THE 23rd Traherne Festival takes place from Saturday, June 1, to Monday, June 3, at Credenhill Church in Herefordshire.
The annual celebration of Hereford’s most famous writer will have a local flavour, with music by Hereford composer, Stephen Gowland, a talk by a local speaker, Cassandra Gorman, who is just finishing her doctoral research at Cambridge, and a not entirely reverent look back at Hereford’s notorious Nell Gwyn.
Saturday evening’s entertainment on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation will recall an earlier coronation, that of Charles II, through the eyes of Samuel Pepys and some of his friends, who will also share their memories of Nell Gwyn, the Hereford girl that Charles loved.
A quartet will sing both light-hearted and serious music, including a beautiful setting of Traherne by Stephen Gowland.
The other speakers are Dr Marilyn Lewis and Dr Alison Shell, one of the editors of the Oxford edition of Traherne, who will be talking about Traherne and the Pope.
The preacher at the Sunday morning service will be Rev Richard Birt, founding chairman of the Traherne Association.
On Monday, June 3, there will be a coach trip to Launton in Oxfordshire, where Traherne was ordained.
Full details can be found at thomastraherneassociation.org, or pick up a leaflet from Hereford Cathedral.
