Wenlock Poetry Festival

A 3-day poetry fest in the charming medieval "black and white" English town of Much Wenlock in Shropshire. A bit off the beaten track but a fabulous location for those amongst us who like a bit of poetry with a decent pint and a slice of Ye Old England - some very fine poets always featured. WPF 2012 saw the launch of the Adrian Henri Prize for Poetry in Art. The talent is always first-class.

When? 22- 24th April, 2016

Where? Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Various locations around the town of Much Wenlock that include: The Arts Centre at the new William Brookes School - Much Wenlock Primary School- The Priory Hall - Wenlock Pottery - The Methodist Chapel - Holy Trinity Church

Who? 2016 - TBA

How much? Check official site

Festival Website? www.wenlockpoetryfestival.org

Previous Festivals?

2014 - Simon Armitage, with both a reading and masterclass workshop. There will also be an innovative Jazz Poetry event ‘Look Stranger’ inspired by the music of Benjamin Britten and the poetry of W. H. Auden, which will be read by Olivier award-winning actor Alex Jennings. Bestselling poet, author and speaker David Whyte will be delivering an all day writing workshop as well as a reading, and we are delighted that John Hegley, Luke Wright, Helen Tookey, Rebecca Gossand David Morley will also be reading at the festival amongst many others.

Previous years

Carol Ann Duffy (left) , Andrew Motion, John Hegley, Ian McMillan Orchestra, Simon Armitage, Liz Lochhead and Gillian Clarke; Jackie Kay, Lavinia Greenlaw and Nick Drake; Mario Petrucci, Paul Henry, Fiona Sampson, Elaine Feinstein, Daljit Nagra

Visitor Information? Courtesy of Much Wenlock Tourist Information Guide

Much Wenlock is a stunning medieval "black and white" English town. We are a bit off the beaten track, but seriously worth a visit!

Do you want to learn about the place that inspired the modern Olympic Games or perhaps remember or experience what England was like 50 years ago?

Then travel to the beautiful Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, sit on a bench in the Square by the Jubilee clock and watch life go by.

It won't be long before the person sitting next to you is willing to talk of the old times and will be just as interested in you as you are in the town.

With a population of around 3,000 it feels much more like a village than a town.

We have a butcher, 2 bakers, but no candlestick maker! However we do have a wide variety of shops that will cater to the young, the old, collectors, readers, gardeners and anyone who just loves to poke around.

The town history is so varied so where do you start? In the museum you can go as far back as 430 million years, to the time when we were underwater as part of a coral reef.

Our architecture is constructed from locally quarried limestone, bricks, timber frame and cruck construction. Some is Medieval, Georgian, Victorian.

Places to visit include the dramatic remains of Wenlock Priory on the site of St. Milburga's Abbey dating from around AD 680.

Our beautiful ancient Guildhall is open to the public in the summer months.

In the town there are holy wells, shuts, cobbles, whipping posts, stocks and all sorts of Olympic artifacts can bee seen in the museum.

And there is an amazing selection of Visitor Attractions and Activities to enjoy throughout Shropshire and within easy reach of the town.

There are lots of walks both in the town and in the surrounding beautiful Shropshire countryside, including the magnificent Wenlock Edge escarpment.