The Chalfont St. Giles and Jordans Literary Festival
Welcome to the Chalfont St. Giles Literary Festival web site
Our first festival was in 2006, and each year is based on a theme, the first two being ‘Voyages’ and ‘The Countryside’ respectively. 2008 is a special year for us, as we are celebrating the quatercentenary (i.e. 400th year) of John Milton’s birth. Chalfont St Giles has, of course, a strong link with the poet, polemicist, and civil servant John Milton, who in 1665 fled the Great Plague in London to complete his epic poem Paradise Lost. His cottage has since become the village’s famous landmark, as the only surviving home occupied by this often controversial 17th century writer.
The festivals include guest authors talking about their own books, creative writing workshops, story telling and recitations. They are designed to appeal to all ages and pupils attending our Infant and Junior schools are encouraged to become involved. The festivals include writing competitions for all ages and each year a substantial number of entries are submitted.
With two successful festivals under our belts, we have been busy drawing up plans for a host of events which will appeal to both young and old throughout the year – ranging from political debate to poetry readings, examples of cooking, costume and dance of Milton’s era, to performance and re-creations of the plague which brought Milton to Chalfont St Giles. All these activities will take place throughout 2008, together with the Literary Festival itself, for which the 2008 theme is not surprisingly – Milton.
The events are held in both Chalfont St Giles and Jordans (a smaller village in the parish). Both nestle in the leafy Chilterns from where there are good road and rail connections to London. There are excellent road connections to both Oxford and London’s Heathrow airport - which is just over 15 miles away. We have a number of restaurants and public houses in the area, and there is a variety of overnight accommodation available. So why not join us for the literary fun at this year’s Festival?
Just click on the links to discover what’s in store during our Milton 400 spectacular!
2008
2008 Festival –
Celebrating John Milton’s Quatercentenary
Monday 12th – Sunday 18th May
This will be the major event in 2008 featuring a large number of speakers. View details and full programme.