Mission Statement

Our aim is to create a village festival in Eversley that will engage the public in the celebration of Charles Kingsley’s life and work.

There is a rich seam of cultural heritage lying within the boundary of the small Hampshire village of Eversley.  Our most famous resident, Charles Kingsley (1819-1875), was one of the principal thinkers of his age, contributing original ideas to a broad array of topics: literature, theology, politics, sanitation, science and others.

The goal of the Charles Kingsley 200 festival is to portray and celebrate his past achievements in literature; education, politics, natural sciences, but also to develop among the present generation, especially our young people, a sense of ownership of our cultural history by making it present,  relevant and interesting.

Through performances of music, drama, the exploration of our natural history, in the storytelling of the hardships suffered by child labourers, in the lively series of talks delivered by authors and academics, we aim to link the present with the past in the hope that our recent history, so special in many ways, will not be lost and forgotten.

For those of  us  in Eversley  there is  a  particular interest in his life arising from the shared experienced of living in the same  village and the common appreciation of the countryside and buildings; as well as  benefiting from his legacy with the primary school he founded and worshipping at St. Mary’s where he was rector.
All this contributes to the special involvement we have with him which we hope will be manifested in the festival plans we are preparing.

Peter Ormrod

Festival Director