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 via the Contact page.
|
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
Nicholson's 'poetry of hope'
A talk by the Rev Canon Dr Edmund Newey, inspired by Nicholson's poetry of hope and presented online in March, is available in audio form on the website of Engaging Theology in Cumbria HERE. The talk draws largely on one of Nicholson's early poems The Burning Bush. Dr Newey is Rector of St Andrew's Church, Rugby.
posted 5/5/21
posted 5/5/21
Latest edition of 'Comet'
The Spring edition of Comet, the Society's regular newsletter, is now available for members to read or download in the Members' Area of this website. To find out how to access this area, click HERE.
posted 4/5/21
posted 4/5/21
Words of appreciation
Two comments from our recent AGM:
"I'm a member of a number of literary societies and the Norman Nicholson Society has outstripped most, if not all, in terms of being so dynamic under conditions of such adversity, and going from strength - not only last year but this year - to further strength' - Dr Chris Donaldson, University of Lancaster.
'Comet has been a brilliant resource and I'd like to thank the editor Antoinette Fawcett and everyone who has written for it because it has been absolutely astonishing. Many other societies don't manage to achieve anything of that standard. I think the Norman Nicholson Society should be proud of that achievement' - Andrew F. Wilson.
posted 2/5/21
"I'm a member of a number of literary societies and the Norman Nicholson Society has outstripped most, if not all, in terms of being so dynamic under conditions of such adversity, and going from strength - not only last year but this year - to further strength' - Dr Chris Donaldson, University of Lancaster.
'Comet has been a brilliant resource and I'd like to thank the editor Antoinette Fawcett and everyone who has written for it because it has been absolutely astonishing. Many other societies don't manage to achieve anything of that standard. I think the Norman Nicholson Society should be proud of that achievement' - Andrew F. Wilson.
posted 2/5/21
Two join committee at our AGM
Thank you to our members who attended our AGM via Zoom on Saturday. Congratulations on being elected to the committee go to two of our younger members, Laura Day and Jack Threlfall Hartley - it's great to have you on board. Our treasurer Brian Charnley was re-elected for another three years. Brian Whalley was confirmed as a committee member having been co-opted in 2019. Members also approved Brian's appointment as Membership Secretary, and Janice Brockbank's appointment to the role of Secretary was likewise approved. Despite the social distance we were able to arrange a small presentation to Glenn Lang as a sign of appreciation of his many years as Secretary. Thank you also to Dr Penny Bradshaw for delivering an illuminating talk on Nicholson's studies of Wordsworth. It was good to see a number of non-members joining us for that part of the event.
posted 26/4/21
posted 26/4/21
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature has remedied an omission on its website, whereby Norman Nicholson was not included in a page dedicated to past Fellows of the RSL. Nicholson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1945, shortly after having been awarded the inaugural Heinemann Award for his first full collection of poetry, Five Rivers (Faber and Faber, 1944). He was then only 31 years old, an unusually young age for such an honour. The RSL has now put this right, following an approach by our committee member and editor of Comet, Antoinette Fawcett. There's more on the RSL's website HERE.
posted 19/4/21
posted 19/4/21
'Norman Nicholson's Millom' - walking trails app is live!
|
|
|
An app which will guide people on two walking trails around the Millom area has been launched. The app can be downloaded free of charge to the user’s smartphone and uses GPS technology to navigate the two routes.
It has been produced by Norman Nicholson House Community Interest Company, working in tandem with the Norman Nicholson Society.
The two trails are a 1.5 mile walk around Millom town centre and a 6.5 mile route from the town to the Duddon estuary, the site of the town’s former Ironworks, and Hodbarrow RSPB nature reserve. Users of the app will find information and photographs for each location along the way, along with an audio description, and extracts from Norman Nicholson’s writings.
They can also hear a welcome from Lord Melvyn Bragg, president of the Norman Nicholson Society, and personal memories of Millom’s past from lifelong local residents Brian Maggs, a former employee at the Ironworks, and Dorothy Richardson, whose father was the harbourmaster in the days when Millom was a busy port.
Funding for the app has come from Copeland Borough Council through the Government’s Towns Fund strategy.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE APP AND THE TRAILS - WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
Chair of Norman Nicholson House CIC Charlie Lambert said: ‘The app is brilliant. It’s free to download, easy to use, and it takes users on a journey through time as well as along two fascinating and uplifting routes. I’m very grateful to Copeland Borough Council for funding this and to everyone who has contributed towards making it happen.’
The trails can be found by downloading the Situate app from either the Apple Store or Google Play and searching for Norman Nicholson’s Millom.
At the same time Norman Nicholson House is unveiling a Crowdfunder campaign to raise some of the money needed for its project to buy Nicholson’s old home. Charlie Lambert said: ‘All contributions are really welcome. You can chip in by going to GoFundMe.com and search for Norman Nicholson House.’
Digital development of the app is by Agnes Control of Workington and Llama Digital of Sheffield. Graphic design by AR Graphic Design of Maryport. Content created by Norman Nicholson House CIC. Heritage consultant Marshall Mossop.
posted 29/3/21
It has been produced by Norman Nicholson House Community Interest Company, working in tandem with the Norman Nicholson Society.
The two trails are a 1.5 mile walk around Millom town centre and a 6.5 mile route from the town to the Duddon estuary, the site of the town’s former Ironworks, and Hodbarrow RSPB nature reserve. Users of the app will find information and photographs for each location along the way, along with an audio description, and extracts from Norman Nicholson’s writings.
They can also hear a welcome from Lord Melvyn Bragg, president of the Norman Nicholson Society, and personal memories of Millom’s past from lifelong local residents Brian Maggs, a former employee at the Ironworks, and Dorothy Richardson, whose father was the harbourmaster in the days when Millom was a busy port.
Funding for the app has come from Copeland Borough Council through the Government’s Towns Fund strategy.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE APP AND THE TRAILS - WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
Chair of Norman Nicholson House CIC Charlie Lambert said: ‘The app is brilliant. It’s free to download, easy to use, and it takes users on a journey through time as well as along two fascinating and uplifting routes. I’m very grateful to Copeland Borough Council for funding this and to everyone who has contributed towards making it happen.’
The trails can be found by downloading the Situate app from either the Apple Store or Google Play and searching for Norman Nicholson’s Millom.
At the same time Norman Nicholson House is unveiling a Crowdfunder campaign to raise some of the money needed for its project to buy Nicholson’s old home. Charlie Lambert said: ‘All contributions are really welcome. You can chip in by going to GoFundMe.com and search for Norman Nicholson House.’
Digital development of the app is by Agnes Control of Workington and Llama Digital of Sheffield. Graphic design by AR Graphic Design of Maryport. Content created by Norman Nicholson House CIC. Heritage consultant Marshall Mossop.
posted 29/3/21
READ THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY COPELAND BOROUGH COUNCIL HERE
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE LAUNCH OF THE APP:
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE LAUNCH OF THE APP:
- BBC TV NW report in breakfast bulletins on Friday April 2nd.
- Radio Cumbria reported the launch and used a clip from our chair Charlie Lambert in news bulletins also on Friday April 2nd.
- Radio Cumbria have scheduled a longer piece in the breakfast show at 0845 next Tuesday (April 6th).
- Whitehaven News report: https://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/19197001.new-app-launch-celebrates-millom-nicholson/
- News & Star report: https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/19195214.new-app-launch-celebrates-millom-nicholson/
- Cumbria Crack report: https://cumbriacrack.com/2021/03/31/norman-nicholson-walking-app-launches-for-millom/
|
for previous News items please visit our News Blog
Social Media: We're on Facebook and Twitter. Click on the icons below.
Explore Millom and surrounding area:
Millom Discovery Centre St George's Church Millom Library Hodbarrow RSPB Reserve |
