“ BEATRIX
POTTER: FABLES to FAERIES”
INTERNATIONAL STUDY CONFERENCE
Ambleside, Cumbria 17 – 21
JULY 2008 |
Venue
This Conference, the thirteenth in our successful series, will be held in the familiar, friendly surroundings of The University of Cumbria, Ambleside Campus (formerly St Martins College). The main college buildings are in attractive, well kept grounds on a hill on the edge of the small town of Ambleside and have wonderful views of the nearby fells. Ambleside not only has churches, medical centre, banks, post office, shops and many hotels and guest houses, but also the remains of a Roman fort and sites of medieval watermills. The Armitt Centre, with its collection of Beatrix Potter’s watercolours and drawings, is in the university grounds. The residential accommodation is in the student bedrooms, mostly single but a few twin, and many with en-suite bathroom (shower and toilet). All rooms have hospitality tray and wash basin. There are no double bedded rooms in the university so we have reserved some en-suite double rooms in two guest houses (one adjacent to the university accommodation) - as part of the residential option (see booking form). |
Ambleside at the head of Windermere |
Non-residential day attendance is available if you prefer to make your own accommodation arrangements. Such bookings include all Conference events and meals (except breakfast).
The nearest railway station is Windermere, some five miles from Ambleside with good taxi and bus services. It has direct rail services from Manchester Airport and good connections to the London to Glasgow inter-city routes. We will arrange transport from Windermere if there is sufficient demand. Details nearer the time.
Richard Doyle 'He Finds her and this is the consequence'
(Peter Nahum Ltd)
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Provisional Programme
Thursday 17 July – residential accommodation will be available from 2pm, so you may check in to your room and then familiarise yourself with the town during the afternoon.
The Conference starts with registration in the University’s Scale How building from 5.15pm, followed by a reception and then dinner with invited guests.
After dinner there will be time for socialising and a short Conference introduction. |
Friday 18 July - There will be two talks in the morning: Brian Alderson (UK), our President and expert in children’s literature, will open the speakers’ programme by talking about ‘the oral tradition’ and the problems of putting it into print - directly relating it to Beatrix Potter’s ‘storytelling voice’ and the way in which she conveyed a sense of the spoken in her writing. After coffee Katja Robinson (UK), who teaches art history specialising in the Victorian era, will give a talk entitled 'A Fashion for the Fey: Victorian Fairy Painting during Beatrix Potter's childhood' including the faery pictures in the books Beatrix knew.
In the afternoon we will make our traditional visits to Hill Top and to the Beatrix Potter Gallery – both of which the National Trust kindly opens specially for us. There will also be optional walks around Sawrey and Hawkshead, looking at the buildings and scenes familiar to Beatrix and used by her in the illustrations in her little books, and also up to Moss Eccles Tarn. |
Beatrix’s early drawing of Hill Top © F Warne |
The Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe, 1917 © F Warne |
Saturday 19 July - Our first speaker will be Lolly Robinson (USA), designer and production manager at The Horn Book, who will talk on Beatrix Potter and nursery rhymes. She will be followed by Nina Demourova (Russia), translator and expert on English and American literature, looking for the Russian connections in Beatrix’s stories.
In the afternoon Dale Schafer (USA) and John Cawood (UK) will present ‘Collecting Beatrix Potter: Original Artwork and First Editions’ – with audience participation. An alternative to this will be a walk, led by Norman Buckley, around Tarn Hows – on the Monk Coniston Estate purchased for the National Trust by Beatrix Potter in 1929.
After dinner we will enjoy an evening of Cumbrian prose and poetry, presented by Anne Stevenson Hobbs and Judy Taylor.
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Sunday 20 July - the day will start with a talk by Suzanne Terry (USA), children’s librarian at the Boston Athenaeum, on ‘Beatrix Potter’s Gypsies, Caravans, and Travelling Circuses’. The second speaker will be Emma Laws (UK), Frederick Warne Curator of Children’s Literature at the Victoria and Albert Museum, who will reveal The Duke Collection, an exciting and important recent gift of Beatrix Potter material to the Museum.
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 The Fairy Caravan, 1929 © F Warne
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The Potter Family at Wray Castle, 1882 © F Warne
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After lunch there will be a choice of three activities: one group will travel through the Troutbeck Valley to visit a traditional sheep farm on Ullswater, another will visit the Monk Coniston Estate, to see the restoration work undertaken recently by the National Trust, and also Wray Castle where Beatrix and her family stayed in 1882 on their first visit to the Lake District. The third group will enjoy discovering the special flora of the area with a local naturalist. You will be able to make your choice once you arrive in Ambleside.
In the evening we will have a special dinner and an informal closing session. |
Monday 21 July - Participants depart after breakfast.Transport to Windermere station will be provided.
Nicky Godfrey-Evans, Cumbria Blue Badge Tourist Guide, will be assisting throughout the Conference as she did in 2006. She is offering two tours on the Monday for those who wish to stay on for this extra day and explore more of the Lake District. One will be a Literary Lake District tour to the north of Ambleside, including Ullswater, Bassenthwaite and Keswick. The other tour will visit the Coniston area with Ruskin and Arthur Ransome interest and including a lake cruise. Details will be sent to all those who book the Conference. Accommodation may be available in the university if you would like to stay an extra night.
Please note that as this programme goes to print many months in advance of the event itself, it may prove necessary to make minor adjustments, but we will keep these to a minimum.
The University welcomes disabled visitors – the lecture theatre, dining room and other facilities that we will be using are all on one level. Please indicate on the booking form if you would prefer a ground floor bedroom or have any special needs. We will provide transport, for those who require it, up the hill from the accommodation houses to the main building. The hill is short but steep with good paths and steps through the pleasant grounds.
We may be able to accommodate non-participating partners - please enquire.
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En-suite |
Standard |
| Conference
Fees |
per person,
including accommodation in single room |
£420 |
£385 |
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per person,
including accommodation in twin/double room |
£395 |
£370 |
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Non-resident
daily rate per person |
£78.00 |
Have we missed something? Any questions?
Contact:- Jenny Akester
beatrixpottersociety@tiscali.co.uk Tel. 01582 769755. The Lodge, Salisbury Avenue, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2PS (UK)
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