Events

Up Coming and Recent Events: Unfortunately the planned events for 2020 to Chester and Norfolk are postponed until 2021. The next AGM and Annual Conference is intended to be March 2021 in Chester to be followed by a Black Pilgrimage to Norfolk in the autumn of the same year. (Covid allowing.) There are plans for a visit to Saint Bertrand de Comminges in France with the Dracula Society where M. R. James set his story Canon Alberic's Scrapbook but this is currently pushed to 2022.

2014. Joint trip to Dublin with the Dracula Society. Brian Showers holding forth infront of Sheridan LeFanu's door (blue) © L Nikolic

Some of our past events: 2019: Black Pilgrimage to Newcastle & Hereford 2018: Black Pilgrimage to Bristol & Canterbury 2017: Black Pilgrimage to Liverpool & Oxoford. In Liverpool we took in the sights and met up with Jamesian scholars Rosemary Pardoe and Jim Bryant. A talk on Liverpool ghosts and folklore was given by John Reppion and later we met Ramsey Campbell for a reading of one of his ghost stories. In Oxford we met on the anniversary of  M.R.James birth. 2016: A Black Pilgrimage, with AGM, to Cambridge, 29th to 31st July, meeting for dinner at The Eagle. Courtesy of Dr. Mark Nicholls, we had the use of the Arthur Quiller Couch Room in the Old Divinity School, in St. John's College. A nice nineteenth-century ambience and it is handily built on a medieval graveyard! We included a visit to selected University Libraries, followed by The Book Auction. We included an informal presentation of Moongazer, written by DNJ, and delivered especially for us by Rob Lloyd Parry. Sunday 31st July saw us visit Knebworth Hall, the home of Edward Bulmer Lyton. 2016: A tour to Lisbon, Portugal. 14th to 18th April 2016, included lunches, dinners, a visit to sites of interest in the locality and a visit to Sintra visiting the Pena Palace. There were the usual talks, story readings, etc. 2015: October 16th to 19th Companions visited Wells and Glastonbury to explore the work and haunts of R H Malden and Christopher Woodforde, among others, as well as enjoying some very atmospheric scenery Early 2015 saw an event in York, featuring much comradeship and story-telling and was centred round the Grade 2 listed Minster Inn. 2014: Companions headed for Cardigan Bay in Wales to tread in the footsteps of Oliver Onions and William Hope Hodgson in addition, we enjoyed a visit to Dublin on the trail of both Bram Stoker and Sheridan Le Fanu. This was a venture in partnership with the Dracula Society. 2013: Companions visited Rye to study the haunts of E.F. Benson, Henry James and E. Nesbit 2012:Cambridge to explore the university and city which provided inspiration for Cr M R James' legendary ghost stories. AlsoStanground and Peterborough Cathedral to commemoratethe centenary of E G Swain's "Stoneground Ghost Tales" and nearby Fletton for a distant view of L P Hartley's childhood home. 2011: AGM in Bury St Edmunds with a visit to Great Livermere.  2011: A post-Christmas recovery weekend in Moreton-in-Marsh visiting L T C Rolt's house in Stanley Pontlarge, Great Tew and the Rollright Stones. 2010: Hereford 2009: Black Pilgrimage to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and AGM trip 2008 Black Pilgrimage to Suffolk and Norfolk  We visted the Martello Tower which features in the M.R. James story "A Warning to the Curious". The unfortunate Paxton met his doom at this spot..."His mouth was full of sand and stones, and his teeth and jaws were broken to bits. I only glanced once at his face." The tower is just outside of Aldeburgh, called "Seaburgh" in the story. 2007: Black Pilgrimage to South Yorkshire 2006: Black Pilgrimage to Lichfield  2005: Chester 2004: Great Malvern