#HistFest

After three series and widespread acclaim, historical drama series Downton Abbey seems to have taken the world by storm. Its popularity was certainly reflected in the enthusiastic crowd who filled the Old Theatre Royal to see Jessica Fellowes in conversation with Viv Groskop.

Fellowes, author of The Chronicles of Downton Abbey and niece of series creator Julian Fellowes, had a unique insight into the creation of the show. The hour-long talk seemed to fly by, touching on everything from behind-the-scenes anecdotes to the grim realities of war.

The Chronicles of Downton Abbey serves as a companion to the series, with background information on the characters and the world they inhabit. Fellowes is certainly an expert on the show, and her passion shone through as she spoke about her favourite characters and storylines.

Downton fans were able to quiz Fellowes on her perspective of the show, with one audience member having come all the way from the USA. The anticipation for series four, currently beginning production, was high. Fellowes also revealed that she is working on a follow-up book to Chronicles, entitled A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey.

Written by Harry Naughton edited by Sara Bird

The stage was quite literally set in Bath’s Old Theatre Royal for Dr. Emily Mayhew to expose the lesser known story of the British Medical Staff in the First World War, and she did not disappoint. In the current nostalgic climate that the centenary has encouraged it is Dr. Mayhew’s opinion that not enough coverage has been given to the efforts of the men and women, tasked with nursing injured soldiers back to health during this war of attrition – Wounded addressed just this.

Ironically, Dr. Mayhew came to the event with a cold but this did not stop her from presenting in a clear and coherent manner. Perhaps because of the nature of her talk she did not let this ailment put her off and it did not affect the energy she brought to the subject. Despite warnings for those who had eaten recently Dr. Mayhew did not dwell on any of the more graphic images from her book and instead focussed more on the role of the nurses and stretcher-bearers whose involvement has been generally overlooked. With the advancing technology and stagnating tactics of the First World War, the techniques that were implemented by the British Medical staff pioneered the system that is used in Afghanistan today. The impact that this progress had on the practices of wartime treatment cannot be stressed strongly enough. Dr. Mayhew explained how the nurses and stretcher-bearers are the ancestors of the MERT (Medical Emergency Response Team) who crew the chinooks and brave the battlefields in the conflicts of today.

As the story of the First World War nurses had been covered in slightly more detail, the attention that Wounded gave to the stretcher-bearers was refreshing. The event touched on several personal and shocking accounts from the men who took up the mantel during the war, including one which featured a soldier so terrified that he resembled a garden statue as his fear had frozen him to the spot. Dr. Mayhew revealed the extensive training these men received and how they were evident but never visible to the uninformed in many recognisable scenes of trench warfare. A reprehensible instance of this is the anonymous status of stretcher-bearers in photographs of the soldiers executed for desertion who were coerced into untying and disposing of the lifeless bodies. Without books and events such as Wounded, the legacy of such servicemen and women was in danger of being overlooked as it slipped further away from living memory. Certain aspects, such as the sign language that the stretcher-bearers developed, may have already been lost but Dr. Mayhew is representing those who can no longer represent themselves and she does it excellently.

Jennifer Worth, author of the Call the Midwife trilogy, received floods of letters over the years from fans. Now a selection of these have been published as Letters to the Midwife, with an introduction by Worth’s family. Her daughter, Suzannah Hart, and her husband, Philip Worth, spoke on the final day of the Bath Literature Festival. A packed audience listened to their memories of Jennifer, as well as some readings from her memoirs and letters.

The Call the Midwife books were quite the family affair, with Jennifer handwriting each one, Philip typing them, and their daughters proofreading. Worth’s tales of her experiences as an East End midwife in the 1960s became inspirational to a wide range of readers – Worth’s fans came from all walks of life, from other midwives to lorry drivers. Hart spoke affectionately about how her mother took care to reply to every letter she ever received, in appreciation of the gesture.

The audience were treated to an extract featuring Philip Worth’s two favourite characters, Fred the boilerman and Sister Monica Joan. Hearing Worth’s family reading her vivid stories was a touching experience, and drew laughter from her fans as well.

On the penultimate day of the Bath Literature Festival, three fascinating speakers came together to paint a vivid picture of life in early twentieth-century Britain. The Great War Salon took place at the Holburne Museum in a small yet atmospheric space and was hosted by Salon London co-founder Helen Bagnall. With a lateral look at the country in the years leading up to the First World War, the event aimed to tell its audience something they hadn’t heard before.

The first speaker was Lucinda Hawksley, historian and descendant of Charles Dickens. Hawksley spoke about the contribution of women such as Emmeline Pankhurst, Millicent Garrett Fawcett, and Flora Drummond. She also brought up their often-forgotten supporters – husbands, fathers, and other men who put their power and status behind the Suffrage movement.

She also read from her book, March Women March, including some harrowing stories of violence against Suffrage campaigners. Bringing history to the present day, Hawksley shared some photos from the International Women’s Day march which took place in London earlier the same day.

For the second segment, the topic moved to perfume. Odette Toilette, AKA Lizzie Ostrom, spoke about the history of scent in the early 1900s – both its rise in popularity and new developments in its production.

People in the early twentieth century had the same conversations and assumptions about scents that we do today. For example, violets were associated with “nice” girls, while Spanish leather had more unsavoury associations. Ostrom brought an interactive element to the evening, passing out samples of popular perfumes to take the audience back in time. The talk was an unorthodox insight into a much-discussed period of history, and Ostrom’s passion came across in her encyclopaedic knowledge of scent.

The final speaker was Jessica Fellowes, author of The Chronicles of Downton Abbey and niece of show creator Julian Fellowes. Fellowes began on a humorous note, with a musical summary of Downton’s first three series. She went on to provide the appreciative audience with a wealth of historical facts and anecdotes from the show’s development, covering everything from the sinking of the Titanic to the responsibilities of the estate’s head cook.

Come along to the Holbourne Museum tonight for a journey through the early twentieth century, taking in servants, scents and Suffragettes.

The event is hosted by Salon founder Helen Bagnall and features historian Lucinda Hawksley, writer Jessica Fellowes and Odette Toilette creator Lizzie Ostrom.

Date: 8th March 2014

Time: 11.15 - 12.15

Location: Old Theatre Royal, Old Orchard Street, Bath, BA1 1JU

Price: £9 (£8)

Book your ticket here

The hit period drama Downton Abbey, created in 2010, has gone on to become one of the most widely watched TV drama series in the world. Join Jessica Fellowes, author of companion books The World of Downton Abbey and The Chronicles of Downton Abbey at the Bath Literature Festival for an insight into the series and the history behind it.

The series follows the fictional Crawley family through the early 20th century, taking in events such as the First World War and the sinking of the Titanic.

Date: 8th March 2014

Time: 11.15 - 12.15

Location: Old Theatre Royal, Old Orchard Street, Bath, BA1 1JU

Price: £8 (£7)

Dr Emily Mayhew, of Imperial College, will be hosting Wounded this Sunday as one of the events that mark the end of this year’s Bath Literature Festival. The event is the last to be held in the Old Theatre Royal and given her credentials one may feel as if Dr Mayhew would be more at home in an operating theatre than a stage.

Her first novel The Reconstruction of Warriors: Archibald McIndoe, the Royal Air Force and the Guinea Pig Club featured the relatively unknown story of Archibald McIndoe and his medical staff who pioneered skin graft procedures for badly burned airmen of the RAF. Dr Mayhew explores a similar subject in Wounded as she reveals the tireless efforts of the First World War British Army Medical Staff to treat soldiers who were injured on the front line.

These topics are unsurprising considering her background:

Research Associate at Imperial College

Examiner at the Imperial College School of Medicine

Consultant and Lecturer to the Wellcome Collection, the Royal College of Surgeons and the Imperial War Museum

Currently a Visiting Researcher at Imperial College School of Professional Development

As Wounded is in the running for the Wellcome Book Prize the event is a great opportunity to hear Dr Mayhew talk about her widely acclaimed volume. This is last chance to experience the Bath Literature Festival’s First World War themed events so make sure you come along if not for any other reason than as a show of respect for the sacrifice of the men and women of the British Army during this period.

Find the event details here:

http://bathfestivals.org.uk/literature/event/emily-mayhew/

The Book Site:

Helen Bagnall is an award-winning writer and co-founder of Salon London, a cultural showcase for science, art and psychology.

She has written for both page and screen, and is currently an editor at The Literary Platform.

Bagnall will host the Great War Salon event as part of the Bath Literature Festival, on March 8th 2014. Book your ticket here.

Lizzie Ostrom is the founder of Odette Toilette, an organisation which runs events based around the world of scents and smells.

She has worked on a range of projects from the unique Scratch+Sniff events to Ode, a new venture aimed at improving the quality of life for dementia sufferers.

Ostrom will speak at the Bath Literature Festival on March 8th 2014 as part of Great War Salon, alongside Lucinda Hawksley, Jessica Fellowes, and host Helen Bagnall. Book your ticket here.

Lucinda Hawksley is a writer and historian with an interest in literature and art.

Hawksley is a descendant of Charles Dickens and a Patron of London's Charles Dickens Museum.

She will be speaking at the Bath Literature festival on March 8th 2014 as part of Great War Salon, alongside Jessica Fellowes, Lizzie Ostrom, and host Helen Bagnall. Book your ticket here.

Voices and Images from World War One