Lecture

Real Dorset | Jon Woolcott

19 October 2023, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

In this lecture, let Jon Woolcott take you on an amusing whistle-stop tour through some of the discoveries and oddities that make Dorset unique.

Jon’s recently published book Real Dorset (Seren Books, 2023) is a personal, detailed, discursive, humorous, and idiosyncratic look at Dorset. The county is famous for its spectacular coastline, 19its historic towns, its eco-foodie reputation, and for Hardy and Fowles. But there’s much more behind the tourist-friendly façade – subversion, rebellion and revolt, wealth and poverty, ghost stories, and rich folklore. Its history can surprise – from the murky origins of the Cerne Abbas Giant to the revived pagan ritual of the Filly Loo.

Jon Woolcott is a writer and publisher, who has lived in Dorset for 14 years, and grew up nearby in southern Wiltshire. He currently works for the acclaimed independent publisher, Little Toller, where he also edits The Clearing, the online journal for new writing about place and nature. His writing, which often focuses on Dorset, has appeared widely, including for_ The _Guardian, Caught by the River, The Bookseller, Sightly Foxed, Echtrai Journal, and History Press.