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
Nicholson books for sale
A splendid selection of Nicholson books, many of them first editions and some of them signed, are available to purchase from Tony Pointer who has contacted us via this website. They are:
The Lakers (June 1956) £10
The Lakers (1972) £7
HG Wells (1950, 1st edition) £10
Portrait of the Lakes (1st edition) £20
Portrait of the Lakes (2nd edition) £5
Greater Lakeland (1969, 1st edition) £10
Greater Lakeland (1975 edition) £7
Man and Literature (1943, 1st edition) £!5
The Candy Floss Tree (1st edition) £15
William Cowper (1960, 1st edition) £5
The Old Man of the Mountains (1st edition) £15
Sea to the West (1st edition) £18
The Lake District, an anthology (1st edition) £15
The Green Shore (1st edition) best offer
Cumberland and Westmorland (1st edition) £15
Five Rivers (1st edition) £20
The Fire of the Lord (1st edition) £20
The Garden of the Innocent £30
To buy any of the above, or any queries, please contact Tony direct at wallenriggfarm@gmail.com
posted 16/9/21
The Lakers (June 1956) £10
The Lakers (1972) £7
HG Wells (1950, 1st edition) £10
Portrait of the Lakes (1st edition) £20
Portrait of the Lakes (2nd edition) £5
Greater Lakeland (1969, 1st edition) £10
Greater Lakeland (1975 edition) £7
Man and Literature (1943, 1st edition) £!5
The Candy Floss Tree (1st edition) £15
William Cowper (1960, 1st edition) £5
The Old Man of the Mountains (1st edition) £15
Sea to the West (1st edition) £18
The Lake District, an anthology (1st edition) £15
The Green Shore (1st edition) best offer
Cumberland and Westmorland (1st edition) £15
Five Rivers (1st edition) £20
The Fire of the Lord (1st edition) £20
The Garden of the Innocent £30
To buy any of the above, or any queries, please contact Tony direct at wallenriggfarm@gmail.com
posted 16/9/21
'Fossils' set to music and to premiere in Oxford
Jess Dandy. photo by Clare Park.
Contralto Jess Dandy, born and bred in Barrow-in-Furness and a huge admirer of Norman Nicholson, will sing a new musical setting by Joel Rust of Nicholson’s poem ‘Fossils’ at the opening event of Oxford Lieder Festival 2021 on Friday October 8th. This was originally intended to be performed on Cumbria’s Birkrigg Common with its myriad microfossils and extensive limestone pavement, but will now receive its world premiere at the Festival.
Joel Rust says of the piece: 'Fossils, our very distant cousins, remind us that there have been, and will be, more ways of living on this planet than we can possibly know. Nicholson’s poem treats these creatures with respect, admiration and warmth; I wanted my setting to do the same — and to reflect the gently undulating landscape unfolding around it'. Other works include songs by Vaughan Williams, Henry Purcell, Edvard Grieg, Arnold Bax, and a new commission by Cumbrian composer, Ella Jarman-Pinto.
The event, ‘A Cumbrian Idyll’, also features the best-selling author and Cumbrian shepherd James Rebanks and pianist Martin Roscoe. It runs from 11am to 12 noon at the Jacqueline Du Pré Building at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. This event will also be live-streamed and will be available to watch on demand until the end of November in the festival’s Digital Concert Hall. For more information, visit oxfordlieder.co.uk
Joel Rust says of the piece: 'Fossils, our very distant cousins, remind us that there have been, and will be, more ways of living on this planet than we can possibly know. Nicholson’s poem treats these creatures with respect, admiration and warmth; I wanted my setting to do the same — and to reflect the gently undulating landscape unfolding around it'. Other works include songs by Vaughan Williams, Henry Purcell, Edvard Grieg, Arnold Bax, and a new commission by Cumbrian composer, Ella Jarman-Pinto.
The event, ‘A Cumbrian Idyll’, also features the best-selling author and Cumbrian shepherd James Rebanks and pianist Martin Roscoe. It runs from 11am to 12 noon at the Jacqueline Du Pré Building at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. This event will also be live-streamed and will be available to watch on demand until the end of November in the festival’s Digital Concert Hall. For more information, visit oxfordlieder.co.uk
Laura to examine Sea to the West
Laura Day, MA student at the University of Durham and a member of the Norman Nicholson Society committee, will give a lecture exploring how the poems in Nicholson's 1981 collection Sea to the West address issues which resonated throughout his adult life. This is part of the university's Late Summer Lecture Series and takes place at 5.30pm on Wednesday September 22nd. Book for this free online event via Eventbrite HERE.
posted 11/8/21
Countrystride podcast explores Nicholson territory
illustration courtesy of MARK RICHARDS
The latest edition of the excellent podcast series Countrystride features Norman Nicholson and Millom, as our former chair Dr David Cooper takes host Mark Richards and producer Dave Felton on a tour through Norman's life, his work, and his locality. This audio production provides an impressive introduction to Nicholson's writing, showing how it was influenced by his life experiences, his home town, and his views on issues which are very pertinent today - especially at a time when the sustainability of the planet is top of the political agenda. Listen to the podcast HERE. Our thanks to Dave Felton for giving Nicholson's story such expert treatment, and it is lovely to hear David Cooper talking about Norman with such knowledge and commitment.
posted 9/8/21
posted 9/8/21
Watch our poetry evening online
A video of the poetry evening held as part of this year's Norman Nicholson Festival is now available on our YouTube channel. The video includes readings by many of the poets featured in our anthology of lockdown poetry The Unpredicted Spring, including the two winners Martyn Halsall and Katie Deutsch. Click HERE to view it.
posted 25/7/21
posted 25/7/21
£20.6 million to transform Millom
Congratulations to Copeland Borough Council and the Millom Town Deal Board on securing £20.6 million from the Government's Towns Fund! This is a marvellous news for the town. The Norman Nicholson Society is listed as a key stakeholder in the Millom Town Improvement Plan and we are looking forward to hearing further details. Read the official announcement from Copeland BC HERE.
posted 17/7//21
posted 17/7//21
'Still Glides the Stream'
We are looking forward to being part of the formal launch of a new exhibition at Wordsworth Grasmere, Still Glides the Stream' to celebrate the bicentenary of William Wordsworth's Duddon Sonnets. Please join us for an evening of stories and music from the artists, musicians and specialist groups who came together to bring the Duddon Sonnets to life. This will be an online event, free of charge, on Wednesday July 28th from 7.30pm to 9pm. You must register in advance at: https://bit.ly/2VChNUF.
The Norman Nicholson Society was invited to take part in the exhibition because of Nicholson's own writings about the River Duddon and also his own literary relationship with Wordsworth - something to which he often referred in both poetry and prose.
The Norman Nicholson Society was invited to take part in the exhibition because of Nicholson's own writings about the River Duddon and also his own literary relationship with Wordsworth - something to which he often referred in both poetry and prose.
posted 14/7/21
Festival 2021: perspectives on poets and poetry
The Society's second biennial two-day festival took place over the weekend and was a resounding success. Taking place on Zoom because of continuing risks posed by the Covid pandemic, the festival attracted attendees from all over the UK as well as the USA, Canada, India and New Zealand.
The opening session on Saturday afternoon featured the Scottish poet Ken Cockburn who compared his home town of Kirkcaldy with Nicholson's Millom and demonstrated the influence of Nicholson in his own writing. Our second speaker was Jeff Cowton, Curator and Head of Learning at Wordsworth Grasmere, who gave us a wonderful visual tour of the recent developments at Dove Cottage which include a display centred on Nicholson, provided by the Society, within the Still Glides the Stream exhibition, celebrating Wordsworth's Duddon Sonnets. Between the two talks, our chair Charlie Lambert gave an update on the Norman Nicholson's Millom trails app, launched at the end of March (Android users click HERE for Google Play. iPhone users click HERE for the Apple Store).
Saturday evening consisted of a delightful evening of poetry, as 14 poets who contributed to our recent anthology The Unpredicted Spring came together via Zoom to read and discuss their work. On Sunday we enjoyed two impeccably-researched and well-presented talks by two of the Society's younger members - Laura Day, who is studying for her PhD at Durham University, and Jack Threlfall Hartley who is working towards his PhD at Oxford University. Laura examined Nicholson's poem Hard of Hearing while Jack - currently based in Iceland - explored the influence of Norse language and locations in Nicholson's work. Charlie Lambert unveiled the Norman Nicholson Audio Archive, a collection of audio recordings with people who knew Nicholson personally, plus recordings of the poet himself generously made available by permission of BBC Radio Cumbria. The festival concluded with an appreciation of the two days by Kathleen Jones, vice-president of the Society and Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund.
All events were free but attendees were invited to make a donation to the Nicholson House Project. This raised a very impressive £594 through our GoFundMe campaign - thank you to everyone who contributed.
Our thanks also go to Millom Town Council and Millom CGP Trust for supporting the festival financially.
posted 28/6/21
The opening session on Saturday afternoon featured the Scottish poet Ken Cockburn who compared his home town of Kirkcaldy with Nicholson's Millom and demonstrated the influence of Nicholson in his own writing. Our second speaker was Jeff Cowton, Curator and Head of Learning at Wordsworth Grasmere, who gave us a wonderful visual tour of the recent developments at Dove Cottage which include a display centred on Nicholson, provided by the Society, within the Still Glides the Stream exhibition, celebrating Wordsworth's Duddon Sonnets. Between the two talks, our chair Charlie Lambert gave an update on the Norman Nicholson's Millom trails app, launched at the end of March (Android users click HERE for Google Play. iPhone users click HERE for the Apple Store).
Saturday evening consisted of a delightful evening of poetry, as 14 poets who contributed to our recent anthology The Unpredicted Spring came together via Zoom to read and discuss their work. On Sunday we enjoyed two impeccably-researched and well-presented talks by two of the Society's younger members - Laura Day, who is studying for her PhD at Durham University, and Jack Threlfall Hartley who is working towards his PhD at Oxford University. Laura examined Nicholson's poem Hard of Hearing while Jack - currently based in Iceland - explored the influence of Norse language and locations in Nicholson's work. Charlie Lambert unveiled the Norman Nicholson Audio Archive, a collection of audio recordings with people who knew Nicholson personally, plus recordings of the poet himself generously made available by permission of BBC Radio Cumbria. The festival concluded with an appreciation of the two days by Kathleen Jones, vice-president of the Society and Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund.
All events were free but attendees were invited to make a donation to the Nicholson House Project. This raised a very impressive £594 through our GoFundMe campaign - thank you to everyone who contributed.
Our thanks also go to Millom Town Council and Millom CGP Trust for supporting the festival financially.
posted 28/6/21
Donation in memory of 'inspirational' Wilf Kimber
Karen Seward
Former English teacher at Barrow Grammar School and Barrow Sixth Form College Wilf Kimber has been commemorated by a wonderfully generous donation of £5,000 to the crowdfunding campaign which is raising money towards the purchase of Nicholson's old home in Millom.
The donation to the GoFundMe project comes from Karen Seward, who attended the Sixth Form College from 1981 to 1983 and remembers Mr Kimber as 'an inspirational teacher who gave me a lifelong love of the the wonderful work of Norman Nicholson'. Mr Kimber passed away last year at the age of 97.
Karen is now global head of litigation at the London law firm Allen and Overy. She said: 'The Nicholson House project will, I am sure, go a long way towards cementing for Nicholson the reputation that should be his by right, as one of the greatest of British poets'.
Charlie Lambert, who chairs both the Norman Nicholson House Community Interest Company and the Norman Nicholson Society, said: 'This is a stunning piece of generosity by Karen, and a wonderful way to celebrate the memory of Mr Kimber. It shows what a huge impact the work of teachers has on individua pupils, lasting a lifetime'.
The Nicholson House project is currently approaching major funders for the substantial six-figure sum needed to buy the house and turn it into a worthy tribute to Nicholson as well as a meaningful community facility in Millom. The GoFundMe project has a target of £10,000 which gives individuals the chance to contribute as well as demonstrating that Nicholson admirers are prepared to put their own money into the scheme. Contributions of whatever size are very welcome and can be made HERE.
posted 17/5/21
The donation to the GoFundMe project comes from Karen Seward, who attended the Sixth Form College from 1981 to 1983 and remembers Mr Kimber as 'an inspirational teacher who gave me a lifelong love of the the wonderful work of Norman Nicholson'. Mr Kimber passed away last year at the age of 97.
Karen is now global head of litigation at the London law firm Allen and Overy. She said: 'The Nicholson House project will, I am sure, go a long way towards cementing for Nicholson the reputation that should be his by right, as one of the greatest of British poets'.
Charlie Lambert, who chairs both the Norman Nicholson House Community Interest Company and the Norman Nicholson Society, said: 'This is a stunning piece of generosity by Karen, and a wonderful way to celebrate the memory of Mr Kimber. It shows what a huge impact the work of teachers has on individua pupils, lasting a lifetime'.
The Nicholson House project is currently approaching major funders for the substantial six-figure sum needed to buy the house and turn it into a worthy tribute to Nicholson as well as a meaningful community facility in Millom. The GoFundMe project has a target of £10,000 which gives individuals the chance to contribute as well as demonstrating that Nicholson admirers are prepared to put their own money into the scheme. Contributions of whatever size are very welcome and can be made HERE.
posted 17/5/21
'Norman Nicholson's Millom' - walking trails app is live!
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posted 29/3/21
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