Programme for 2017 Plymouth History Festival goes live - The Box, Plymouth

By: Jo Clarke
Added: 07 March 2017

The programme for the 2017 Plymouth History Festival has gone live with a jam packed programme of events across the city.

This is the fifth year in a row that the month long celebration of Plymouth’s heritage has been taken place and details are now live at www.historyfestival2017.wordpress.com

The festival, which is coordinated by the City Council’s Arts and Heritage Service, will run from Saturday 6 May to Sunday 4 June. This year’s programme includes exhibitions and displays, guided walks and tours, talks and presentations, music, film and performance, special events and family activities.

Exhibitions will explore subjects such as the 1950s, Crime and Punishment, the Blitz and Sir Francis Chichester.

A series of walks and tours will guide people around some of the city’s most historic buildings and gardens.

Talks will cover topics as diverse as ‘Slander and Insults in Elizabethan Devon’, Winston Churchill’s ‘Secret Army’, Devonport Dockyard, historic Plympton, artist Jack Pickup and ‘Darwin, Dinosaurs and the Plymouth Athenaeum’.

A range of exciting special events include ‘Local Studies Day’ at the Robbins Conference Centre, a ‘Firepower Day’ at Crownhill Fort, a ‘Royalty in Residence’ event featuring knights in armour, ladies of the court and medieval dancing at Plympton Priory, and a ‘Sounds of the Sixties’ evening at the New Continental Hotel featuring a talk by Chris Robinson and a two-hour set by ‘The Revolvers’.

Families will be able to enjoy pirate and nautical-themed arts and crafts, a special ‘Wild About Plymouth’ natural history event at Maker Camp and a treasure trail.

Organ, string and piano recitals will take place at St Andrew’s Church while a Medieval and Folk Music Concert and a Historic Musical Pub Crawl are also on offer.

The festival will also include the premiere of this year’s Peninsula Arts film commission. Award-winning artists Frances Scott and Bryony Gillard will showcase their original pieces for the first time – both of which draw on archive footage from the South West Film and Television Archive.

Following the massive success of 2015’s ‘The Spice Box’, which saw the City Council’s Arts and Heritage Service join forces with the Barbican Theatre to reinterpret the Elizabethan House, this year’s festival will feature a brand new dramatic experience. ‘Ropewalks’ is a series of theatrical walking tours which will bring the stories of the Barbican and Sutton Harbour to life. Tickets are set to go on sale at the end of the month and the tours will be suitable for everyone aged 8 and upwards.

Councillor Glenn Jordan, Cabinet Member for Culture said: “Five years on and the Plymouth History Festival is still as strong as ever. Yet again I’m really proud of the programme that’s been created by such a wide range of organisations and individuals. The flagship events that will be taking place sound really exciting and there’s real variety on offer for all ages and interests. It’s a programme that highlights the depth of Plymouth’s history and shines a light on just how fascinating the many different aspects of it are.”

Additional events will be added to the festival website as they are confirmed. A festival brochure will be available in April and you can also stay up-to-date with the developments at www.facebook.com/plymhistoryfest and www.twitter.com/plymhistoryfest

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For more information, photographs or interview opportunities call Jo Clarke on 01752 306228 or email jo.clarke@plymouth.gov.uk.