the Peverel Society — a postal writers circle — and issued 'The Peverel Monthly' to members.
We are trying to collect as many examples of this small magazine as possible. Unfortunately, because it was a publication within a private society, no examples were lodged with the British Library.
If anyone has an example in their keeping, or knows of any which still exist, contact me. I would be happy to accept photocopies of the original, or take copies ourselves.

— From the Peverel Book of Verse, c.1925—

Contents: (for those by Flora Thompson, see below)

Authors & Poem Nos.
Thomas Culshaw I, II, III.
Margaret Winefride Simpson IV, V, VI, VII, VIII.
May Doney IX, X.
Margaret Ferguson XI, XII, XIII.
Sister Mary Emmanuel, O.S.B XIV.
Eva Fitzmaurice XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII.
Edward McGlone XIX.
Muriel Freeman XX, XXI, XXII.
Martha Blane XXIII, XXIV, XXV.
Frances Hanlon XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX, XXX.
Barbara Flynn XXXI, XXXII.
James Lee XXXIII, XXXIV.
Alicia Ellard XXXV.
Florence Weston XXXVI.
S. M. Wycherley-Brookes XXXVII, XXXVIII, XXXIX.
Kathleen Todd XL, XLI.
Wynefred Baker XLII, XLIII.
Elsie Murray XLIV, XLV.
Catharine Hemming XLVI.
Winifred Robson XLVII, XLVIII.
Dorothy Baugh XLIX.
Thelma Roberts L.
Mariquita Gutierrez LI, LII, LIII, LIV.
Flora Thompson LV, LVI. (see below)

Soft showers of snowy petals
Bestrew the bright, lush green;
Blue smokewreaths wheel and thicken
As warm winds stir between,
And living tongues of flame
Put daffodils to shame.

And men shall make such fires,
And warm Spring winds blow free,
When all the great desires
Which rend the heart of me
Shall dwindle into dust,
For Time is just!

— TALKS —

On the Trail of Flora Thompson, Beyond Candleford Green — by John Owen Smith

The 45-minute talk tells of fourteen years during which Flora lived and worked in East Hampshire before she became famous.
It was one of her most prolific periods as a writer, a time during which she learned her craft and developed the style which eventually bore fruit in Lark Rise to Candleford.

The talk covers: her contacts with Arthur Conan Doyle and George Bernard Shaw during her time as Grayshott assistant sub-postmistress, an unrequited love affair, and a murder committed by her employer against his wife; then in Liphook: the initial tragedy of the First World War followed by a commitment during the 1920s which developed her writing skills towards the style which was to become internationally successful in 'Lark Rise'.

For rates and other details, contact me.

Click here to see the text of a different talk made in September 1998 at the Grayshott & Hindhead Literary Festival

Flora Thompson and the Fewcott Part Book — by Gillian Warson

Gillian Warson works as a teacher, musician and hymnodist. She lives in Bicester, Oxfordshire, and is available to speak at local history, church and general interest groups. She may be contacted on Facebook.

• Gillian Lindsay – Somerset
• Christine Bloxham – Oxford
• Ruth Hoffman – Naperville, Illinois, USA
• John Owen Smith – Headley Down, Hampshire

Please contact John Owen Smith in the first instance.

Other websites with information on Flora Thompson —

• Old Gaol Museum, Buckingham – who have a standing exhibition on Flora Thompson
  
• Cottisford site – includes offer of a personal guide round the church and 'Lark Rise' hamlets
• Sarah Farley's website – relating to Flora's time in Dartmouth
• BBC TV website – which is evolving, with our help, into a full-blown historical resource
  
  The papers of Flora Thompson are held at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center in The University of Texas at Austin. Their website shows a list of these.