Fields of Vision - a study-day

[Martin Haggerty]

Fields of Vision: an informal study-day devoted 
to the lives and writings of Richard Jefferies and Edward Thomas
Saturday 8th May 2010, Liddington, Wiltshire

This study-day is a collaboration between the 
Edward Thomas Fellowship and the Richard 
Jefferies Society. It will examine both writers, 
particularly their shared interests and concerns, 
and the Wiltshire landscape that they both knew and wrote about.

The distinguished poet, novelist and literary 
scholar, Jem Poster, who is currently preparing a 
new edition of Richard Jefferies: His Life and 
Work by Edward Thomas for Oxford University 
Press, will be the keynote speaker. His lecture 
is entitled 'First Known When Lost: Edward 
Thomas, Richard Jefferies, and the Rural World'. 
There will also be talks by Richard Emeny (a 
former Honorary Secretary of the Edward Thomas 
Fellowship, who has written and lectured 
prolifically on Thomas and various related 
authors) and Terry Lloyd (a Swindonian, and since 
childhood an enthusiast for the works of Thomas 
and Jefferies, who has thoroughly explored their landscapes on foot).

This event will be held in Liddington Village 
Hall, from 10.30 to 4.30. Participants may bring 
a packed lunch or eat in the Village Inn nearby. 
During lunchtime, publications and other 
merchandise from the Edward Thomas Fellowship and 
the Richard Jefferies Society will be offered for 
sale in the Village Hall, where there will 
probably also be a second-hand book stall. All 
Saints' Church will be open to visitors.

Places at the study-day cost £15 (£5 for students 
and unemployed people), which include 
refreshments but not lunch. Bookings must be made 
before 1st May. A booking-form can be downloaded 
from the Fellowship's website at <www.edward-thomas-fellowship.org.uk>.

At the end of the afternoon, there will be an 
opportunity, using car-share, to visit St James's 
Church at Eastbury, Berkshire, which features an 
impressive engraved-glass window by Laurence 
Whistler, commemorating Edward and Helen Thomas, 
and where Helen is buried in the churchyard.

For more information about the study-day, contact 
its co-ordinator, Martin Haggerty: 
<martin at envoy.dircon.co.uk> or 01723 - 37 55 33.

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In the Footsteps of Richard Jefferies
Sunday 9th May 2010, Coate, near Swindon, Wiltshire

Andrew Rossabi, a former President of the Richard 
Jefferies Society, who has written introductions 
to several new imprints of Jefferies' works and 
is currently working on a new biography of this 
writer, will lead a guided walk (with readings) 
along the east side of Coate Water, over Cicely’s 
Bridge, to the Gamekeeper’s Cottage at Hodson, 
where walkers may look around the garden and view 
the old thatched cottage, as well as the 
bluebells in Hodson Woods. The return route takes 
in the west side of Coate Water, where a picnic 
lunch may be eaten (alternatively eat at the Sun 
Inn, Coate). In the afternoon, until 4.30 pm, 
everyone will be welcome to explore Richard 
Jefferies' home, watch the film Jefferies Land, 
and share readings from Edward Thomas's and Jefferies' works.

This event is free and no prior booking is 
required. Gather at the Richard Jefferies Museum, Coate, for a 10.30 start.


Edward Thomas Fellowship
Visit our website at www.edward-thomas-fellowship.org.uk