Historians at the Castle
- Six of the most distinguished historians: Mary Beard, Tim Blanning, Richard Holmes, Tristram Hunt, Helen King, Ian Mortimer.
- Sessions of talks and discussions and plenty of opportunity for questions and conversation.
- Cocooned in The Castle at Taunton, one of the finest hotels in the English regions.
A gathering of six of the most distinguished and exciting historians in Britain today continues our series of literary weekends at
The Castle Hotel in Taunton.
Ensconced with the audience in one of the finest hotels in England, they talk both about their recent books and current research and also about the nature of the study of history and the challenges to the subject in modern education. Discussions and Q&A sessions form part of the programme.
We have selected historians who are not only leaders in their fields but are stimulating and thought-provoking speakers. Between them they cover a very wide range of subjects, from the destruction of Pompeii to the fall of Basra, from Henry V to Friedrich Engels, from ancient Greek medicine to the Romantic revolution.
A distinctive feature of these weekends is that unlike conventional literary festivals the speakers’ presence is fairly continuous, for 24 or 48 hours, and extends to informal interaction during refreshment breaks and dinners.
The Castle is famous for its comfort, its excellent and caring service and superb, award-winning food. We have exclusive use of the hotel for the duration of the weekend. The number of residential participants is limited to 64. In addition, a number of tickets are sold to non-residents for individual sessions.
Read the itinerary
5–7 November 2010
(MX752)
3 days •
£580
Lecturers:
Professor Tim Blanning
Professor Helen King
Professor Mary Beard
Professor Richard Holmes CBE TD
Dr Tristram Hunt
Dr Ian Mortimer
Contact us for availability >
Comments from participants on Writers at the Castle in 2009:
‘I enjoyed the weekend very much. It was very interesting to see and hear the speakers talk about their work and their approach to it.’
M.H, Cheshire
‘This was my first Martin Randall “experience” and was most impressive.’
S.R, Co. Durham
‘Really inspiring–I am also a writer and felt much at home.’
J.F, Tuscany
‘The quality and the level at which the talks were pitched was almost uniformly excellent. Speakers proved to be gifted oral communicaters/teachers.’
‘I had high expectations, and they were exceeded – truly memorable.’
E.M, Devon
‘A very fine hotel and a thoroughly enjoyable, stimulating weekend.’
K.M, London
‘The selection of speakers and the topics covered could hardly have been bettered. I remained engrossed throughout and left inspired to explore the works mentioned.’
J.H, Kent