Words! Words! Words!

Uncovering history’s greatest cold case

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,…

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From quarries to nature reserves

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…

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Michael Rosen’ golden jubilee visit to Bridport

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…

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Old Crockern and other Dartmoor tales

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,…

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Chalke History Festival – a wonderful experience

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…

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Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire … Bridport

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…

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B-Corp certification for FOLDE

FOLDE Dorset, the specialist nature bookshop in Shaftesbury, has been certified as a B Corporation (B Corp), continuing its founders’ commitment towards operating as a force for good, while becoming a go-to destination for nature writing, and locally sourced art and craft. The attractive shop at the top of Gold Hill joins a network of…

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The Medieval Garden at Shaftesbury

SHAFTESBURY once had one of England’s greatest abbeys and convents, destroyed in Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries – all that remains is an atmospheric and peaceful walled garden off Park Walk. So the subject for this year’s Shaftesbury Abbey Museum & Gardens Spring Lecture on Wednesday 22nd May is highly appropriate. Caroline Holmes, a…

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Ancient stories from Dorset

BRITISH Museum curator Sophia Adams will give a talk about the important Iron Age and Roman finds from a grave on Cranborne Chase, at the Dorset Museum in Dorchester on Thursday 18th April at 7pm. “Traditions and Transitions: The Story of the Chettle Grave Group” will discuss the 2003 discovery of a locally made bronze…

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Musical walks with Ninebarrow

DORSET’s much-loved folk duo Ninebarrow – James LaBouchardiere and Jon Whitley – are almost as well known for their love of walking as they are for their beautiful harmonies and charming original songs. For some years they have been leading walks and writing books to introduce their fans and fellow-walkers to different areas of their…

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