Saturday 11^th – Sunday 12^th October 2025

Returning for its eighth year, the festival is a unique forum for lively discussion, thought-provoking ideas, and political debate. Last year Elif Shatak described the festival as a cultural space we leave ‘feeling much more nurtured, nourished and inspired‘.

Rachel Eliza Griffiths said, ‘the setting of Cliveden… is a kind of mirror of the beauty that I find in books’.

The 2024 programme featured: Salman Rushdie, Rachel Weisz, William Boyd, Ian McEwan, Tom Holland, Emily Maitlis, John Banville, Neil Jordan, Robert Harris, Patrick Radden Keefe, Niall Ferguson, Elif Shafak, Helen Castor, Dan Jones, William Dalrymple, Alex Younger, Michael Gove, Merve Emre, Nicole Taylor, and many more. Soon we will know this year’s line up. So exciting.

Cliveden Literary Festival is run by a committee of authors and historians – Andrew Roberts, Natalie Livingstone, Catherine Ostler and Simon Sebag Montefiore – drawing on Cliveden House’s unique history as a literary salon frequented by writers and thinkers including Alexander Pope, Alfred Lord Tennyson, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift and Sir Winston Churchill.

Cliveden Literary Festival is well entrenched in the ‘Literary Festival experience’ after launching in 2017. It continues the rich literary heritage of Cliveden House, which has inspired writers and thinkers from Alexander Pope, Alfred Lord Tennyson, George Bernard Shaw and Jonathan Swift to Sir Winston Churchill. Cliveden’s unique setting, architecture and interiors are matched only by the palpable sense of history that infuses its walls: for over 350 years the house has been dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure, power and politics. Built in 1666 by the 2^nd Duke of Buckingham as a gift to his mistress, Cliveden from its first incarnation was a site of intrigue and glamour – good heavens, one so wants to know more.

Perhaps you’ll find out when tickets will go on sale in July 2025, and you can go and investigate in October. Why not sign up to the Cliveden Literary Festival newsletter and follow on Twitter and Instagram to be notified when tickets go on sale.

Additionally, visitors to Cliveden Literary Festival will also have the opportunity to explore the beautiful National Trust gardens and enjoy scenic walks down to the River Thames. Cliveden House, operated by the Iconic Luxury Hotel group, has been awarded a Forbes Travel Guide Star Award, and Condé Nast Johansens Award for Excellence.

www.clivedenliteraryfestival.org • @ClivedenLitFest on Twitter and #ClivedenLitFest on Twitter and Instagram for further updates

The Shaw Theatre is such a lovely space – and it has a marvellous history. So it was a pleasure to pop down and be entertained by the visions of Kurt Rosenberg. For The Lack Of Laura has been 25 years in the making. It still has a few years to go yet…

A wonderful cast of 16 performers, plus a live 12-piece orchestra (many of whom are hidden behind the set) do their utmost with the material. But they do struggle at times.

[Jane Patterson as Laura]

Laura, a pompously annoying young Irish heroine (think Alice while she’s in Wonderland), bizarrely accepts an immortality bargain from Gwendolethe, who is an evil sorceress. The bargain allows Laura to travel through time and space where she meets five different potential suitors as she seeks true love: a matador, a vicar, a ballet dancer, an impressionist painter and a playwright. Who will she choose – will there be a happy ending?

Personally, I’m not quite sure what the stakes are in the bargain. The sorceress doesn’t appear to gain anything except, perhaps, a part in next year’s panto as a worthy villain.

[Mo Lombardo as Gwendolethe, with Laura]

The songs (all 26 of them!) come and go, some better than others. None memorable enough to leave the audience humming as they leave. Too many scene changes unfortunately create a clunky stop-start judder, like a misfiring limousine. For there is quality here. The singing, the music, the bravery in the vision. But I think director Luke Morgan struggles to keep the show moving through all its genres. The overall air is that of a community play where everyone is doing their best, but excellence is just beyond them through no fault of their own.

[Patrick with Maggie – played by Brian May and Emma Daly]

There is so much to like, though. The staging (perhaps with too much reliance on the digital screens) is imaginative and playful. For me, Allan the vicar and Salvador the matador (Lenny Turner and Keith Hanley respectively) get to grips with the difficult material. A subplot involving the romance between two villagers, Maggie (played by Emma Daly) and Patrick (Brian May), is so sweet, it’s wonderful.

[Laura with Salvador – played by Keith Hanley]

For The Lack Of Laura is a show that is so nearly very good. I hope its journey continues and it carries on growing in confidence.

Photography Brigid Vinnell Director Luke Morgan Musical Director Jake Morgan Choreographer Declan J Gardiner Production Design Kin San Pedro Creator, Composer Kurt Rosenberg & Writer

Venue Shaw Theatre, 110 Euston Road, London NW1 2AJ Until Saturday 2nd August 2025Tickets £29 (£24 conc) from www.shaw-theatre.com Tel: 020 7666 9037

Showtimes 7.30pm daily (no shows on 28th and 29th July) Running Time 140 minutes – inc interval Ages Suitable 10+ Instagram @forthelackoflaura Facebook #ForTheLackOfLaura Website www.forthelackoflaura.com

You see before you St Mary’s, in the Yarnbombers appreciation of Thirsk. And why not, after all Thirsk – mentioned in the Domesday Book – is the most friendly and wonderful community.

Not only is it friendly, but the groups who keep the whole show on the road are endlessly busy and productive, just like the Yarnbombers. Here are just a few displayed by the Yarnbombers. We have Wombles, yes we do, who nip about, keeping Thirsk tidy.

We have famous people, oh yes we do. Thomas Lord the founder of Lord’s Cricket Ground was born where the Museum is. This is almost opposite the house where Alf Wight (James Herriot) lived, and worked as a vet. Oh yes he did and which is now known at The World of James Herriot, which you can visit and learn more.

If you fancy a bit of recreation, what about bowling, on the lovingly tended green a quick toddle from the renowned, The Golden Fleece Hotel? Or gliding with the Gliding Club, Sutton Bank? Or watching a film at our voluteer run Ritz cinema? Oh yes, all of this was in the display around the Market Place, Such a picture. Thirsk is so lucky. but remember there is so much more, which our wonderful Yarnbombers have brought to life, and those they haven’t this time around.

And just one more: why not experience for yourself the horse racing with events over most of the summer.

Just remember that Thirsk is one of the friendliest places in heavenly North Yorkshire and one of the most interesting. Remember also that The Golden Fleece gives 3 maltesers in a spirit glass with every cup of coffee. The problem begins when your companion decides to have a cold drink, with which there are no maltesers given. Does one share? Indeed, how do you share 3 maltesers? Readers, I shared. I gave one, and kept two. Perhaps I even licked my two. My mum would have said that was not nice, kind or funny. She would be right, but if you want three, you need to buy a hot drink, so very there. https://goldenfleecehotel.com https://visitthirsktown.com/

There’s a small village near me which is so old it was listed in the Domesday Book in 1086. For a tiny place, Chalfont St Peter has a very big story which I thought it would be fun to share.

A major reason for Chalfont St Peter’s rich history is its location – just a day’s horse-ride from London. It’s why the famous poet John Milton evacuated to its neighbour, Chalfont St Giles, to escape London’s Great Plague in 1665. The nearby Bull Hotel, in Gerrards Cross is an old coaching inn, built in 1688, and coachmen from London would push their horses to gallop across the last stretch of woodland, trying to dodge the highwaymen lying in wait and reach The Bull and a safe night’s sleep. The Bull Hotel has retained its historic grandeur to this day and is a lovely setting for an evening meal or a celebration.

There’s so much to tell, but a good starting place is Chalfont St Peter’s infamous resident – Judge George Jeffreys, known as the ‘hanging judge’ – his sentences had a reputation for being brutal. He owned The Grange, a mansion in beautiful grounds close to Gold Hill Common and he used to hold court at The Greyhound, a 14^th Century coaching inn at the bottom of the village. Judge Jeffreys was so concerned about reprisals for his harsh sentences that he built a tunnel from his residence to The Greyhound, allowing him to travel to and from his court in safety. The tunnel is still present today, although the Grange has been replaced by a modern housing estate. The Greyhound Inn however still flourishes and is a great place for a drink and a meal.

But back to Gold Hill Common, which has always played a major role in the village. Just a couple of generations ago, villagers would each keep a cow or a pig. Each day the cows would make their way to Gold Hill Common, to graze and drink from the pond, then in the evening, each cow would find its way back to its own yard. The Common is built on a hill and has a wooded area with fruit trees, which helped to supplement the villagers’ diets. A beacon was constructed in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee celebrations and has been lit on numerous occasions since, most recently for the VE Day 80^th Anniversary, a real opportunity for the community to meet under the burning Beacon as the sun goes down. But the most incredible volunteer achievement is the annual Chalfont St Peter Feast Day, where the Common is transformed with numerous stalls, including beekeepers, the library, local businesses and more; a travelling fair; and a large stage featuring performances by local schools and dance groups. Then in the evening, the whole village relaxes and chats together on the grass with picnics and drinks, enjoying the warm summer evening and a free concert. This year One Step Beyond, the Madness tribute band headlined this event. I just love how the spirit of the village and community has been maintained for over eleven centuries by the hard work of so many volunteers.

This is just a taster, there are so many stories of Chalfont St Peter – its history, its famous residents, past and present, and the challenges endured by the local people.

Until next time …

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.