On a recent workshop ‘Making Memoirs Memorable’ that I led to raise funds for Tavistock library <tavistock.library@librariesunlimited.org.uk> Vivienne Bennet joined the group. She had participated in workshops I ran quite sometime ago and it was really brilliant to find out that she had translated her creative dreams into reality. The Meanderings of a Serial Goat… Read more »
Tag: Devon
How does an author pick a setting for their novels? – Rebecca Tope lets us into a secret
In libraries throughout the U.K. Rebecca Tope’s popular crime fiction novels are on display. She has two main series: one set in the Lake District and the other in the Cotswolds. Her latest novel Echoes in the Cotswolds has just been published (Allison & Busby Limited 2021). When asked why set she had set a… Read more »
Weird, Wonderful and Whacky – David Castleton writing about ‘Church Curiosities’
Lurking in corners of churches and cathedrals are hidden curiosities waiting to surprise the unsuspecting visitor. David Castleton in his Church Curiosities – Strange Objects and Bizarre Legends (Shirebooks, 2021 <www.shirebooks.co.uk> takes his reader on a guided tour of some of the most unusual, quirky and sometimes mystifying items that he has discovered. As… Read more »
An ‘Independent Bookshop’ making history in historic Okehampton (Devon, UK)
Okehampton is a town brimful of historic delights including ‘haunted’ castle ruins, a well-maintained Edwardian shopping arcade.It has now added to its attractions an independent bookshop <www.dogberryandfinch.co.uk>. It is owned and run by Kate McCloskey, whose life-long love of books is informed by a background in academia, advertising and libraries. Perhaps it is less well-known… Read more »
Museum Facts. Your daily dose of history facts. One fact at a time – providing historical novelists with inspiring snippets of hidden history
All over the world there are small and unusual museums run by dedicated volunteers that highlight fascinating and often hidden details about history. One local example of an often overlooked site and cafe-style museum in Devon is RAF Harrowbeer, near Plymouth. It was built during the Second World War and is now popular picnic spot…. Read more »
Bluebells, a children’s game and a flower fairy
This year the gardens, hedgerows and Devon lanes have been covered with an abundance of bluebells. Not all of them have been native bluebells (or harebells as they are known in Scotland), <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinthoides_non-scripta> but their stained glass window bright blue has added a dash of vibrant colour to many ‘lock down’ walks. St. Eustachius, Tavistock,… Read more »
Primrose Wine, Poetry and Primrose Day the 19th of April
In Devon and Cornwall children used to collect primroses to make primrose wine and cordial. Primroses were also boiled with sugar to make cough syrup. Primroses have featured in poems and literature. They are to be found in the works of Shakespeare, Robert Bridges, Sir Walter Scott, William Wordsworth, John Milton, Oliver Goldsmith, Jean… Read more »
The Forgotten Women Writers of Tavistock a Market Town in Devon
During the 19th and early 20th century Tavistock and the surrounding area provided women writers with inspiration. Their literary legacy is very much a part of the heritage of the town. Elizabeth Rundle – Mrs Charles Rundle (January 2nd1828 – 28th March 1896) Elizabeth was the only child of John Rundle, M.P. for Tavistock. Born… Read more »
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