A local literary society is inviting locals to mark midsummer at a poetry reading in the idyllic village of Micheldever.
The English Project will host the event from 7.30pm until 9pm on Saturday, June 22, at St Mary's Church, Micheldever.
With a rich serving of pastoral poetry and prose from the 1800s, including the exceptional poetess Hannah More and the 'Rural Rider' William Cobbett with their Message to Micheldever.
There will be readings from the works of Lord Byron, John Keats, John Clare, George Crabbe and Stephen Duck.
It is part of the promotion of interest in the bicentenary of the Captain Swing Riots in 1830 when many parts of the Hampshire countryside were in uproar over social problems.
READ MORE: Winchester Poetry Festival's 2024 prize-giving event details
Actor Samuel Collings (from the Emmy Award-winning drama King Zedekiah) will read together with Nigel Bradshaw, who has directed, produced and acted on three continents.
Also participating are Professor Bill Lucas and Professor Christopher Mulvey from the English Project.
To add extra distinction there will be a unique opportunity to hear J.R.Ackerley’s poem Micheldever, written in 1940 and dedicated to Henry Cook of Micheldever, youngest of the Captain Swing Rioters executed in Winchester Gaol in 1831.
Tickets are £14 (including a free drink before the performance) and are available online here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here