Saturday 10th May 6pm - £8.50
The Folk Collective

Folk, Poetry and Song

The Folk Collective is made up of three core members, Martin Olyett, Kim Olyett and Julian Mount.
Based in Ludlow, Shropshire, they have been performing together for over 10 years and have all been performers for most of their lives.
The Folk Collective offer entertainment at a variety of events including Folk Clubs, Concerts,
Literary Festivals, Folk Festivals, Coffee Shops, Bookshops and private events.
At an event with The Folk CollectIve, expect to hear Poetry, traditional Folk Songs from the British and American tradition as well as self-penned compositions. Drama performed with fun and humour, but also with gritty and darker themes. Subjects include the every day always with a quirky, humorous but realistic perspectve.
The Folk Collective love to play live and create an immediate and excellent rapport with audiences large or small.
The Folk Collective can perform live acoustic or with light or full amplification. Some of their
sound equipment can run without a mains supply making it easy for them to set up and perform in any location.
Previous recent events featuring The Folk Collective have included:
The Rickmansworth Folk Festival, The St Albans Folk Festival, The Chiltern Open Air Museum, AJK Radio, BBC Three Counties Radio, Brimfield Folk Club, Ludlow Folk Club and a range of other events large and small.

Questions?
Contact The Folk Collective any tme:
Kim Olyett 07759 161563 Email: olyett@aol.com
Martin Olyett 07926 594630 Email: olyett@aol.com
Julian Mount 07778 526489 Email: JulianMount@outlook.com

Wednesday 21st May 6pm - £8.50
Brian Anderson

South Georgia

‘The decaying remnants of South Georgia’s whaling past contrast against the richness of the wildlife now reclaiming the island’

Wirral based photographer & lecturer, Brian Anderson, has travelled widely, N to S, from the Geographic North Pole to Antarctica, and E to W from Japan to Galápagos, capturing images of landscapes, wildlife and people.

Brian‘s fascination with South Georgia began 20 years ago on his first visit to Antarctica and its sub-antarctic islands.

This new talk takes us from South Georgia’s discovery, its whaling industry, the subsequent clean up and removal of alien species, to the ‘remarkable biological renaissance’ now taking place on the island. Richly illustrated with Brian‘s stunning images from 3 trips to South Georgia, this talk is a must for all lovers of nature, and not to be missed.

Friday 23rd May 6pm - £8.50
Tom Mead

Golden Age Murder Mysteries

Tom Mead is the author of the Golden Age-inspired Joseph Spector locked-room mystery series, soon to be adapted for the screen. His debut novel, DEATH AND THE CONJUROR, has been published in ten languages (and counting), nominated for several awards, and named one of the best mysteries of the year by The Guardian and Publishers Weekly. Its sequel, THE MURDER WHEEL, was described as “pure nostalgic pleasure” by the Wall Street Journal and “a delight” by the Daily Mail. It was also named one of the Best Traditional Mysteries of 2023 by Crimereads and the Daily Telegraph, as well as nominated for a Capital Crime Award and the CWA Historical Dagger Award. His third novel, CABARET MACABRE was published in August 2024.

From Agatha Christie to Ellery Queen and John Dickson Carr, the Golden Age Murder Mystery remains a firm favourite with readers. The deliciously complex whodunit has been enjoying a renaissance in recent years thanks to the likes of Anthony Horowitz, Elly Griffiths and Martin Edwards. Join detective fiction aficionado Tom Mead, who has been called "the current master of the locked-room mystery" for a talk about the genre's origins, and why we love it so much. Tom will also be signing copies of his own books: the Golden Age-inspired Joseph Spector series.

Tuesday 27th May 6pm - £8.50
Gareth Owen

Rhyme Time

Prize-winning poet, Gareth Owen, reads a selection of his poems, written for and about childhood: that odd country we have all travelled through. Poems that are sad, serious and sometimes plain silly.
E.G...
• Knight call
• Guinevere knew straight away
• When King Arthur came to call
• By his cheery cry of ‘Honey I’m home!’
• And the clanking in the hall.

Friday 30th May 6pm - £8.50
Mike Leaver

Meet Eccentric Author and Adventurer Mike Leaver

Eccentric Mike Leaver lives totally offgrid in a self-converted lorry in Snowdonia. Author of 2 bizarre-but-true autobiographies and 3 romantic saga novels in just 5 years, pensioner Mike loves writing and outdoor adventures. In a Q&A conversation with his friend/publicist Ian Spindley, Mike discusses his unconventional lifestyle, unique books, and simple philosophy. He has appeared in many UK media - recent videos on YouTube have attracted around 2 million views and 10 thousand likes - and is happy to answer any questions and sign copies.
www.mikeleaverauthor.co.uk

Saturday 31st May 6pm - £8.50
Cora B B

In the Shadow of the Linney

Cora B B was born in Wolverhampton; her father was from Wolverhampton and her mother was born and raised in Ludlow. All Cora’s holidays whilst growing up were taken in Ludlow with her maternal grandparents. She roamed the hills and wandered the narrow lanes, visiting the many churches and historical castle around the town; Not realising one special lady in her past, had a story to tell.

Elizabeth Charmer; first came to the notice of Cora in 2008, when Pentabus Theatre Company in association with Ludlow Library and Museum Resource Centre, along with Shropshire County Archives produced ‘Footfalls’ on the Nag’s Head Yard, Ludlow.

Over the next few years Cora delved into the history of Elizabeth.

In the Shadow of the Linney is fiction based on a true character, Elizabeth Charmer, who was born and bred in Ludlow. All other characters are fictional. The aim was to share my love of Ludlow and create an empathy for a woman of her time.

Sunday 1st June 5pm - £8.50
Marilyn Miller

The Cantering Tales: from the horse's mouth

This presentation ‘riffs’ on Chaucerian origins. The Canterbury Tales have been described as ‘an epic of Englishness’ by his biographer, Peter Ackroyd.
The Tales actually sit on the threshold between oral and written English in the 14th century. Their complex oral linguistic origins helped to establish vernacular English, with visible roots in the Latin of Dante and the church, and the French of Chaucer’s diplomatic and political world as a civil servant. Middle English is multi-lingual and national boundaries were as contested then as they are today.
My presentation finds other voices, as varied as Chaucer’s own. Beginning with an introduction to the versatile Chaucerian background, we move on into The Cantering Tales, told straight from the horses’ mouth.
These horsey pilgrims tell their Chaucerian style tales as they wend their way from the Wrekin across Wales to their sacred destiny: an island paradise in the Dyfi Estuary.

Thursday 5th June 6pm - £8.50
Mike Piercy

Careering

Educated initially in Africa then shipped to a UK boarding school, Mike Piercy stumbled and careered into teaching. Rising in time to leadership he became Head of three Prep Schools over a 25-year period. Those who had taught him might well express surprise at this and, reflecting, he would be inclined to join them. Some of the curious characters he met along the way have informed his educational philosophy and eventual leadership. Bizarre events sometimes beggared belief but developed the skill of expecting the unexpected.
Mike was Head of our own local Prep School, Moor Park, from 2001 to 2008. He recalls those days as some of the happiest, most fulfilling days as a school leader.
Parenting can be tough. Having taught thousands of children, little, large, bold, reticent, working with their parents, his personal experiences in Careering are intended to engender encouragement, inspire confidence and, at times, arouse amusement.

Friday 6th June 6pm - £8.50
Catherine Chanter

Staring from here  

Catherine Chanter’s prizewinning, dystopian novel, The Well, was a Richard and Judy pick and an international bestseller. It was followed by the psychological thriller, The Half Sister, also published by Canongate, and then in 2022 by a memoire, A Child in the Middle. This work of non-fiction explores the stories which surround adoption from both a personal and professional perspective. What all three books have in common is that they are deeply rooted in the hills, forests and rivers of South Shropshire where she lives and in this talk Catherine will consider the impact of our local landscape on her writing.

Catherine has worked for many years in the field of education and child mental health in a wide variety of settings, including schools, in-patient units in the NHS and Social Care. She is a published poet, written for Radio 4 and taught creative writing to students of all ages and abilities. You can find out more at www.catherinechanter.co.uk.

Saturday 7th June and Sunday 8th June 7pm - £10
Starkadder Productions Present

Cold Comfort Farm - A playreading

"There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort"
COLD COMFORT FARM is a much-loved bestseller written by Stella Gibbons, and first published in 1932.
This brand new script brings to life the humorous clash between the high-minded sophisticate, Flora Poste, and the earthy obstinacy of the entire Starkadder tribe of Howling, West Sussex. 

Tuesday 10th June 6pm - £8.50
Rebecca Tope

Crime in the Countryside

Rebecca Tope has over forty crime novels published, all set in rural England.
Devon, the Cotswolds and the Lake District each has its own series. Her protagonists are female amateur sleuths, namely a house-sitter and a florist. In recent years she has also self-published a number of non-fiction books.

Wednesday 11th June 6pm - £8.50
Annie Garthwaite

Mother-in-War

Annie Garthwaite, acclaimed author of Cecily, returns to the Book Shop Garden as her much anticipated second novel is published in paperback.

With energy and ambition, The King’s Mother takes us from the Wars of the Roses to the dawn of the Tudor age – and tells the story of those era-defining wars through the eyes of four women who shaped and suffered them: Cecily Neville, King’s Mother; Marguerite of Anjou, deposed Queen; Elizabeth Woodville, betrayed wife; and Margaret Beaufort, mother to an exiled son.

Reading from The King’s Mother Annie will describe all that these women did and were driven to do to win the crown for their sons and become King’s Mother themselves. “This,” she says, “is a story of mothers and sons; of maternal ferocity and female ambition – and of all the terror that families can inflict upon themselves.”

And, by focusing on what these women wanted, suffered, knew and did, The King’s Mother gives us a fresh take on some of English history’s most enduring mysteries: Was Edward IV’s marriage bigamous and his children bastards? Why did he order the execution of his brother George, years after forgiving his treason? And did Richard III murder his brother’s children, the Princes in the Tower? The women were there – and they know the truth.

Annie’s first novel, Cecily, was named a ‘top pick' by The Times and Sunday Times and a 'Best Book of the Year' by independent bookshops and Waterstones. It has now been optioned for television

Join us and be among the first to hear this fabulous story!

Tuesday 17th June 6pm - £8.50
Ashley Mantle

Henry I: In the Shadow of the Conqueror

King Henry I is arguably one of England’s greatest monarchs but one little known to the general public. Sandwiched between the reigns of his much more famous father, William the Conqueror and the Anarchy of his nephew, King Stephen’s reign, Henry has been unduly overshadowed.

The youngest of William the Conqueror’s three surviving sons, Henry began life with little prospects. Using his cunning and with the vicissitudes of fate, he was able to rise up to become king of England and, after defeating his eldest brother in battle, Duke of Normandy. Unfortunately, Henry had to battle to keep hold of his inheritance in a time of wavering loyalties which would include the glorious highs of victory in battle against the king of France surmounted by tragic loss.

Ashley Mantle is an author and historian who specialises in the Angevin and Norman periods of English history. He has written two books, King John: A Brief History and his latest release, Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take The Throne. He is currently writing a, Henry I: In the Shadow of the Conqueror, due to be released by Amberley Publishing next year. He lives in Worcestershire.

Friday 20th June 6pm - £8.50
Readings by Linda Hart and Max Hunt

A.E. Housman – poems about love, landscape and Ludlow

From the home where he grew up in Worcestershire, Housman (1859-1936) would look to the western horizon on his frequent walks. The orchards and farms, the fields and footpaths, of south Shropshire made a huge impression on the young man.

In the 1890s, when he was a professor of Latin in London, that “western brookland” provided the setting for his poems about luckless lads who die young, love that is unrequited, and nature that briefly provides consolation. Linda and Max will read poems from A Shropshire Lad that are full of passion and yearning, nostalgia and beauty. Housman wrote one memorable phrase after another: ‘those blue remembered hills’, ‘the land of lost content’, ‘see the coloured counties’, ‘loveliest of trees, the cherry now….’, and ‘May comes tomorrow, and Ludlow fair again’.

Saturday 21st June 6pm - £8.50
Marilyn Pemberton

Fairy tales are just for children, aren't they ?

In this talk I give a whistle-stop tour of the history of the fairy tale and, using one well-known fairy tale as an example, show how and why tales have been re-told and purposefully changed and sanitised over the years.
I finish by reading a fairy tale that is included in my novel, A Teller of Tales, which is book 1 in the Grandmothers' Footsteps series. 

Tuesday 24th June 6pm - £8.50
Clare Smout

The History of Women on Stage: Academic Editing – Would I Do It Again?

This is one of two paired talks on The Palgrave History of Women on Stage, which Clare recently co-edited. The first focuses on the process of academic editing, the second on the book’s content.

The History of Women on Stage consists of 875 pages, 34 chapters, 7 section introductions, 80 columns of index entries and contributions from 38 different authors. Putting this together was a mammoth undertaking, made sometimes easier and sometimes more difficult by sharing the work as co-editors.

This talk looks at what academic editing involves and some of the highs and lows of working on this specific book. A chance to ask questions about what it’s really like.

Clare Smout spent the first half of her career working in theatre and the second as an academic researcher, writer and university lecturer. She currently runs regular courses on Shakespeare at Ludlow Assembly Rooms and elsewhere.

Friday 27th June 6pm - £8.50
Clare Smout

The History of Women on Stage: Exploring the Content

This is the second of two paired talks on The Palgrave History of Women on Stage, which Clare recently co-edited. The first of these focused on the process of academic editing; this talk looks at the book’s content.

The History of Women on Stage stretches from the birth of western drama in ancient Greece to trans women of the 21st century; it features work from all 6 of the world’s inhabited continents. Contributors are a mix of academics and theatre practitioners.

This talk discusses the scope of this book, looking in particular at themes which occur repeatedly and moments of change or particular importance.

Clare Smout spent the first half of her career working in theatre and the second as an academic researcher, writer and university lecturer. She currently runs regular courses on Shakespeare at Ludlow Assembly Rooms and elsewhere.

Saturday 28th June 6pm - £8.50
Rebecca Batley

Postponed due to ill health. Will be rescheduled for a later date.

Anne Neville

With the discovery of Richard III’s body in 2012 interest in this most controversial of kings has never been higher, but what of his little mentioned wife Ann Neville? Anne Neville had many faces. Shakespeare presents her to us as a woman consumed with rage, bitterness and grief. She rages, screams and weeps but ultimately she is shown as nothing more than a passive victim of the men who used and exploited her. This could not be further from the truth. Born into one of the most powerful dynasties in medieval England, Anne knew her worth, and her power. She was a great survivor escaping the tide of blood that consumed England, not just alive but she emerged with a crown on her head. Tragedy would untimely engulf her, the death of her son ended all her hopes for a lasting legacy and her premature death was subject to rumour and speculation: but there is undoubtedly more to Anne than her marriage and her end. She is both fascinating and elusive. A powerbroker and very much her father’s daughter - it’s time to meet the real Anne Neville.

Rebecca Batley is by profession an archaeologist and historian with over 20 years experience and a particular interest in women’s history. She has worked for the Museum of London, the Louvre, Wessex Archaeology, TVAS, EACHTRA and various archives. She is also a writer who has had her work published in publications such as New Scientist, Nautilus, History Scotland and the Essex Journal of Archeology. 

Sunday 29th June 5pm - £8.50
Rachel Spence

Daughter of the Sun

Ludlow poet Rachel Spence will read from her new collection Daughter of the Sun. From the gentle rivers of Shropshire to the heat-baked seas of Greece, Daughter of the Sun radiates with mothers and tracks our orbits around them.

Described by acclaimed poet Ella Frears as "utterly readable and gorgeously crafted" Daughter of the Sun is split into two parts, a sonnet sequence recounting Spence’s time reconnecting with her estranged mother followed by a bold rewriting of the myth of Medea which imagines her not as a murderous witch but a child-free scientist ahead of her time.

Based between Ludlow, London and Venice, Rachel has published six poetry collections. She is also an arts writer - her non-fiction book Battle for the Museum was an FT Book of the Year in 2024.
For more information,
please visit her website:
www.rachelspence.co.uk.

Tuesday 1st July 6pm - £8.50
Caroline Millar

Katherine of Aragon: But for her sex, she would have surpassed all the heroes of history

Was Katherine of Aragon really as dour, miserable and needy as she’s sometimes painted? OF ARAGON is a novel by Caroline Willcocks which shows Katherine as passionate and intelligent as any man at the Tudor Court. King Henry the Eighth adored his beautiful wife for many years, and was influenced by her in both his diplomacy and religious observance. As regent, she led the English to victory against the marauding Scots, and she played a central part in Henry’s European diplomacy.

First married to Henry’s brother, Arthur Tudor, she spent much of her marriage in Ludlow. Were the two teenagers intimate before Arthur died? It remains a mystery. But what did or did not happen in Ludlow castle would have a major impact on Katherine, Henry and the future of the Church in England.

Caroline Willcocks has worked in freelance journalism, the theatre and refugee charities. Now a full time writer she lives in Herefordshire with her husband the poet John Pare, two cats and a dog. 

Thursday 3rd July 6pm - £8.50
Richard Uridge and Neil Wilson

Poetry as A New Beginning

Two professionals, both journalists, newly arrived to the joys of poetry writing, will read from their work in the Secret Garden.

Neil Wilson was born in the far north of England and lived in various places before moving to London. He read Philosophy, Politics & Economics at Oxford and then became a financial journalist and editor, running newsletter groups for more than 20 years. He started writing poetry during the pandemic lockdown, culminating in a collection called Covid-19 karma – reflecting on life and death, love and relationships, the search for meaning and a sense of belonging. He will be reading some selections from that plus subsequent pieces..

Richard Uridge returns to the Secret Garden to join Neil Wilson. Composing his cycle of poems about the Shropshire landscape have helped him to recover from the grief and shock of his mother’s brutal murder. These shockingly direct poems look at ideas of beauty and the wild places between grief, loss and childhood memory. Richard was a journalist at the BBC, and formerly presenting Open Country. 

Friday 4th July 6pm - £8.50
Pam Scobie and Gareth Owen

Him and Her

Poetry of She and He, Man and Woman, Boys and Girls, Guys and Dolls and everything in between.
Written and read by Prize-winning poets, Pam Scobie and Gareth Owen.

Sat 5th July 6pm - £8.50
Danielle Burton

Charles Dickens: Champion of the Poor?

Charles Dickens has inherited a legacy of showcasing the poor and working class life of Victorian society, even changing the social discourse on the matter, but how much of this really can be attributed to Dickens himself?

Sunday 6th July 5pm - £8.50
Kate Innes

An Ancient Haunting

An enthralling illustrated talk about the dangers and discoveries behind Kate Innes’s latest novel, including unscrupulous priests, ambitious archaeologists, autocratic millionaires, gold rings, earthquakes and lost tombs on the ancient Aegean island of Crete.

The Palace of Knossos in 1930 is the setting for this supernatural adventure exploring the archaeology of the Minoan Civilisation and some of the fascinating real people who lived and worked there – from the perspective of a young girl with extraordinary gifts.

An Ancient Haunting is Book One of a new series exploring iconic archaeological sites – The Lily Ash Adventures. For readers aged 10+

The talk will be followed by a reading and Q&A.

Some secrets refuse to stay buried . . .

Abandoned by her mother, bullied at boarding school, haunted by a poltergeist. Lily Ash is only 12, but she already thinks her life can’t get any worse. Then her uncle forces her to join his next archaeological excavation on the Greek island of Crete.

As she explores the ancient site of Knossos with local boy Micky, Lily discovers that its powerful spirits have been waiting a very long time for someone with her psychic abilities.

Tuesday 8th July 6pm - £8.50
Eleanor Rawling

Walking Gloucestershire with Ivor Gurney

Ivor Gurney (1890-1937) is best known as a musician and First World War poet but he also wrote vividly and prolifically about his native Gloucestershire, finding inspiration and joy in walking the countryside and expressing its different moods. ‘Out in the morning / For a speed of thought I went’ - (Old Times)

In her latest book, Walking Gloucestershire with Ivor Gurney, Eleanor Rawling draws on his poetry and letters to follow his footsteps through the landscape. The 20 circular walks not only illuminate Gurney’s life and creativity but provide opportunities for readers to explore their own relationship to a rapidly changing countryside. Confined to a mental asylum for the last 15 years of his life, Gurney’s later poems are often cries of absence and loss in which the poet wanders ghost-like through the Cotswold Hills and Severn Meadows of his youth. ‘The empty joys of wasted air / That blow on Crickley and whimper wanting me’ (What Evil Coil)

Eleanor Rawling is a writer, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an educationalist (Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Department of Education 1991–2023). She is Newsletter Editor of the Ivor Gurney Society and has led numerous walks in Gurney’s Gloucestershire. Having been born and brought up in Gloucestershire, she has a passion for its landscapes and places.

Copies of Walking Gloucestershire with Ivor Gurney and of Eleanor’s previous book Ivor Gurney’s Gloucestershire; exploring poetry and place (2011, History Press) will be available at the event.

Photo Gloucestershire Archives

Postponed - Will be rescheduled for a later date.

Friday 11th July 6pm - £8.50
Russell Edwards

Naming Jack the Ripper – The Definitive Reveal

•Identity of Jack the Ripper finally proven 136 years after the murders
•Victorian shawl offers up DNA to unlock the mystery
•DNA testing proves conclusively that Aaron Kosminski was the killer

In 2007, businessman Russell Edwards bought a Victorian shawl at an auction. In his book, Naming Jack the Ripper, Russell Edwards details the years of dedicated historical and scientific research that have gone into proving without doubt that Aaron Kosminski was Jack the Ripper.

The extensive historical research, combined with advanced DNA testing conducted by leading forensic geneticist Dr. Jari Louhelainen of Liverpool John Moores University, has linked the shawl to the descendants of both Aaron Kosminski and his victim. Crucially, DNA extracted from blood and semen stains on the shawl matched the genetic profiles of the descendants of Catherine Eddowes and her killer.

Saturday 12th July 6pm - £8.50
AJ West

An Intimate Evening of Drinks and Nibbles with Novelist and Broadcaster AJ West

AJ will discuss the history of the molly houses which inspired his Sunday Times No2 bestselling novel The Betrayal of Thomas True. Some of the most memorable parts of the book were written in the garrets above the Castle Bookshop so the stories will also touch on how Ludlow's buildings and local characters came to inspire AJ's depiction of Georgian London. All friends and fans welcome for a relaxed evening of time travel back to Britain's bawdy past

Friday 1st August 6pm - £8.50
Melita Thomas

1000 Tudor People

1000 Tudor People – join us for a fabulous evening of Tudor splendour and intrigue

Author, historian and scholar, Melita Thomas, gives a vivid insight into some of the fascinating characters who populate her new book, 1000 Tudor People. Monarchs, military and religious leaders, Lord Chancellors, Knights of the Garter, philosophers, merchants, gardeners, musicians, rebels, witches, and many, many more feature in her critically acclaimed compendium of Tudor personalities.

Melita is a member of the much-loved Tudor Players, and will be delivering her talk dressed as a member of the gentry would have been attired during this period. She will explain the significance of various elements of the elegant, yet practical, clothes worn by a Tudor lady.

Melita will be delighted to answer any questions you have and to sign copies of 1000 Tudor People.

Saturday 2nd August 6pm - £8.50
Annie Muscutt

Wings of Words Storytelling
An Evening with The Gods

Annie Muscutt is a local lady of the shire, passionate to the core about storytelling. After many happy years of teaching, Wings of Words Storytelling was created to bring that passion from the classroom into the wider world of storytelling and has since basked in the warm appreciation of many different audiences.

An evening with the Gods transports you to the captivating world of the Greek Myths. A landscape steeped in magic and adventure, frequented by some of the finest fantastical creatures literature has ever presented. Where the lives of the Gods and Mortals frequently intertwine, for nothing comes to pass without a divine witness.

Bringing chosen stories to life, Annie will create a realm for you to witness the beliefs of the past that shaped the history we know today.

“ A rare talent not to be missed”

Thursday 7th August 6pm - £8.50
Pop-Up Rooftop

Ludlow Tales

A crackling collection of performances, readings and music bringing together tales, songs and poetry from Ludlow's past and present.
Tickets include a free glass of booze!

Thursday 14th August 6pm - £8.50
Colin Richards

Hands Across Europe

Colin Richards will give an illustrated presentation on a joint project to share expertise and crafts people in the repair of Ludlow Town Wall and that of the Walls around the fortified town of Sighisoara Transylvania. The talk will also cover opportunities for a two way cultural exchange between the two towns providing opportunities for many different groups and societies to learn about and share experiences of life at the opposite ends of Europe.

Wednesday 13th August 8pm - £8.50
Out Door Screening

DREAMBOAT - The Tragedy of Percy Bysshe Shelly

Following the success of the short film Lift Me Up I Am Dying about the death of John Keats, Pelé Cox and her company of actors, directors and dancers have made the second in the trilogy, DREAMBOAT - The Tragedy of Percy Bysshe Shelley. The films chart the last weeks of these young men who died just a year apart in Italy and are among some of the most significant moments in literary history. Edited and scenes shot in Ludlow , even upstairs at Castle Bookshop in Ludlow, the films put these 19th Century poets in front of the lens, highlighting the way in which to this day they remain role models for our literary imagination. DREAMBOAT premiered at GATHER in December.

POSTPONED

Friday 15th August 6pm - £8.50
A special reading by Poetry Students from Pelé Cox’s writing programme at Gather

Writing to Read Out

Gather is a multi-use arts space in Ludlow, focused on rural contemporary practices they offer a robust programme for writing and the visual arts. At this reading, the 2024 cohort of Pelé Cox's Gather writing programme bring their favourite pieces to share with you all. From prose to poetry, the works are reflective, experimental, relevant and represent the undercurrents of emergent writing practice in Ludlow today.

Photo by Andy Hughes.

Sunday 17th August 5pm - £8.50
Jem Roberts

Blackadder to Betelgeuse

Ludlovian author, comedy historian and folklorist Jem Roberts is the OFFICIAL chronicler for all of British comedy's greatest creations – a life he embarked on in 2009, when Graeme Garden and Barry Cryer made him the authorised historian for the greatest radio comedy of all time, I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue. Next came The True History of the Black Adder, and in 2014 Jem became Douglas Adams' last ever official biographer, with the publication of the celebrated guide to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Frood.

He has also written the ultimate celebration of The Rutles, The Beatles and rock 'n' roll comedy in 2020's Fab Fools, but this year he celebrates the arrival of his 100% officially authorised joint biography of Sir Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie, with Soupy Twists! finally released in a new paperback edition, and in audio.

Throughout these many works of comedy history, he has been honoured to have all sorts of comedy secrets unveiled to him by the greats, from being the first person to explore the incredible Douglas Adams archives at St John's College, Cambridge, and being handed the script to the unmade Blackadder Christmas Special Blackadder In Bethlehem by Richard Curtis himself, to Stephen Fry's generous delivery to Roberts of the entire Fry & Laurie sketch archive, hours of hilarious material which never made it to the screen.

In this fun, casual and gag-packed hour, Jem tells the story of his many clashes with the greats of British comedy, and shares the rare secret comedy jewels that have been shared with him over the years – including material which never even made it into his own books! 

Tuesday 26th August 6pm - £8.50
Clare Smout

The Women behind Shakespeare’s Success

This first of two talks about Shakespeare and Women looks at the women from Shakespeare’s family in Stratford and (more briefly) at two women who influenced his reputation and career in London.

Clare starts by looking at what we know about these individual women and the lives they led. She then explores the ways in which they might have shaped Shakespeare’s concepts of womanhood, the inspiration they may have provided for specific plays and poems, and the extent to which their practical or financial support made his career possible.

Clare Smout is a local Shakespeare specialist who spent the first half of her career working in theatre and the second half as an academic researcher, writer and university lecturer. She currently runs regular courses on Shakespeare at Ludlow Assembly Rooms and at Higham Hall in Cumbria.

Friday 29th August 6pm - £8.50
Clare Smout

Looking for Mothers in Shakespeare’s Plays

This second of two talks about Shakespeare and Women explores the presence (and absence) of mothers in Shakespeare’s work. Why are there so few of them? Why do none of Shakespeare’s young heroines have mothers to turn to? Why are the most significant mothers in his plays older women with adult sons (Gertrude and Hamlet, Volumnia and Coriolanus, Tamara and her three sons in Titus Andronicus)? Finally, what does Shakespeare’s practice tell us about the society of his time, the theatre of his time – or even about theatre, literature and society now?

Clare Smout is a local Shakespeare specialist who spent the first half of her career working in theatre and the second half as an academic researcher, writer and university lecturer. She currently runs regular courses on Shakespeare at Ludlow Assembly Rooms and at Higham Hall in Cumbria.

Saturday 30th August 6pm - £8.50
Paul Thompson

Jake Thackray The Unsung Writer

Back by popular demand, biographer and musician Paul Thompson returns to Castle Bookshop to celebrate the comic genius of Jake Thackray, mixing colourful readings from Jake’s unsung writing with talking about his life and performance of some of his songs.

Hilarious, irreverent, poignant, fanciful, quirky, poetic, imaginative, original. Jake Thackray was a storytelling genius who loved using words to entertain, move, surprise and provoke. While his extraordinary songs are rightly celebrated, they were not the beginning of his life as a writer, nor the end.

Paul’s new book, Jake Thackray – The Unsung Writer (published in August 2025), offers a chance to explore Jake’s other writing: love poetry, an experimental short story, his charming script for a school musical, amusing pen portraits, his first published work, tall tales crafted for his concerts, and his acclaimed, colourful columns for the Yorkshire Post and Catholic Herald.

Paul Thompson is co-author of the acclaimed biography, Beware of the Bull – The Enigmatic Genius of Jake Thackray, which was one of the Daily Telegraph’s best music books of 2022.

POSTPONED

Due to unforeseen circumstances this years Rooftop Theatre production is now postponed till next year. Further details will be available in the New Year

Wednesday 3rd to Sunday 7th September 6pm - £14
Rooftop Theatre

The Trouser Factory

When Ed and Gladys Walters opened a trouser factory in Ludlow in the late 1950s, the lives of many people in the town were about to change for ever.

The Trouser Factory tells how hard work, good wages, enlightened management and a spirit of fun brought a community together and enriched the lives of all those involved in a business that made Ludlow the “Trouser Capital of Europe.”

The factory changed the nature of Ludlow bringing vibrancy and prosperity.

This fictionalised drama is stitched together from interviews with former trouser factory workers and managers whose colorful lives are presented with Rooftop’s usual dash of humour and verve.

From a review of last year’s Chain Girls: “A magnificent show last night. Very moving and inspiring.”

Tuesday 9th September 6pm - £8.50
Rhun Emlyn and Dan Llewelyn Hall

Llys Glyndwr
The Court of Owain Glyndwr

Historian Dr Rhun Emlyn and artist Dan Llywelyn Hall will be discussing their new book Collaboration 'Llys Glyndwr' which explorers the inner circle of Owain's uprising with history of the characters, poetry by numerous poets and paintings depicting the Llys (court) of Glyndwr. The event will include special guest poetry readings.

Friday 12th September 6pm - £8.50
Brian Anderson

The High Life

Wirral based photographer and lecturer, Brian Anderson‘s fascination with South America began in 1999 on a trip to Peru, when he trekked the Inca Trail up to 4200m, then descending into Machu Picchu. Since then he has visited Galápagos, Easter Island, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia.

In ‘The High Life’ we visit the alti-plano (high plains) of the Andean region which predominantly covers Peru and Bolivia. Averaging 13,000ft asl, the alti-plano’s altitude, flora and fauna, geography and geology combine to create a unique ecosystem. Surviving the harsh altiplano is tough for all forms of life.

Brian also investigates the traditions, languages and customs of the area’s indigenous people, which are deeply rooted in the environment.
With his stunning landscape and wildlife images, Brian’s colourful talk introduces you to one of the most beautiful, spectacular and remote regions on the planet. So don’t miss this, book now!

Wednesday 17th September 6pm - £8.50
Martin Wall

Regional Hauntology or How History Lingers, Despite It's Virtual Abolition

Martin Wall felt impelled to start writing when he returned to the western Midlands about twenty years ago after a long absence. As a literary novice he began writing historical stories for children but soon turned to historical non-fiction themes, mainly influenced by the discovery of the Staffordshire Hoard near to his home in 2009. The themes of history, magic, folklore and myth dominated his subsequent work, combined with a strong personal element, culminating in his best-selling 'The Magical History of Britain' in 2019. Several books followed, including 'Warriors and Kings: the 1500 year Battle for Celtic Britain' which focused his mind on the liminal borderland between England and Wales.

'West: Tales of the Lost Lands', recently published in paperback, marks a new turn in his work, an implicit, deeply personal hauntology, exploring the paradox of an area perceived as hostile to Literature, and culturally backward, and the literary gems which have emerged from the locale all through the ages, the very bedrock of English Literature. The armature of his next project, a more explicit hauntology, emerged from these previous efforts, provisionally entitled 'The Haunted Island: History, Hauntology, and Folk Horror', he hopes to publish this in the next year or so.

Concert on Saturday 13th Sold Out

Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th December 6pm - £8
Rooftop Theatre

Carols, Songs & Sketches
Open Air in The Secret Garden

With Polly Bolton’s Larks

Tenbury Library Choir

St Laurences
Handbell Ringers

Rooftop Theatre

Saturday 20th December 3pm - Free entrance (Donations welcome)
Brother Bernard Jem Roberts

Tales of Britain at Yule

The benevolent Brother Bernard (Ludlow author and comedian Jem Roberts) returns with just under an hour of special seasonal folktales from Scotland, Wales, Kernow and England – all retold for the 21st century, for folkies of all ages. Signed books will be available from the author, and be sure to bring warmth with you!

Saturday 20th December 6pm - £8.50
Annie Muscutt

Wings of Words Storytelling
A Christmas Carol

Annie Muscutt is a local lady of the shire, passionate to the core about storytelling. After many happy years of teaching, Wings of Words Storytelling was created to bring that passion from the classroom into the wider world of storytelling and has since basked in the warm appreciation of many different audiences.

This December Annie returns to the secret garden for the winter telling of ‘A Christmas Carol’. Bringing one of the world’s most beloved Christmas stories to life, sending you tripping down the snowy streets alongside its famous characters. A performance to celebrate Dickens and share the true meaning of Christmas, still so relevant in the world today.

“Annie’s ability to tell a story is magical and captivating”