Apologies to everyone for my radio silence this past week, life is very busy here at the moment as I juggle multiple projects; including launching a brand new podcast, preparing for this year’s festival and learning how to set up a new charity. Oh and I braved the outside world and got a haircut! So all is good but it did mean something had to go on hold and that ended up being the blog.

However I have a couple of hours now to visit a few of you, and to schedule a few Silent Sundays and Wordless Wednesdays. Today though I wanted to share with you a few squares to promote this festival, as you are all going to be able to join me this year. Debbie will have recognised one in the header, and might recognise another below! Thank you again so much.

An upside of Covid-19 is that we are having to go digital. It means there will be less events than last year, but it looks as though we will still have more than 70 events over the 10 days. So enjoy this little taster, and hope to spot some of you in our on-line audience in early September.

  • Friday 11th September – Hidden Pages, Hidden Nature: A Book of Hours Revealed (podcast)

    Join us at Winchester College when Sarah Griffin meets up with The Rev’d Canon Dr Roland Riem and Sophie Hacker, and discusses a Book of Hours, an extraordinary and very beautiful medieval illuminated prayer book.

  • Saturday 12th September – Whitchurch to China the Hard Way: Silk Road talk

    Listen as explorer to a talk John Pilkington as he takes us on a journey through Azerbaijan and the city of Khiva, where they’re still spinning and weaving silk after hundreds of years, to No 1 Silk Mill in Suzhou on the Yangtze river.

  • Sunday 13th September – Discovering the History, Art and Architecture of Winchester College (film)

    Curated by the Head of Art History, Adam Rattray, this is a rare opportunity to view Winchester from rooftops and towers, with stunning panoramas across the city and into the heart of the school.

  • Monday 14th September – Bring back our buses! The story of King Alfred Buses (podcast)

    Join Cathy Booth as she talks to James Freeman, and discovers the fascinating story behind the Friends of King Alfred Buses, as well as more on the buses and the King Alfred Bus Company.

  • Thursday 17th September – Hidden Nature: Winchester, Chalk and the Home of English Sparkling Wine (film)

    Hidden beneath our feet in Hampshire, is one of England’s most important, prehistoric relics – chalk. Join us as we explore the relationship between the chalk and viticulture, and visit one of the finest sparkling winemakers in the country.

  • Friday 18th September – The English language in Hampshire & Yorkshire (Webinar)

    A thousand years ago, four English counties were the heartlands of the four great dialects of Old English: West Saxon, Northumbrian, Mercian and Kentish. The story goes back sixteen hundred years, and it involves strange words, accents and dialects.

  • Saturday 19th September – Rediscover Britain’s Lost Foods (Facebook Live & IGTV)

    Join Eoghan, the founder of Proudfoot & Co. in discovering some of Britain’s rarest and most endangered foods. Learn about lost ingredients that exist innocuously in our backyards, and join a historical recipe demonstration using some of them.

If you click on the titles you will be taken to the event’s page. Alternatively visit our online programme which is being updated daily, and if you fancy exploring what is happening else where in England during September, check out the national directory here.

50 thoughts

  3. Ooh, lots of goodies! I’m sure you’ll prompt us nearer the time but I’ve already spotted a couple I fancy. The nice thing is you don’t have to book onto them but can just ‘show up’ 🤗💕💕

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    1. Yay glad you’ve spotted a couple, and it’s fabulous isn’t it you can just turn up 😀
      I’ll probably share another couple of posts to make sure you don’t miss out

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  4. It’s been almost six months since I’ve had a haircut. Right now I like having the option of tying my hair back when we’re in a heat wave and we’ve had a few of those this summer. You’ve been a busy lady. Will you post these links again when they get closer to the day? I’ll need a reminder. Carol

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    1. I was about to do the tying back option, but then decided to be brave and see my fabulous hairdresser! Feel like a new woman 🙂

      And yes don’t worry will share more links nearer the time.

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  5. By the way, do you have contact with Deane and Celia Clarke of Portsmouth, both of whom are heavily involved in the history of the architecture of Portsmouth, the Dockyard and beyond, into wider Hampshire?

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    1. Unfortunately not, but there’s a cunning plan to increase connections across Hampshire so maybe next year……….

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  6. This is brilliant, Becky, well done you. You’ll not be surprised to hear I’ve registered for the Yorkshire/Hampshire language session, and I’m going to study the rest of the programme at my leisure as on first glance, there’s plenty more. Fabulous stuff.

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      2. Many of them will be available 24hr so hopefully you can enjoy those, and the evening ones will be around 7pm BST so hopefully you can log in in morning

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  13. So you do get up to more than pondering how to bamboozle us with quirky (or cruel and unusual) Squares 🙂 Sounds like September will be just a full-on for you, Becky. Looking forward to hearing more about it.

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