Welcome
Welcome to the website of the Norman Nicholson Society. The site aims to provide information about Nicholson and his work and encourage the study and enjoyment of this remarkable man's writings. Here you will also find information about the NN Society which holds regular events and publishes the newsletter Comet. The Society is based in Millom, on the banks of the River Duddon and in the shadow of Black Combe, and has a worldwide membership.
MembershipNew members of the Norman Nicholson Society are warmly welcomed. Membership fees are £15 per annum or £20 for a couple living at the same address, and £6 youth membership (up to age 25). Check out benefits of membership here, including how to access the Members' exclusive area of this website. Please contact us at nns.membership@gmail.com
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Norman Nicholson
Norman Nicholson was born in Millom, Cumbria, in 1914 and lived there until his death in 1987 with the exception of two years in his late teens when he was sent to a sanatorium in Hampshire to recover from tuberculosis - an event which shaped his subsequent life. His writing career lasted from 1930 until his death and embraced plays, poetry, novels, criticism and essays. He is best known for his poetry and was awarded the Queen's Medal for Poetry in 1977 and the OBE in 1981.
Read an appreciation of Norman Nicholson by Fran Baker, former archivist at the John Rylands University of Manchester Library, HERE. Most frequently-asked question: Where can I get hold of Nicholson's work? The Greetings shop, 26 Lapstone Road, Millom LA18 4BU, has a range of Nicholson books in stock. Or try Faber & Faber HERE or Amazon HERE, or click HERE for links to Nicholson's poems online. |
LATEST NEWS
Exhibition at Holy Trinity Church, Millom
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An exhibition celebrating Wordsworth's Duddon Sonnets, and including a section devoted to Norman Nicholson, has opened at Holy Trinity Church in Millom and runs till January 30th. The exhibition is by the Cumbria textile and mixed media group FLAX. The River Duddon was important to Wordsworth, just as it was to Nicholson over a hundred years later, and has a prominent place in the writings of both poets. Visitors can read more about the links between the two men and read Nicholson's 'To The River Duddon' in which he uses the familiar landscape to frame his response to his illustrious predecessor. The exhibition is open on January16th, 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th, from 12 - 3.00pm. There's no entry charge but donations to the upkeep of the church are welcome. Refreshments are available.
posted 16/1/22 photos by SUE DAWSON
posted 16/1/22 photos by SUE DAWSON
Recordings of Nicholson reading his poems
Audio recordings of the Cumbrian poet Norman Nicholson reading his own work are now available to anyone who downloads the walking trails app which was launched by Norman Nicholson House last year. This new addition to the app features two of Nicholson’s most loved poems, The Shadow of Black Combe and On the Dismantling of Millom Ironworks. The recordings were originally made in the 1980s by another Cumbria poet Mike Smith, who has generously given permission for their use.
Chair of Norman Nicholson House Charlie Lambert said: ‘Nicholson’s poetry strikes so many chords and to hear it being read by the man himself in his own environment is a wonderful experience. We are grateful to Mike for allowing us to use his recordings’.
The walking trails app features two routes around Nicholson’s home town of Millom, taking participants to significant landmarks and places of interest, accompanied by text, photographs and audio, all available on a smartphone. The app was launched in March 2021 thanks to funding from Millom Towns Fund. It is free to download and can be accessed through Google Play or the App Store. Search for ‘Norman Nicholson’s Millom’.
posted 10/2/22
Chair of Norman Nicholson House Charlie Lambert said: ‘Nicholson’s poetry strikes so many chords and to hear it being read by the man himself in his own environment is a wonderful experience. We are grateful to Mike for allowing us to use his recordings’.
The walking trails app features two routes around Nicholson’s home town of Millom, taking participants to significant landmarks and places of interest, accompanied by text, photographs and audio, all available on a smartphone. The app was launched in March 2021 thanks to funding from Millom Towns Fund. It is free to download and can be accessed through Google Play or the App Store. Search for ‘Norman Nicholson’s Millom’.
posted 10/2/22
Revised call for papers
Dr Stephen Ely has sent a revised Call for Papers for the Apocalypse Symposia which we have featured on our website ( see October 14th, below). The main changes are that there are now details about the dates of submission of proposals.
Apocalypse I: please send proposals of up to 250 words for 20-minute papers, plus a short biographical note, to John Goodby (j.goodby@shu.ac.uk) by Friday 28th January, 2022.
Apocalypse II: please send proposals of up to 250 words for 20-minute papers, plus a short biographical note, to Steve Ely (s.ely@hud.ac.uk) by Friday 30th September, 2022.
The new Call for Papers can be viewed here (click on the 'fullscreen' icon, bottom right):
Apocalypse I: please send proposals of up to 250 words for 20-minute papers, plus a short biographical note, to John Goodby (j.goodby@shu.ac.uk) by Friday 28th January, 2022.
Apocalypse II: please send proposals of up to 250 words for 20-minute papers, plus a short biographical note, to Steve Ely (s.ely@hud.ac.uk) by Friday 30th September, 2022.
The new Call for Papers can be viewed here (click on the 'fullscreen' icon, bottom right):
posted 19/11/21, updated 5/12/21
South Cumbria Musical Festival
The Norman Nicholson Society is delighted to continue our sponsorship of two classes at the South Cumbria Musical Festival, to take place in Ulverston in March. Both classes are in the Speech section and will feature recitations of two poems by Nicholson – ‘Road Up’ for ages up to and including school year 6, and ‘Wall’ for school years 7 – 9 inclusive. The classes sponsored by the Society are in memory of our late friend and former chair of the Society Peggy Troll. The winning performances will receive book tokens of £20.00 (Class 206 ‘Road Up’ ) and £30.00 (Class 212 ‘Wall’). Entries for all classes are now open, deadline December 31st. The festival runs from March 21st to March 26th 2022. Full details here: http://southcumbriamusicalfestival.co.uk/entry/ The syllabus can also been downloaded from the website.
posted 5/11/21
posted 5/11/21
Challenging responses to poetry of the 1940s
Norman Nicholson is highlighted as an example of the regionalist movement against Oxbridge/metropolitan dominance of literature in the 1940s,in a call for papers for a symposium on Apocalypse Poetry to be held next year. Nicholson is named in publicity for the two-part symposium which will be organised by Sheffield Hallam University and Huddersfield University, taking place on March 19 2022 at Sheffield Hallam, organised by Professor John Goodby, and on November 12 2022 at Huddersfield, organised by Dr Steve Ely. The call for papers appears below. Booking details and deadlines for proposals have yet to be published.
The conference arises from James Keery's ground-breaking Apocalypse anthology, which the organisers believe has the potential to challenge the dominant critical responses to the poetry of the 1940s - and perhaps provoke a reassessment of received accounts of the narrative of 20th century English-language poetry. Click on the 'fullscreen' icon, bottom right:
The conference arises from James Keery's ground-breaking Apocalypse anthology, which the organisers believe has the potential to challenge the dominant critical responses to the poetry of the 1940s - and perhaps provoke a reassessment of received accounts of the narrative of 20th century English-language poetry. Click on the 'fullscreen' icon, bottom right:
posted 14/10/21
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