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
'Sea to the West' featured
Nicholson's 1981 poem 'Sea to the West' is featured this week by the charity The Reader, which aims to promote the reading of great literature to people of all ages and backgrounds. The poem has been chosen because the Reader's theme this year is 'Light and Darkness'. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQmhUhOCbZQ
posted 15/6/22
posted 15/6/22
New in the Members' Area
New addition to the Members' Area of this website: a letter written by Norman to a Millom woman who had congratulated him on his appearance in the BBC documentary series Look Stranger in 1973. If you are a member of the Norman Nicholson Society and haven't yet registered for access to the members-only pages, please do so. Details can be found HERE.
posted 15/6/22
posted 15/6/22
Norman and the Queen
Congratulations to Her Majesty on her Jubilee! Which among many other uplifting spin-offs gives us the chance to remember the day in 1977 (another Royal Jubilee year) when Norman visited Buckingham Palace to receive the Queen's Medal for Poetry.
'The day was described by Peggy Troll, writing in Comet in 2016 and drawing on a letter sent by Norman's wife Yvonne to his cousin Doreen Cornthwaite. The Queen's 90th birthday that year had been marked by an event at St George's Church, when Peggy spoke about Norman's award. She wrote in Comet: 'I was able to quote some of Yvonne's description of the day. Sir John Betjeman, then Poet Laureate, escorted Norman and Yvonne with their two nieces, Liz and Sarah, to the Palace. The ceremony, which only Norman and Sir John attended, lasted about fifteen minutes. Yvonne writes, It went marvellously. He (Norman) was very good indeed, Sir John reported. He also told us that before Norman went in, the Queen had read aloud several lines from 'On the Closing of Millom Ironworks', saying she liked them. The Queen kept the copy of 'Stitch and Stone' "to read when I have some time. This has been such a busy year but I have found it encouraging." '
Norman and Yvonne at Buckingham Palace, 1977
posted 4/6/22
'Comet' edition 36
The Spring edition of the Society's newsletter 'Comet' is now available to members who can find it by logging on to the Members' Area of this website. If you're a member and you haven't registered for your exclusive section of the website it's easy to do - click HERE.
posted 27/5/22
Walking and talking in Millom - this Saturday, May 14th
A reminder that this Saturday, May 14th, the Society will hold an event in Millom as part of Cumbria GeoWeek.
Saturday Morning Geology will be led by Brian Whalley of the University of Sheffield and the Norman Nicholson Society.
This will consist of a Talk and Walk introduction to the local geology in collaboration with the Millom Heritage and Arts Centre (with a repeat at 12.00).
11.00 An introduction to the geology of the Millom area (20-25 minutes).
11.30 A walk around central Millom to look at the geology in and around the town (20-25 minutes).
Repeated at 12.00 (talk) and 12.30 (walk).
Meet at the Heritage and Arts Centre (Millom Railway Station, LA18 5AA). No booking necessary.
We are pleased to confirm that we will also hold an afternoon session (14.00 to 15.30) discussing Nicholson's 1972 collection A Local Habitation, led by Antoinette Fawcett, Glenn Lang and Brian Whalley. This will be at St George's Church, Millom LA18 4HX, admission free, all welcome.
A Local Habitation includes poems linking geology and Millom, such as Great Day, The Borehole, Bee Orchid at Hodbarrow, Scree, Hodbarrow Flooded, On the Closing of Millom Ironworks etc.
posted 12/5/22
Saturday Morning Geology will be led by Brian Whalley of the University of Sheffield and the Norman Nicholson Society.
This will consist of a Talk and Walk introduction to the local geology in collaboration with the Millom Heritage and Arts Centre (with a repeat at 12.00).
11.00 An introduction to the geology of the Millom area (20-25 minutes).
11.30 A walk around central Millom to look at the geology in and around the town (20-25 minutes).
Repeated at 12.00 (talk) and 12.30 (walk).
Meet at the Heritage and Arts Centre (Millom Railway Station, LA18 5AA). No booking necessary.
We are pleased to confirm that we will also hold an afternoon session (14.00 to 15.30) discussing Nicholson's 1972 collection A Local Habitation, led by Antoinette Fawcett, Glenn Lang and Brian Whalley. This will be at St George's Church, Millom LA18 4HX, admission free, all welcome.
A Local Habitation includes poems linking geology and Millom, such as Great Day, The Borehole, Bee Orchid at Hodbarrow, Scree, Hodbarrow Flooded, On the Closing of Millom Ironworks etc.
posted 12/5/22
Nicholson talk online tomorrow
We're looking forward to the talk tomorrow evening by our own committee member Laura Day on 'Millom and the Ironworks in Nicholson's 1954 collection The Pot Geranium'. It's part of Cumbria University's excellent Cultural Landscapes series, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, introduced by Dr Penny Bradshaw. The talk is online using the Teams platform. Anyone can join using this link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_Y2Q3NzJjZTgtMDBlZi00MmIxLTk3MTUtMTQxZmViNjI4Yzdk%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22b627db1d-9958-4fd1-8ea4-8ac3b27cf00f%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%225778a52f-1608-481c-adb8-23a9430166b5%22%7d Laura's talk will be followed by a brief update on our walking trails app by the Society's chair, Charlie Lambert.
posted 8/5/22
posted 8/5/22
Meeting at Wordsworth Grasmere
The Society's three committee members who also sit on the board of Norman Nicholson House Community Interest Company had a very valuable and informative meeting last Friday with Jeff Cowton, principal curator at Wordsworth Grasmere. Charlie Lambert, Janice Brockbank and Sue Dawson had the chance to tap into Jeff's own experience of running a literary house, as well as enjoying a tour of Dove Cottage. We're really grateful to Jeff for giving us his time and passing on a lot of advice on a range of topics. The project to buy and renovate Nicholson's lifelong home continues to make steady progress.
Jeff Cowton (left) with Charlie Lambert, Janice Brockbank and Sue Dawson
posted 3/5/22
Millom 41 Club explore Nicholson locations
We were delighted to host a tour of Nicholson locations and poetry readings for members of Millom 41 Club yesterday. It was particularly atmospheric reading Sea to the West by Norman's grave as the sun set. Thank you to Mark Duckworth on behalf of the 41 Club for a very kind donation to our GoFundMe page which now totals £11,319. All money raised through GoFundMe will be matched by the Architectural Heritage Fund, up to a maximum of £20,000.
posted 28/4/22
posted 28/4/22
AGM takes place on Zoom
The AGM of the Society took place via Zoom yesterday. Our thanks to all members who attended and especially to Laura Day who presented a superbly researched and constructed talk on Nicholson's 1948 collection Rock Face after the formalities were over.
Introducing the AGM, our chair, Charlie Lambert, said: 'Looking back over the year, I think we can fairly claim to have notched up another triumph against the odds. Despite all the continuing restrictions, all those moments when we thought Covid was about to be consigned to history only to find it was as virulent as ever, our Society has really flourished. We held our second two-day festival last June, online, with first class speakers in the poet Ken Cockburn and Jeff Cowton from Wordsworth Grasmere, we put on a live online evening of poetry readings from our own publication The Unpredicted Spring, we worked closely with Wordsworth Grasmere to contribute to their high-profile exhibition Still Glides the Stream. We’ve been involved with a range of other activities, and we held an in-person event in December when our Christmas lunch took place in Grange, and I thank Brian Whalley for hosting that event on behalf of the Society. Now, of course, we hope that the outlook will improve dramatically over the coming months. We hope to run an event in Millom on May 14th as part of the national GeoWeek, exploring Nicholson’s expertise in the field of geology; this will largely be an outdoor event. We’re just waiting to confirm some final details and as soon as everything is finalised there’ll be announcements on our website and social media.'
Charlie announced that our former Chair, Dr Ian Davidson, has been offered honorary life membership of the Society in recognition of his long-standing support and contribution.
Over the past 12 months our membership has increased and we are in a sound position financially. Society members can find detailed reports from our officers in the Members' Area on this website. The minutes will be uploaded there shortly. If you're a member and you haven't yet registered for this area, the details are HERE.
Four committee members whose three-year terms had expired were re-elected: Antoinette Fawcett, Charlie Lambert, Glenn Lang and Sue Dawson.
posted 24/4/22
Introducing the AGM, our chair, Charlie Lambert, said: 'Looking back over the year, I think we can fairly claim to have notched up another triumph against the odds. Despite all the continuing restrictions, all those moments when we thought Covid was about to be consigned to history only to find it was as virulent as ever, our Society has really flourished. We held our second two-day festival last June, online, with first class speakers in the poet Ken Cockburn and Jeff Cowton from Wordsworth Grasmere, we put on a live online evening of poetry readings from our own publication The Unpredicted Spring, we worked closely with Wordsworth Grasmere to contribute to their high-profile exhibition Still Glides the Stream. We’ve been involved with a range of other activities, and we held an in-person event in December when our Christmas lunch took place in Grange, and I thank Brian Whalley for hosting that event on behalf of the Society. Now, of course, we hope that the outlook will improve dramatically over the coming months. We hope to run an event in Millom on May 14th as part of the national GeoWeek, exploring Nicholson’s expertise in the field of geology; this will largely be an outdoor event. We’re just waiting to confirm some final details and as soon as everything is finalised there’ll be announcements on our website and social media.'
Charlie announced that our former Chair, Dr Ian Davidson, has been offered honorary life membership of the Society in recognition of his long-standing support and contribution.
Over the past 12 months our membership has increased and we are in a sound position financially. Society members can find detailed reports from our officers in the Members' Area on this website. The minutes will be uploaded there shortly. If you're a member and you haven't yet registered for this area, the details are HERE.
Four committee members whose three-year terms had expired were re-elected: Antoinette Fawcett, Charlie Lambert, Glenn Lang and Sue Dawson.
posted 24/4/22
Books for sale
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David Boyd, honorary life vice-president of the Society and author of 'Norman Nicholson - a Literary Life', is offering a number of Nicholson books for sale. David says that all the books are used but would be described in the book trade 'very good or better' condition. He is also offering new hardback copies of his own book on Nicholson. Anyone interested should contact David direct at oncebubbles@gmail.com. posted 19/4/22 |
South Cumbria Musical Festival Winners
Congratulations to BEN CHEN, winner of the poetry recital class for primary school children up to Year 6 at the South Cumbria Musical Festival in Ulverston today. There were seven entrants listed in the programme, six from Millom and one from Barrow-in-Furness. One contestant, from Millom, had withdrawn before the start of the day, so there were six competitors, all reciting Norman Nicholson's poem 'Road Up', from his 1984 children's collection 'The Candy-Floss Tree'.
The following children were the winners:
1. Ben Chen, with a mark of 87 (Distinction). He was awarded a South Cumbria Musical Festival Cup + a £20.00 book token from the Norman Nicholson Society.
2. Florence Tyson, with a mark of 86 (Commended).
3. Max Milburn, with a mark of 85 (Commended).
The Society as sponsors was represented by committee members Antoinette Fawcett and Glenn Lang. Antoinette said: 'I thought all three children performed the poem extremely well. Ben's performance was really excellent. He conveyed a very good sense of the poem's meaning, which he brought out very naturally, with excellent vocal and facial expression. His communication with the audience was bright, cheerful and warm and really suited the light-hearted nature of the poem. Florence Tyson did outstandingly well across a number of different speech classes. She performed in five classes in total, including in the 'Write and Recite' class, which she won. Max Milburn was also a very good, clear performer'.
Unfortunately the second category, for children in Years 7 to 9 featuring Nicholson's poem 'Wall', was cancelled when the two entrants withdrew.
The adjudicator was Chris Marlow BA, MA, PGCE, PGDip, LLCM, FVCM.
posted 22/3/22
The following children were the winners:
1. Ben Chen, with a mark of 87 (Distinction). He was awarded a South Cumbria Musical Festival Cup + a £20.00 book token from the Norman Nicholson Society.
2. Florence Tyson, with a mark of 86 (Commended).
3. Max Milburn, with a mark of 85 (Commended).
The Society as sponsors was represented by committee members Antoinette Fawcett and Glenn Lang. Antoinette said: 'I thought all three children performed the poem extremely well. Ben's performance was really excellent. He conveyed a very good sense of the poem's meaning, which he brought out very naturally, with excellent vocal and facial expression. His communication with the audience was bright, cheerful and warm and really suited the light-hearted nature of the poem. Florence Tyson did outstandingly well across a number of different speech classes. She performed in five classes in total, including in the 'Write and Recite' class, which she won. Max Milburn was also a very good, clear performer'.
Unfortunately the second category, for children in Years 7 to 9 featuring Nicholson's poem 'Wall', was cancelled when the two entrants withdrew.
The adjudicator was Chris Marlow BA, MA, PGCE, PGDip, LLCM, FVCM.
posted 22/3/22
Architectural Heritage Fund doubles our money!
Our project to buy and renovate Norman Nicholson's home in Millom has chalked up a major success thanks to the Architectural Heritage Fund.
The AHF, which works to promote the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings for the benefit of communities across the UK, has awarded the project Crowdfunder Challenge status. This means they will match pound-for-pound all money raised by Nicholson House’s online crowdfunding campaign.
Chair of Norman Nicholson House Charlie Lambert said: ‘This is wonderful news, especially because the AHF are backdating this award so that all the money we’ve raised so far has doubled overnight. Our GoFundMe campaign has just hit its initial target of £10,000 and we will now extend that target, knowing that every donation immediately becomes worth twice as much’.
It means that the project has now secured over £126,000 from a range of sources towards its aim to turn the house in St George’s Terrace into a place that will make a lively contribution to the community, as well as celebrating the life and work of the poet. Charlie said: ‘We are well on our way, but we are still talking to funding organisations because this is a sizeable and ambitious project.’
Donate through the Crowdfunder campaign – and your money will immediately be doubled by the Architectural Heritage Fund. Find out more about project to buy and renovate the house at www.normannicholsonhouse.co.uk
posted 19/1/22
The AHF, which works to promote the conservation and sustainable re-use of historic buildings for the benefit of communities across the UK, has awarded the project Crowdfunder Challenge status. This means they will match pound-for-pound all money raised by Nicholson House’s online crowdfunding campaign.
Chair of Norman Nicholson House Charlie Lambert said: ‘This is wonderful news, especially because the AHF are backdating this award so that all the money we’ve raised so far has doubled overnight. Our GoFundMe campaign has just hit its initial target of £10,000 and we will now extend that target, knowing that every donation immediately becomes worth twice as much’.
It means that the project has now secured over £126,000 from a range of sources towards its aim to turn the house in St George’s Terrace into a place that will make a lively contribution to the community, as well as celebrating the life and work of the poet. Charlie said: ‘We are well on our way, but we are still talking to funding organisations because this is a sizeable and ambitious project.’
Donate through the Crowdfunder campaign – and your money will immediately be doubled by the Architectural Heritage Fund. Find out more about project to buy and renovate the house at www.normannicholsonhouse.co.uk
posted 19/1/22
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, in the News Blog). 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
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