Diss Corn Hall and Waveney & Blyth Arts present
PATRICK BARKHAM ON ROGER DEAKIN
Friday 16 June 7.30pm
Venue: The Corn Hall
Roger Deakin wrote the nature writing classics Waterlog and Wildwood. But before he painstakingly restored his ancient farmhouse on the edge of Mellis common in Suffolk, he was also a maverick ad-man and seller of stripped-pine furniture. Later he became an inspirational teacher, filmmaker, music promoter and eco-warrior. Today, he lives on as the patron saint of wild swimming.
Patrick Barkham brings alive this great romantic in an illustrated talk and tells stories of Roger and his generation – arguably the most distinctive that ever lived.
Click here for further details and to buy tickets
ROGER DEAKIN’S TV DOCUMENTARIES
Wednesday 14 June 10.30am & 7.30pm
A rare chance to see three of Roger Deakins’ delightful documentaries which he made for Anglia TV.
Getting Sketching in Perspective with Liz Brandon-Jones
24 June 2023 11am – 4pm
Meet at The Quay, Fen Lane, Beccles NR34 9BH
Take a walk along the River Waveney, stopping to sketch along the river bank. Observational drawing is a great way to gain a greater understanding of the environment. We will concentrate on using techniques in perspective to draw the landscape with more fluency. This workshop is suitable for those aged 16 and over.
Liz Brandon-Jones is a Norwich based artist & printmaker. Liz also works as a botanical field surveyor specialising in rivers and wetlands, so she will be able to guide you through the lovely watery landscape and you will discover more about the specialist plants and habitats found in this location.
Instagram @brandonjonesliz
The Swimmer
And The Swimmer – a screening of the intriguing 1968 film of the short story that helped inspire Roger Deakin to write his wild swimming bible, Waterlog. A troubled Burt Lancaster swims home through his suburban neighbours’ pools.
The Cut, Halesworth, 7.30,5 July. More details here.
29 July Beachcombing
Covehithe’s elusive beach is the site, Simon Raven the beachcomber guide (and creative bodger). Thanks to coastal erosion, the cliff-top walk and return via the beach may bring fresh discoveries. Further details.
Akenfield
Southwold Arts Centre, 12 September, 6pm.
Ronald Blythe, who died this year aged 100, was already an established writer and editor before the publication in 1969 of Akenfield: Portrait of an English village. This fictionalised account, covering the years 1880 to 1966, was based on interviews with three generations of his Suffolk neighbours. The book became a classic, and Blythe went on to publish over 30 more books, as his writings and his life inspired a generation of nature writers. His 2022 collection, Next to Nature, has an introduction by Richard Mabey, in which he praises the author of ‘the best literary accounts of the English rural scene in the twenty-first century’.
In 1974 Peter Hall, then director of the National Theatre, directed the film of Akenfield. It was based on Blythe’s 18-page synopsis, but with dialogue mainly improvised by the entirely amateur cast (including Blythe with a cameo role as the vicar). It too has become a classic.
Presented jointly with Waveney & Blyth Arts. Book at southwoldartscentre.co.uk.
23 September Ghosts and poetry
Bungay ghost walk with Chris Reeve and ghost – inspired poetry workshop with Beth Soule.
Details & book here.
The Queen’s Paintings
LOOKING AFTER THE QUEEN’S PICTURES
Christopher Lloyd talks about working with Her late Majesty
Sunday 22 October 3pm
Seagull Theatre, Lowestoft
Christopher Lloyd CVO is a distinguished art historian, curator and author who was surveyor of the Queen’s pictures from 1988 to 2005. Previous holders of this post, which goes back to 1625, include Sir Kenneth Clark and Anthony Blunt. He was responsible for the care and maintenance of the pictures owned by the Queen in her official capacity (not her own stuff). That’s some 7,000 pictures and 3,000 miniatures.
Christopher Lloyd’s duties also included helping the Queen choose artists to paint official portraits of the newly ennobled. So he has lots of stories to tell about his close association with the Queen, and seems perfectly relaxed about being candid. He’s a confident and accomplished speaker who has also worked in the Ashmolean Museum, Harvard University, the Arts Institute in Chicago and Villa I Tatti in Florence.
Christopher Lloyd will be in conversation with Stuart Pearson Wright, a prize-winning portraitist who lives near Bungay and has painted Prince Philip, King Charles – and the royal corgis. They will have a lot to talk about. Book at theseagull.co.uk.