Literary Festival set to take place at Annesley Old Church

Annesley Old Church open day. Visitors queue to try out the new staircase

Annesley Old Church, which has links to Lord Byron and DH Lawrence, has been the inspiration behind a literary festival which takes place there on Saturday afternoon.

The Friends of Annesley Old Church group has organised the free event, which takes place between 2pm and 5pm, and visitors will be able to enjoy readings of classic texts alongside new ones produced on a recent creative writing course.

The subjects will include Robin Hood, Annesley Hall, the Chaworths and Chaworth-Musters families as well as the area’s mining and railway heritage.

There will also be readings from Lawrence’s The White Peacock, which makes reference to the ‘mouldering’ church, and Byron’s poem, Hills of Annesley.

David Amos, from Ashfield District Council, said: “Everything will have links to the Annesley region whether it is a short story or poem.”

At the event, David will be reading Sir John Betjeman’s poem Great Central Railway, Sheffield Victoria to Banbury, which describes going through Ashfield.

There will also be performances by folk musicians.

The project is part of the Heritage Lottery-funded Annesley Old Church Project.

Last year, the church re-opened following a major restoration.

For further information call Mansfield 457092 or 07964736491. Alternatively, visit the Annesley Old Church Project’s Facebook page.