Literary Festival 2022

The team at Chiddingstone Castle had such a fabulous time meeting and greeting authors, audiences and volunteers at this years festival. This truly was a wonderful event and hugely anticipated.  As a result, we are extremely grateful to all who came to share the experience with us.

 

Saturday 30th April - Tuesday 3rd May 2022

Podcasts

Now that our Literary Festival is over for another year, we are thrilled to share some of our talks via Podcast (free to listen to) on our website, with recordings of some of the highlights from this year’s events.

Listen again to

Jane Garvey & Fi Glover, Adam Nicolson, Nina Stibbe, Iain Dale and Tom Tugendhat MP, Michael Morpurgo & Victoria Hislop, Justine Picardie, James Fox, Keith Brymer Jones and Robert Hardman

Podcasts 2022

2022 Thanks & Praise

We are thrilled to share some of the wonderful praise we’ve received from our authors, sponsors and guests.

“I would like to thank you for a wonderful literary festival. Fi & Jane were as entertaining, funny, sharp and engaging as I hoped they would be. But for me Marian, Lulah and Sarah’s
talk was a masterpiece in how to move with words, thought and deeds. They were sublime. It was a privilege to be there.”

Martin Barraud - attendee

 

Looking forward to the future

We are continually learning year on year how best to run the festival and your opinion plays a vital role.

Please take a few minutes to help us gather feedback, if you have not already done so, by completing our survey and sharing your experiences.

Everyone completing a survey will be entered into a prize draw to win a cream tea for two at the Castle Tea Rooms.

Feedback Survey

“Stimulating speakers - something for everyone”

‘Congratulations all round, what a marvellous weekend this was yet again this year! It was immaculately organised and good to see so many local faces helping out; brilliantly curated with interesting, thought provoking and stimulating speakers - something for everyone. We are truly lucky to have an event of this calibre locally, I am looking forward to next year already….’

Zaria Maltz - attendee

“Such a brilliant and well attended event”

‘Mum and myself had a lovely afternoon at the festival and I am soooo pleased that we
sponsored such brilliant and well-attended event. Our Managing Partner, Paul, also attended and thought it was a fabulous event.’

Berry & Lamberts Solicitors - sponsor

“Tremendous”

‘I enjoyed it all immensely: the glamour of Stonewall Park, the brilliant talks, all the chat in the Green Room. Thank you for the opportunity to do the workshops too, it was great to be back in the swing of it. I hope you are basking in the afterglow. It was tremendous!’

Emma Rea - author

“Blown away”

“Just to say what absolutely joyous events both were at Chiddingstone yesterday.  I am still smiling at the jokes and the audience engagement and the dancing on the platform. Playing Zorba the Greek for Michael and Victoria was inspired. And it was an absolute pleasure to meet Keith Brymer Jones, who also clearly delighted the audience. Thank you to your team for looking after me”

Nicolette Jones - speaker

Grateful thanks to our Friends of the Festival and our Sponsors

Many thanks to Stephen & Annabel Lark, Melissa Crawshay-Williams, A.J.P Streatfeild and all our anonymous friends of the festival supporters.

Baillie Gifford is an independent investment partnership founded in Scotland in 1908. The firm focuses on long-term growth investing, in some of the world’s most exciting companies. Baillie Gifford supports a variety of initiatives in the arts, academia and local communities close to its global offices. In the literary world, Baillie Gifford sponsors a number of UK literary festivals and is the lead sponsor of the UK’s leading non-fiction prize, The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction