Upcoming events
A Celebration of Poetry with Roger McGough
Join us for an unforgettable evening of poetry with the legendary Roger Mc Gough. This in-person event will take place on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 18:00. at St Margaret's Church, Warnham, RH12 3QW. Book here.
Immerse yourself in the mesmerizing world of poetry as Roger Mc Gough, one of the most beloved poets of our time, takes the stage. Known for his wit, charm, and insightful verses, Mc Gough will enchant the audience with his unique blend of humor and profound observations.
Sussex Poet and SMP patron Barry Smith will also be performing with Chris Hardy (poet and guitarist) and further music will be provided by Paul G Terry Composer and Pianist
We will announce the winners of our annual poetry competition which will be judged by Sussex based performance poet Simon Zec, with prizes presented by Roger McGough and the best poems will be performed in public for the very first time.
Don't miss this opportunity to experience the magic of poetry in person. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the world of poetry, this event promises to be a night to remember. So mark your calendars and join us for A Celebration of Poetry with Roger Mc Gough in the heart of Warnham, home of the great romantic and radical poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.
SOUTH DOWNS POETRY FESTIVAL 2023 – A CELEBRATION OF POETRY on NATIONAL POETRY DAY
Celebrate National Poetry Day by joining South Downs poets, special guests and friends. Well-known South Downs novelist/TV & Radio producer Simon Brett will introduce. Shelley Memorial Project patron and SDPF director Barry Smith will be launching his brand new collection, Reeling and Writhing (Vole Books/Dempsey and Windle),
The Shelley Memorial Project's Summer Fundraising Walk
On Saturday, 12 August the Shelley Memorial Project fundraising team will take part in a sponsored walk to raise funds for a permanent, public memorial to the great Radical and Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley. They will be joined by members of St Margaret's Church, Warnham who are fundraising for the restoration of the church's Shelley family plaque.
Friends of Horsham Museum: Talk on the poet Shelley
Dr Andrew Hodgson from the University of Birmingham will discuss Shelley’s association with Elizabeth Hitchener, and also the sense of Horsham as his home in an upcoming talk.
The event will take place at Wesley Hall, London Road Methodist Church at 7.30pm on Wednesday 12th July.
Dr Hodgson will be joined by Oliver Clarkson (University of Warwick) and Will Bowers (Queen Mary University London) to explore Shelley’s sense of Horsham as a home or otherwise, and the way in which his correspondence with Hurstpierpoint’s Elizabeth Hitchener addressed this issue, together with other engaging matters.
The team will also consider the mysterious figure of Hitchener in general, and how her own works later imagined Sussex and its landscapes.
It should be a fascinating and unique evening, and we know that Dr Hodgson likes to engage with his audience.
We hope that many will come to meet him, and his colleagues.
Members admission £5. Guests admission £7.50. Cash only.
The Last, adapted from Mary Shelley's "The Last Man"
This one-woman adaptation condenses Shelley’s three volumes into a pacy 75 minutes. It draws on the biographical elements of the story and the devastating impact of a pandemic to deliver a moving portrait of humanity.
Sinfonietta: A Celebration of Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of the great Romantic poets, was born in Field Place, Warnham, spent his early life in and around Horsham and died in a boating accident 200 years ago. We’re joined by a couple of notable Sussex residents – BBC Radio 4’s Chris Aldridge and Angahrad Lyddon, finalist in the Cardiff Singer of the World 2019 – for a programme combining readings of some of Shelley’s most iconic poems with complementary music by Beethoven, Walton, Vaughan Williams and Bridge plus a setting of The Sunset by Ottorino Respighi, and Another Orpheus, a wonderfully dramatic score by John Hawkins based on an excerpt from Shelleys’ Hellas.
Reflections on Shelley
A commemoration of Percy Bysshe Shelley's early years in Warnham and a celebration of his life and work in poetry, music and prose. With performances by:
BBC Radio 4's Chris Aldridge
Laurie Cuttriss and Steve Dummer from the Stane Street Sinfonietta
West Sussex Young Musician of the Year, Zoe Barnett
And members of the Lights and Bushels Theatre Company.
The evening will include the presentation of prizes to the winners of the #Shelley 200 Festival poetry competition. Get tickets.
Sponsored by Brock Taylor, Gatwick Community Trust and Steyning Bookshop
Shelley and Co Cream Tea and Poetry #shelley200
Join Sussex poets Barry Smith and Stephanie Norgate in the beautiful surroundings of the Alexander Hotel, once the home of Shelley's grandmother Helen.
Look Upon My Works, Ye Mighty
An exhibition of five artists’ work inspired by Shelley’s philosophy.
Shelley200 Quiz Night
A fundraising quiz night in support of the Shelley Memorial Project.
No need to be a Shelley expert, expect rounds on poetry, history, geography, the natural world, travel and politics to reflect the poetic themes and life of Horsham's most famous citizen, Percy Bysshe Shelley. Raffle and Cash bar as usual.
Get your tickets here.
Shelley Bicentenary Bike Ride
A Shelley Bicentenary Bike Ride will be taking place on Saturday 9 July departing at 1.15pm at Poet's Corner in Horsham Park and finishing at the Warnham Parish Room at 5.15pm.The 6-mile ride takes in places of historical significance and is being organised to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Horsham and Warnham's most famous poet and political thinker.
The ride, led by Oliver Farley (Horsham Society and Shelley Memorial Project), will go at a very gentle pace and we will stopping frequently to see the places associated with Shelley's life and to hear the stories and a little of his poetry. The ride is suitable for adults (all children under 18 must be accompanied on the ride by an adult) who enjoy or want to start cycling.
Shout Out for Shelley
'Shout Out for Shelley' celebrates the bicentenary of the life of the greatest radical poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Shelley Conference
This two-day conference will celebrate the life, works, and afterlives of Percy Bysshe Shelley, and will be held from 8-9 July 2022 in the Nightingale Room, Keats House Museum, London. Find out more at The Shelley Conference.
POETRY AND MUSIC WITH ROGER MCGOUGH, SOUTH DOWNS POETRY FESTIVAL
Enjoy a magical blend of poetry and music with legendary Liverpudlian poet Roger McGough, international pianist Elena Toponogova, actress Emily Rose Smith and South Downs poets celebrating the bicentenary of Sussex-born Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Julian Sands in Keats, Shelley, Ghosts and Lovers
A mesmerising one-person performance by acclaimed stage, screen and theatre actor Julian Sands
Shelley Centenery Exhibition
An exhibition celebrating the bicentenary of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s death on 8 July 2022, at Horsham Museum and Art Gallery.
The public perception of Shelley was not shaped by his life, but instead by how people have interpreted and understood his ideas and writing over the last 200 years. Undoubtedly Shelley wrote some great poetry, rich in context, colour and depth, but, as the exhibition will reveal, it is Shelley’s chameleon-like style that allows his work to resonate with each new generation.
Visit Horsham Museum and Art Gallery, 9 Causeway, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1HE.
Tel. 01403 254 959
Shipley Historical Society Talk
Kathryn Attwood (who wrote the play Mad Shelley) and Carol Hayton (Shelley Memorial Project) will give a talk on Shelley’s early life in Horsham. Guests are invited to bring along their favourite Shelley poems. The talk will be followed by questions and coffee and biscuits. The talk is open to non members at £3.00 per person, and free to current members of Shipley Historical Society. Anyone wishing to join will be most welcome.
We're looking forward to seeing you on 28th for what promises to be an interesting account of one of our best known 18th century poets.