Grayshott & Hindhead Literary Festival

1995–2001

Grayshott & Hindhead Literary Festival logo (9K)

A Rural Weekend for Readers and Writers
on the Surrey/Hampshire border

"The Party's Over"

My thanks to all who have participated in the five festivals which we have held over seven years

Here is a summary of the five programmes which we ran: 19951996199819992001List of Speakers

Location and History of the Grayshott / Hindhead areaLocal links

Those who attended have been very positive in their comments, and artistically the festival has been a great success – but sadly, delegate numbers have not been sufficient to keep it going any longer.

For those who may plan to run a similar venture in the future, there are lessons to be learned which we are very happy to discuss – contact us.

22-24th September 1995

TITLE OF TALK Speaker
FLORA THOMPSON Anne Mallinson
PROBLEMS OF A NOVELIST Dianne Doubtfire
GRAYSHOTT: LITERALLY SPEAKING Michael Nyman
DIARIES Simon Brett
WILLIAM COBBETT Molly Townsend
GILBERT WHITE June Chatfield
WRITERS WORKSHOP Simon Brett
SELF PUBLISHING LOCAL HISTORY John Owen Smith
JANE AUSTEN Jean Bowden
FROM THERE TO HERE Gordon Frater
‘ULYSSES’ - beginner’s guide Frank Startup
BOOK ILLUSTRATION Victor Ambrus
ARTISTIC SELF-EXPRESSION Eugene Fraser
PRACTICAL CRITICISM Frank Startup
COMMUNICATION Martin Muncaster
WRITING FOR THE STAGE John Dunne
BRUCE CHATWIN Nicholas Murray
G K CHESTERTON Nigel Forde
ACTING THE SCRIPT Philip Bird
EDWARD THOMAS Edward Eastaway Thomas
POETRY AS PERFORMANCE & WORKSHOP Martin Newell
THE PARADOX OF PROGRESS James Willis
KEYNOTE SPEAKER Rabbi Lionel Blue
Concert Savourna Stevenson (Harp), Guy Whatley (Organ)
Preview scenes from 'A Balance of Trust' The Centenary Players

20-22nd September 1996

TITLE OF TALK Speaker
ALFRED & GEORGE; GEORGE & ARTHUR (Tennyson, Eliot, Shaw & Doyle) Michael Nyman
FRANCES, COUNTESS LLOYD GEORGE Ruth Longford
THE BIRTH OF ‘DOWNS COUNTRY’ Colin Dunne
AMIS’ WOMEN & WELDON’S MEN Frank Startup
“PROSPERO POETS & CLARION TALES” Clarion Publishing
CHANGE IN THE LANDSCAPE Dr June Chatfield
DISCUSSION GROUP Frank Startup
HEROES AND VILLAINS Sophie Hannah
WRITING FOR CHILDREN Valerie Wilding
‘PARODIES’ Simon Brett
INTERVIEWING CELEBRITIES Gillian Thornton
DOYLE AT HINDHEAD Dr Jenny Ward
DISCUSSION GROUP Simon Brett
GEORGE STURT - THE MAN Michael Leishman
“DIALOGUE IN DRAMA” Rib Davis
GEORGE STURT - LOCAL WRITER, NATIONAL THINKER Dr David Gervais
ACTING & WRITING: NUTS & BOLTS Philip Bird
GROWING POINTS: HOW POEMS BEGIN U. A. Fanthorpe
THE RURAL WRITINGS & PLACES OF W. H. HUDSON Mike Wearing
ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING Jane Dorner
TARGET PRACTICE Simon Rae
NOW ON THE INTERNET Andrew Lyndon-Skeggs
“CYCLING IN CIRCLES” Josie Dew
A guided Literary Walk around the Grayshott area Dr June Chatfield
Extracts from ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ Bunbury Theatre Co
Children’s Literary Fancy Dress Competition
Alton Morris, Knickerbocker Glory & Minden Rose dancers

18-20th September 1998

TITLE OF TALK Speaker
HOW I FAILED IN MY AMBITION NOT TO WRITE NOVELS James Follett
THE EDGE OF THE DAY: POEMS & PROSE OF LAURIE LEE Paul Robinson
ON THE TRAIL OF FLORA THOMPSON John Owen Smith
WALTER DE LA MARE (1873–1956) Anne Harvey/Hugh Dickson
A FURTIVE IMAGINATION Simon Brett
SO YOU WANT TO BE A TRAVEL WRITER? Lyn Hughes
EMILY TENNYSON—THE POET’S WIFE AnnThwaite/Anne Harvey
ACTING SHAKESPEARE Philip Bird
LIFE AS A FREELANCE COMEDY WRITER Nick R Thomas
THE SPOTTED UNICORN Roger McGough
WRITE FUNNY Nick R Thomas
Introduction for 6–12 Year-Olds Peter Dixon
Play in a Box Sarah Jane Stevens
Create a Monster Liz Newman
Grow Your Own Poems Peter Corey & Peter Dixon
TV & THE MILITARY: THE UNSEEN BATTLES Jack Laurence
TELLING THE STORY THROUGH DIALOGUE Rib Davis
WAR EXPERIENCE: BOSNIA Michael Nicholson
COURAGE UNDER FIRE Max Arthur
AUNT SYBIL & PROBLEMS WITH THE VAMPIRE Laurence Staig
CROP CIRCLES: THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT Lucy Pringle
WRITING PEOPLE PIECES Gillian Thornton
MEN IN LOVE: 400 YEARS OF WHINING POETRY Frank Startup
STORY ADAPTATION FOR SCREEN Deborah Moggach
Flora’s Heatherley a Play in 2 acts

17-19th September 1999

TITLE OF TALK Speaker
WHEELING SYSTEMS Frank Startup
GETTING INTO PRINT Michael Legat
MARIANNE NORTH Laura Ponsonby
THE WORKSHOP Carole Baldock
MORE ACTING SHAKESPEARE Philip Bird
POETRY WORKSHOP David Orme
ILLUSTRATION & IMAGINATION Marc Vyvyan-Jones
RADIO & OTHER POEMS Sean Street
SHAW & THE ACTRESSES Toni Kanal
YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP Sarah Harrison
WRITING TO ORDER Thomas Hinde
POETRY Vicki Feaver
GOODNIGHT MR TOM Michelle Magorian
THE TESTAMENT Max Arthur
MAKING A FILM John Laurence
SIR MAX BEERBOHM Moray Watson
A CRIME IN RHYME Simon Brett
SERPENT IN PARADISE Dea Birkett
JOHN BETJEMAN Paul Robinson
THE WIND IN MY WHEELS Josie Dew
THE MEMORY OF ALL THAT Bryan Forbes
A Literary Musical Soirée at St Edmund’s School
Laughter & Intrigue Charles Collingwood and Judy Bennett of ‘The Archers’

17-19th September 2001

TITLE OF TALK Speaker
NATURE DIARIES Dr June Chatfield
EDWARD THOMAS: YES, I REMEMBER Chris Brown
FOREVER YOUNG Open Door Drama Productions
NATURE WALK Dr June Chatfield
A LIFE IN WRITING: THE PRIVILEGE, PAIN & PASSION Graham Hurley
BLOOD AND GUTS: BRING YOUR PLAYS TO LIFE Claire Booker
THE CURSE OF SUTTON PLACE Deryn Lake
MAPLE LEAF MEMORIES Tony Douglass
BUSTIN’ OUT ALL OVER Janet Jerram
‘P’ IS FOR PUBLISHER Michael Legat
A JOURNEY IN POETRY Beryl Cross
NOTES FROM A SMALL TOWN Tony Cross
‘TAKING CONTROL’ Marcus Parry
PERFORMING POETS Grayshott Primary School
HOW I STARTED Dee Williams
CRACKING THE SHORT STORY MARKET Iain Pattison
HUBERT PARRY Laura Ponsonby
TENNYSON: VICTORIA’S LAUREATE Marion Shaw
WRITING FOR CHILDREN Valerie Wilding
THE GREAT REPERTORY EXPERIENCE Ian Mullins
CREATING CHARACTERS FOR SCRIPTS Rib Davis
FLORA THOMPSON John Owen Smith
IN CONCLUSION, STINGS & VICTORIES Frank Startup
The Broomsquire a play in 2 acts

List of Speakers

Our list of Past Speakers covers the range of genres, styles, content and presentation: from modern to historical, poetical to prosaic, dramatic to novel, fiction to factual — and paper to electronic.

Victor Ambrus 1995
Max Arthur 1998, 1999
Carole Baldock 1999
Philip Bird 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999
Claire Booker 2001
Jean Bowden 1995
Simon Brett 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999
Chris Brown 2001
June Chatfield 1995, 2001
Clarion Publishing 1996
Beryl Cross 2001
Tony Cross 2001
Rib Davis 1996, 1998, 2001
Josie Dew 1996, 1999
Hugh Dickson 1998
Tony Douglass 2001
Nigel Forde 1995
Colin Dunne 1996
U. A. Fanthorpe 1996
Vicki Feaver 1999
James Follett 1998
Bryan Forbes 1999
Adam Forde 2001
Nigel Forde 1995
Eugene Fraser 1995, 1996
Gordon Frater 1995
Dr David Gervais 1996
Sophie Hannah 1996
Sarah Harrison 1999
Anne Harvey 1998
Thomas Hinde 1999
Lyn Hughes 1998
Graham Hurley 2001
Janet Jerram 2001
Toni Kanal 1999
Deryn Lake 2001
Jack Laurence 1998, 1999
Michael Legat 1999, 2001
Michael Leishman 1996, 2001
Ruth Longford 1996
Andrew Lyndon-Skeggs 1996
Michelle Magorian 1999
Anne Mallinson 1995
Roger McGough 1998
Deborah Moggach 1998
Ian Mullins 2001
Martin Muncaster 1995, 1996, 2001
Nicholas Murray 1995
Martin Newell 1995
Michael Nicholson 1998
Michael Nyman 1995, 1996
David Orme 1999
Marcus Parry 2001
Iain Pattison 2001
Laura Ponsonby 1999, 2001
Lucy Pringle 1998
Simon Rae 1996
Paul Robinson 1998, 1999
Local schools 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001
Marion Shaw 2001
John Owen Smith 1995, 1998, 2001
Laurence Staig 1998
Frank Startup 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001
Sean Street 1999
Nick R Thomas 1998
Gillian Thornton 1996, 1998
Ann Thwaite 1998
Molly Townsend 1995
Marc Vyvyan-Jones 1999
Dr Jenny Ward 1996
Moray Watson 1999
Mike Wearing 1996
Valerie Wilding 1996, 2001
Dee Williams 2001

In particular, we would like to thank Simon Brett, who has been our Patron for the full seven years of our existence


Location and History of Grayshott and Hindhead

Grayshott and Hindhead lie at the spot where one of the most easterly points of the county of Hampshire meets Surrey.
In geographical terms, the villages sit on spurs radiating from the prominent rise (895 ft) at Hindhead known as Gibbet Hill. It was the attraction of this height with its air "as pure as that in the Alps," along with the arrival of the railway at nearby Haslemere in 1859, which encouraged a number of famous Victorians to buy up property and build houses in the area.
Before this, the district was largely a wild and lawless area of open heathland, only sparsely inhabited by drovers and ‘broomsquires’—the latter making brooms from the birch and heather which grew locally.
Enclosure acts passed in the mid-1850s allowed the land to be sold off in lots, and the villages as we see them today started to develop from that time. Previously the only significant dwellings in the area had been around the site of the present Grayshott Hall, then a farmhouse.
In 1867, Tennyson (not yet a Lord) rented the house for about a year while looking for land on which to build, eventually choosing a site near Blackdown on the other side of Haslemere.
In 1898, George Bernard Shaw came to spend his honeymoon at Pitfold House, and returned to stay for about two years more at the building which is now St Edmund’s School. Here he joined Arthur Conan Doyle, who had decided to live at Hindhead for his wife’s health, and several other literary notables of the day also took up residence nearby.
At that time, the telegraph office was in Grayshott, and a young lady named Flora Timms who worked there wrote of "listening with delight to their conversation as they met with friends at the counter," but she tells us she never dared to join in. She later moved away, married, and became Flora Thompson, famous in her own right for writing Lark Rise to Candleford. Her less well-known novel Heatherley tells of her time at Grayshott.
Never far away from Grayshott & Hindhead are many hundreds of acres of unspoilt land, much of it owned by the National Trust, on which modern-day visitors, like Flora Thompson before them, may enjoy the freedom of walking across miles of open country, adorned in season by carpets of purple heather and bushes of yellow gorse.
Whitmore Vale and Golden Valley, Hindhead with its famous Devil’s Punchbowl and magnificent views, Ludshott Common and the three tree-edged ponds of Waggoners Wells—these should all be visited —and at the end of a day full of healthy exercise, the hotels and restaurants of Grayshott and Hindhead will be ready to refresh you.


Our thanks to the Sponsors and Supporters of the Festival, who included:—

Visit the Grayshott Village site for more local information


— This web site maintained by John Owen Smith