Gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh and historian David Starkey will be among the guest speakers at a literary festival taking place in Hatfield later this year.
As the autumn leaves begin to fall, the third Garden Museum Literary Festival will take over the exquisite grounds of Hatfield House from Saturday, October 3 to Sunday, October 4.
A garden lover’s dream weekend, the event will feature world-class speakers, from legendary gardener, writer and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh to Britain’s bestselling female historian Alison Weir talking in the gardens, the Old Palace, where Elizabeth I held her first Council of State, and the Marble Hall at the Hertfordshire stately home.
Hatfield House’s website says: “Join us for an intimate and celebratory weekend of contemplation, relaxation and sharing a love of all things literary and horticultural.”
Inspired by John Evelyn’s focus on the simple things in life, the Garden Museum Literary Festival was set up in 2013 to find a garden where for a weekend people could explore the relationship between literature, life and nature.
Last year’s festival took place at Petworth and the preliminary programme for this year’s event at Hatfield House has been announced.
As well as Alan Titchmarsh and David Starkey, the UK’s foremost constitutional historian, speakers will include Hermione Lee, the prize-winning biographer of Virginia Woolf, great British nature writer Richard Mabey and Tom Stuart-Smith, pre-eminent landscape architect writer and garden designer.
Booking for the 2015 Festival is now open.
* Visit www.gardenmuseum.org.uk for more details.
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