BUXTON FESTIVAL LITERATURE SERIES

The Peak District hills host a friendly crowd of opera, music and literature lovers from all over the country during July's Buxton Festival.

A morning literary series, afternoon concerts and rarely-performed opera in the evening offer a rich and unique cultural experience, attracting big names and a faithful audience to an historic and beautiful setting.

Where? Buxton , Derbyshire.

When? 8- 24 July, 2016

Who? Literary Content TBA

How much? Past prices range from £5 to £49. Under-30s get best available seats for £5, while under-16s, students and senior citizens get half-price on all performances.

Highlight? Orwell Prize for Political Writing presented during the festival. Well, we get excited about it anyway......

Festival Web Site: www.buxtonfestival.co.uk

Twitter?@BuxtonFestival

Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/buxtonfestival

Speakers in recent years: Dame Ellen MacArthur , Esther Freud , Robin Hanbury-Tenison, Michael Broadbent, Miranda Seymour , Professor Christopher Andrew, Virginia Nicholson, Richard Miles,Salley Vickers, Will Hutton, Colin Thubron, Simon Sebag Montefiore and more

Previous: Patrick Gale, Cherie Blair, Prue Leith, Melvyn Bragg, Vince Cable, Willian Fiennes Paddy Ashdown, Cherie Blair, Kate Adie, Joan Bakewell, Kate Atkinson, Melvyn Bragg,

Book links: Murray Lachlan-Young, Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall, Rosie Alison, Lydia Syson, David Blunkett, Sally Page, Jenni Murray, Sue Hepworth, Rabbi Lionel Blue, David Rooney, Mary Lovell, David Cameron, Laura Lockington, Julian Fellowes, Jessica Fellowes, Gavin Esler, Shirley Williams, Mark Bostridge, Maureen Lipman, more

Roy Hattersley, Beryl Bainbridge, Melvyn Bragg, P D James, Ben Okri, Alain de Botton,Venessa Redgrave, Sir Jeremy Isaacs, Robert Lacey, Sir John Mortimer, Fay Weldon, Michael Heseltine, Richard Wilson, Sue Townsend, Doris Lessing, Rosamunde Pilcher, Shirley Williams, The Duchess of Devonshire, Gore Vidal, Michael Palin, Stella Rimington, Roy Jenkins, Douglas Hurd, Antonia Fraser, Matthew Parris, Tom Stoppard,Michael Frayn, Claire Tomalin, Kate Adie, Sue MacGregor, David Sheppard, Fiona MacCarthy, Raj Persaud, Sandi Toksvig, Germaine Greer, Libby Purves, George Baker, Sir Roy Strong, John Sergeant, Robin Cook, James Naughtie, Sir Simon Jenkins, Joan Bakewell, Lord Deedes, Norman Lebrecht, Barry Cryer, Blake Morrison and Patrick Stewart

Is Buxton Gorgeous or What?

Set in a hollow, just over a thousand feet up in the Derbyshire hills, Buxton is situated in the Peak District, amidst some of England's most beautiful scenery. The town's rich history features Roman settlers, royal prisoners, outlaws and noble benefactors.

Buxton is the source of the River Wye, one of the region's great rivers. This flows downstream to join the Derwent through a series of impressive limestone gorges. Nearby is the beautiful Goyt Valley, where one of the sources of the River Mersey rises. This is an area of rolling hills and sweeping vistas. Buxton's traditional popularity is based upon its famous spa mineral water, which flows at a constant 27.5°C and was once reputed to have healing powers. The Romans first established baths here and the town has been a popular resort ever since Mediaeval times.

Over the centuries the town has benefited from some magnificent architecture, much of it due to the patronage of the Dukes of Devonshire. There is a splendid Crescent, ornamental gardens, an Opera House and the largest unsupported dome in the country. The Opera House is host to the annual Buxton Festival, and a number of venues around the town contribute to the largest festival fringe in England.