‘Let me just ask, who here has seen the film The King’s Speech?’

We look around and see a show of hands bar two – shame on them.

‘And who has read the book The King’s Speech?’

We sheepishly look into our laps, not one hand is raised – shame on us.

‘Ah well luckily, we have a table over there full of them, ready for you to purchase…’ jokes Peter Conradi, co-author of the book The King’s Speech, which is the subject of our talk tonight.

We’re seated in the beautiful River Suite in the Montague on the Gardens Hotel, Bloomsbury, wine in hand, ready to hear the true story behind the film that caught the public’s imagination this year, winning an abundance of awards. There was of course much more to the story about the extraordinary friendship of King George VI and Lionel Logue, the speech therapist who helped him to overcome the stammer which had been a source of great turmoil throughout his life.

Joining Peter is Mark Logue, the grandson of Lionel, whose search to find the truth of his grandfather’s incredible story has led him to make public one the most fascinating stories in recent history.

They begin by telling us the background behind the writer of the screenplay, David Seidler’s ambition to write a fictionalised account of a story which had captured his imagination ever since he was a young boy.  Seidler himself had battled with a stammer, and was inspired by listening to King George’s speeches on the wireless during the Second World War.

He carried this affection with him for many years, until he decided write a play about the subject. Naturally he thought it best to contact the Royal family about his project, as he did not want to cause any offence or upset. He was right to do so, as the Queen Mother came back with the response: ‘Please not in my lifetime. The memories of these events are still too painful’.

Wanting to respect the Queen Mother’s wishes, the play was not written for many years. Valentine Logue, Lionel’s son whom Seidler had originally contacted had sadly passed away in this time. As Seidler had now written a film script for the project, the producers came to get in touch with Mark who still had his grandfather’s diary and collections of letters of correspondence between Logue and the King. It was through this that he began to research into his grandfather’s extraordinary life, and how he came to move from Australia to England and in just two years became the King’s speech therapist.

The book is not only an account of the two men’s professional life together, it is also a tale of a dear friendship which lasted over twenty years, which is not made as apparent in the film. The book is littered with snippets of letters of correspondence between the two, of the King thanking Logue for his help with his speech and friendship, and a fascinating insight of royal life from an outsider’s point of view. For example Mark’s tells us of a diary entry of Logue’s where, during the war years, he had Christmas dinner with the Royal family.

Whilst what we see in the film is largely from the imagination of Seidler (sadly the King did not shout out expletives, although Colin Firth does it so brilliantly) there were strangely some scenes which he spookily got right. The scene for example where Lionel and his children recite Shakespeare was something that Mark remembers doing with his own Father. Seidler had no way of knowing this, but amazingly it was a chance imagining that was spot on.

It is apparent that not only do Mark and Peter work well as a creative team, they also bounce off each other and they have a fascinating repertoire when talking about this subject, which they are both clearly passionate about. After the talk they kindly signed books for our members, and then we spent the course of our delicious dinner mulling over the incredible story we had just heard.

King George VI was thrust into a role he did not want to take, but as Mark and Peter’s book shows he had a good friend to guide him and stand with him whilst he addressed the nation and supported them through a dark period in history. It is such a pleasure that this old friendship has been brought to light again so we can learn more about this extraordinary story.

Our tour begins in the grand entrance hall where we learn a brief history of Polesden Lacey and its owners. A picturesque 1400 acre estate set within the rolling Surrey hills, Sheridan’s former home is the perfect party location, and has certainly witnessed many a party in its time! Indeed, it is not long before we learn of Margaret Greville, the legendary Edwardian hostess, friend of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), whose so-called ‘gift of hospitality’ was perceived as no less than ‘genius’.

Led by our own personal National Trust guide, we wander from one opulent room to another, desperate to learn more about Sheridan and his time there, only to be reminded of the acerbic wit and fiery nature of Mrs Greville herself. We longed to linger in the handsome library with its luxurious décor and magnificent books, but, alas, we were hastily rounded up and ushered on to the study. Finally a room fit for royalty. We are so blinded by the gold, we could hardly see the objets d’art – no one thought to bring their sunglasses. Our guide insisted in going into immense detail of every aspect of Margaret’s extensive jewellery collection complete with pictures.

Although to our dismay, a good deal of Sheridan’s time here has regretfully been obliterated, as we meander through this great house we become fully immersed in the lifestyle where nothing was too much for the hostess; only imagining the secrets concealed within its walls through years of entertaining the cream of society. Igniting our imaginations is none other than the ghost of Sheridan himself, who keeps popping up in the various opulent rooms –perhaps as much to remind the curator that we’re here to learn about Sheridan, as we are to revel in Mrs Greville!

Ushered from the imposing walls of Polesden Lacey, we proceeded to the nearby Ramada Hotel for a rendezvous with Sheridan. In full theatrical costume, actor Tim Heath’s biographical romp of the scandalous playwright has us all in stitches. Using a host of characters from Sheridan’s many plays including The Rivals and School for Scandal, Heath’s comical performance certainly fills in any gaps on Sheridan’s character and personal life that we did not perhaps establish from our tour! Following a sumptuous spread in our own exclusive dining room, a blast of fresh air promptly brings us back down to earth. It’s easy to understand why Polesden Lacey was Sheridan’s haven; if it were not for work on Monday morning we could get used to this life!

Of the many museums that London boasts, the Freud Museum is a hidden gem amongst the likes of the biggies such as the V&A, Natural History and Science Museums. However unlike these museums, which were built specifically to exhibit and conserve their treasures, one of the intriguing concepts behind the Freud Museum is that it was once a working house, his family’s house, and the concept of these boundaries is very apparent when you visit, i.e. where does the museum end and the house begin?

So it is here on a September evening, that we find ourselves sipping wine in Freud’s dining room, eager to find out more about the ‘Father of Psychoanalysis’. It is a gorgeous room, with high ceilings and decorated with pictures of the Freud family, and exquisite ornate furniture that was handpicked by his daughter, Anna Freud who lived in the house for 44 years.

Taking us round the house is Anne Hollinger, a historian and Freud scholar. She is the fount of all knowledge concerning Freud, and her enthusiasm and love of the subject rubs on to all of us as she takes us round.

After visiting the dining room, we ascend the staircase, which opens up on to a grand landing with a huge bay window, which overlooks the street outside. This is where Freud’s wife used to sit and ‘survey’ what was going on in the neighbourhood – like husband like wife!

After a quick look at the family tree, we visit Anna’s room; a reconstruction of her original room which took up the whole run of the top floor. It was to be her wish that after she died (1982), the house be made into a museum to honour to her father. It is also a wonderful insight into her own life as she pioneered the psychoanalysis of children. Her room is full of her belongings such as her weave, books, pens and pencils (which she collected), and her certificates for her various qualifications and degrees from different universities which adorn an entire wall.

As Ms Hollinger continues to explain the importance of Anna’s role at the museum, we find ourselves confronting a white embroidered garment hanging from a cupboard. What’s this got to do with Freud we wonder? We find ourselves entangled in a cultural web of memory fabric. This is the Freud Museum’s current exhibition, ‘Touch and Tell’, by Solveigh Goett and Judith Alder who have tried to break the traditional ‘touch taboo’ of museums and galleries, and the visitor is encouraged to touch and experience the objects rather than just looking at them. Artists are invited to use the house as an exhibition space for their work and use different aspects of his psychological work as inspiration for their art. Another way of breaking the boundaries between museum and house…

We then go on to watch a fascinating film of original footage of Freud himself, narrated by Anna, then an elderly lady. It is such a treat to hear her observations of her family and to see Freud come alive as opposed to the stark serious black and white photographs we are used to seeing of him.

We then proceed to the room we’d all been waiting for: Freud’s study.  The barriers were removed especially for Living Literature and we were privileged to be allowed into his study and get a close-up view of the famous couch and desk. This is something the public does not get to see up close.

It is an amazing room, with every wall and table adorned or crammed full of unusual objects; with the help of good friends, Freud was fortunate to smuggle all his possessions when he escaped from Vienna. His library takes up most of the wall space with hundreds of books about psychoanalysis, many written by himself and his contemporaries. There is his desk, complete with his papers and reading glasses and it is hard to think that the room has been left in the same condition for more than 70 years, just as Freud left it when he died.

The object we’d all come to see was of course, his psychoanalytic couch on which his patients reclined. Adorned with a beautiful Iranian rug and chenille cushions, it is truly is a privilege to stand so close to an object that has held such importance in the history of psychoanalysis. Tempting as it was to have a little lie down (we wouldn’t!), we had a reservation to get to at a local Greek restaurant, and was a lovely way to end such a thought provoking and fascinating evening.

Although Freud only lived at 20 Maresfield Gardens for a year until his health sadly deteriorated through cancer, it feels as though he spent many years there, with so many pieces of him in the house, through his treasures and books. It is amazing to think of the role this beautiful house played in the history of psychoanalysis today and how close we were to experiencing what it must have been like to be reclining on that couch and pouring out your subconscious to the Dr Freud. One can only imagine…

 Today we are focusing on the writer and politician, Edward Bulwer Lytton who lovingly made Knebworth House his gothic ancestral home. Still need to be enlightened? Well the name does not exactly jump off the page in the way his contemporaries, Dickens and Tennyson do. Yet in his day Edward (The First Baron Lytton) was a celebrated novelist and playwright. He will be better remembered for the quote ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ and the famous opening line ‘It was a dark and stormy night’, than for his novel The Last Days of Pompeii.

 Let’s face it none of us knew quite what to expect. We knew the rooms at Knebworth House would be grand and glorious, and there are two dedicated to Bulwer Lytton’s life and works. Meeting the Hon. Henry Lytton Cobbold was a surprise. In spite of the title, haughty good looks and aristocratic manner, he hasn’t lost the common touch. Far from it – he was interesting, funny and we could have almost gone without Sunday lunch if our tummies hadn’t complained.

 We were spellbound as he regaled us with entertaining anecdotes about his ancestors- life as it was certainly had its moments of humour. It was interesting to learn that Edward’s good friend, Charles Dickens, turned the grand Banqueting Hall into a theatre for he and his fellow amateur actors and that this same room was used for filming in the recent film ‘The King’s Speech’. The two hours flew by and he seemed to enjoy it as much as we did! Our tour ended with a delicious three-course lunch accompanied by wine which the chef had prepared especially for us.

All that remains of that fine old house is a plaque to his memory Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936.  Not a great deal is known about Kipling’s time in Villier’s Street, which lies close to the Thames embankment. It was towards the last decade of the nineteen-century that his formidable literary talent was just beginning to be recognised.

That is why we find ourselves having traditional afternoon tea in the sumptuous Chelsea Suite of this Whitehall hotel on a sunny Sunday afternoon in July with its private terrace and gardens, overlooking the river. Tea is served on three tiered china platters. We gorged ourselves on every variety sandwich, scones, cakes and constant refills of tea prior to the presentation of Kipling by actor Colin Pinney.

We move to the adjoining room where the red padded seats are laid out theatre style in anticipation of Pinney’s performance. He was not to disappoint. A Kipling look alike, with inimitable moustache and glasses. A convincing performance, Pinney takes us through the author’s life and verse going into character at intervals. He delivered passages from works such as The Jungle Book, Puck of Pucks Hill and the Just So Stories, which throw light on Kipling’s amazing ability to identify with children. On a sadder note he brought in how his son Jack was killed during his first day of action, at the Battle of Loos in 1915. As Kipling pulled strings to get Jack into the army in spite of his bad eyesight, the author never got over it, as was reflected in his later writing.

The show couldn’t possibly finish without alluding to his greatest poem If, which held us spellbound from beginning to end. Feeling uplifted, with the inspirational words of If still ringing in our ears, we step out into the early evening sun, Villiers Street is no more, but Kipling and his works live on.

Here, at The Living Literature Society, we make every effort to ensure that each of our events has a uniqueness and that little something special that you might not necessarily find anywhere else.  Obviously, we don’t like to blow our own trumpet, but we’d like to think that our last event truly had a little bit of this… we’ll stop bragging now.

Actress Rebecca Vaughan, has toured extensively with her one-woman show ‘Austen’s Women’ but until tonight had never had the opportunity to perform it at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, the home where many of these creations were born and evolved. As Rebecca says herself, “It’s such a privilege to produce and present a play about Jane Austen in the very home where she lived and wrote her greatest works – it’s the icing on the cake.” Adapted by Rebecca from the famous author’s words, it tells the plight of thirteen of the female characters in Jane Austen’s novels, and their role in society and attitude toward their sex in the regency era.

Having put a lot of effort into the event, unfortunately there was one detail we couldn’t fix as it turned out that Mother Nature was obviously having a rough day, so we weren’t far off actually sailing to Chawton. However despite the rain, the garden party turned into a ‘historic kitchen’ party, and a bit of squeezing and lots of ‘excuse me’s’ we all got to know each other a little better. Along with lots of delicious canapés and wine – it all turned out to be rather cosy!

After the drinks reception, we were invited to have a look around the house itself.  It’s a beautiful cottage, crammed full of artefacts from Austen’s time there, with embroidery, drawings and books to name but a few.  One of the many highlights included her writing table and a gorgeous quilt which was made by Jane and her mother and sister. There is also modern memorabilia, such as costumes from the many film and television adaptations that have been made over the years. Unfortunately not Colin Firth’s white shirt (swoon), but a lovely dress worn by Kate Winslet in Sense and Sensibility, and a bonnet worn by Emma Thompson in the same film. It’s amazing to think that so many of her famous characters were brought to life in this humble cottage in the heart of Hampshire.

We soon gathered for the performance. As we took our seats, we noticed a woman poised at her dresser writing. Her hair curled and clad in 18^th century dress, all of a sudden she addressed the audience. ‘Austen’s Women’ had begun. Playing a range of characters in age, class and personality, she inhabited each role with such enthusiasm, humour and gusto; it was a joy to watch.

After the performance we headed off to The Greyfriars, across the road from the house for some well-deserved food – they certainly did us proud!

It was truly a unique experience to see such famous characters such as Lizzie Bennett and Marianne Dashwood come alive in the place where they were created, and that their opinions and views are still so relevant to women today. It allowed us to get to know our favourites, as well as rediscover those who might have not received the recognition they deserve. One step closer to becoming Janeites…

It was one of those classic British ‘summer’ days where ominous grey clouds seem to hang around, ready to burst any second until suddenly they change their mind, and the sun peeks through as if it has been hiding there all along. We were about to discover the beating heart of Forster country that captivated and inspired the author in the way the Lake District stayed with Wordsworth forever.

Practically hidden from view from passers by, the charming, rosy-bricked house with dormer windows nestles in between the manicured lawns of the large garden and a tall natural screen of evergreens and shrubs. It is easy to see why Forster loved his time here at Howards End in his favourite county of Hertfordshire. As he said ‘I was brought up as a boy in a district which I still think the loveliest in England…hedges full of clematis, primroses, bluebells, dog roses and nuts.’

Our afternoon walk with historian Margaret Ashby retraced the young author’s footsteps. Past the white building of Rook’s Nest Farm where the spooky Miss Avery (from the book) lived, we saw the garden where he grew poppies as a child, then on to the church and cemetery on which Howards End is based. Margaret pointed out all the places Forster knew and loved and where they appear in the book.  When the Forsters moved, they sold the house to long-standing family friends called the Postons, who were the models for the Wilcox family in Howards End. Elizabeth Poston, the late composer and Forster became life-long friends.

A member with the plaque dedicated to composer Elizabeth Poston

The beautiful church of St Nicholas which Forster describes in his book

From the churchyard, we ambled through the narrow lanes and fields retracing the paths Forster walked as a young child. We finally find ourselves standing in front of the modern sculpture ‘Only Connect’ taken from the subtitle of Howard’s End, which commemorates The Friends of the Forster Country’s work- 1994 was the year when Forster Country was first taken into the Green Belt.

Margaret, author of Forster Country and co-founder of TFFC has spent years learning about the goings on at Rook’s Nest and also campaigning to keep the countryside around it as beautiful as it was in Forster’s time.

Ann had also laid out some memorabilia that had been left to the house by Forster himself and other enthusiasts. These included a dress that Forster wore as a young child, some of his building blocks and a Japanese copy of Howard’s End, which some tourists had donated to the house.

A memorable day and such a privilege to have explored the very house and countryside that inspired EM Forster to write his novel, Howards End.

Members retrace Forster's footsteps

Pictured above  – Biographers Dr David Taylor and Lucinda Dickens Hawksley tell us how it happened.

There was a feeling of a past friendship being reunited as we sat listening to Dr David Taylor (acclaimed Thackeray biographer) and Lucinda Dickens Hawksley (author of Katey and great, great, great granddaughter of Dickens) talk about the literary relationship between William Makepeace Thackeray and Charles Dickens.

To coincide with the bi-centenary of Thackeray’s birth, we crammed into Dr Johnson’s Room at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street to hear about the fascinating story behind the two writers’ intertwined lives.

We learned that Thackeray and Dickens were good friends and admirers of each other’s work (more so on Thackeray’s part!) and how Dickens with his phenomenal success was always one step ahead of Thackeray.

The writers were close, with the two families’ daughters becoming best friends, until Dickens, at a crisis point in his life, turned against many people including Thackeray, and their relationship unfortunately turned sour. It came to a head with The Garrick Club Affair of 1858, which led to a serious rift in their friendship. After many years however, the two daughters one of whom was Katey, managed to reconcile the friendship. And through a chance meeting on the steps of a London club, all was forgotten with a firm handshake. Sadly, Thackeray died within months of the reconciliation.

Both biographers had a great repartee and the informal nature of the talk came across more as a lively and stimulating chat about two of their close friends, as it was clear that both had a fondness as well as a great knowledge of their subjects.

The inspiring talk provoked lively questions from the members afterwards prior to the book signing of the two biographies. ‘Thackeray’ by David Taylor and ‘Katey’ by Lucinda Hawksley.

After the talk members were treated to a hearty meal. The overall setting couldn’t have been more relevant for such a fascinating evening with it being easy to imagine Dr Johnson or Charles Dickens using the rooms as a haven and stimulus for their works, which have had such a prominent influence on our world today.

If the great scientist Charles Darwin was looking down from above he would be happy to know that he had been the inspiration behind a unique sequence of poems written by his great, great granddaughter and prize-winning poet, Ruth Padel.

There’s an air of excitement as we talk and mingle over drinks and delicious homemade canapés made especially for us. With not a seat to spare, we’re crammed into The Arthur Probsthain Bookshop in Bloomsbury ready to listen to Padel as she tells the story of Darwin, interspersed with poems from her book, Darwin – A Life in Poems.

Ruth Padel isn’t just reciting her poems; she’s breathing life into them. You could tell Padel really felt a connection with Darwin and as she admitted herself, he’d always had a great influence on her life. ‘He’s always just sort of been there in the background’ she says.

In this intimate and moving tribute to her great, great grandfather, she gives an extraordinary insight into his life and work. The book cleverly presents his life in five acts, with each act covering a different period of his life.

The book is an enthralling read, incorporating not only poetry, but also offering small snapshots into the life of one of our best-loved historical figures. Her talk inspired lots of questions which Padel was only too happy to answer, giving a great insight into how the book came about and members couldn’t wait to get their books signed after the talk.

We felt at ease with her and her down to earth, easy-going manner. With her slightly bohemian dress, she fitted in well with the colourful ambience of the bookshop, which has been running for over 100 years and specialises in African and Oriental books and artwork, many of which adorn the walls of the shop. It’s very much a family concern. The shop is owned and run today by the brother and sister team of Michael and Lesley Sheringham who made everyone feel more than welcome. Lesley’s sons Chris and Tim run Tea and Tattle – they make delicious scones!

Chris and Tim did us proud with a slap-up buffet supper when Tea and Tattle became a restaurant for the evening, offering a wonderful spread for our members.

We came away with a renewed and personal insight into a figure who has mostly been recognised for his scientific discoveries. Time to dust off our copies of Darwin’s The Origin of Species then!

We couldn’t believe our good fortune when after months of correspondence, Shirley Williams, (Baroness Williams of Crosby, to use her full title) finally agreed to give a talk to our members on her mother, best selling author Vera Brittain, as part of our ‘Meet the Descendants’ series.

In her memoir Testament of Youth, Vera Brittain describes her life and harrowing experiences as a nurse in the First World War. After our drinks reception at the elegant Grange White Hall Hotel in Bloomsbury, we were all ears as Baroness Williams talked to a capacity audience. She spoke about her mother’s book, Testament of Youth and how it gives an extraordinary insight into the social and emotional cost of war and the devastating effect World War One had on Vera and the people she loved and lost.

It’s easy to see why Baroness Williams is one of our best-loved politicians; she exudes warmth and passion. We hung on her every word.

She also seemed impressed by the question and answer session that followed – probably one of the most stimulating we’ve had, with really thought provoking questions. We couldn’t wait to queue up to receive a signed copy of Testament of Youth and Climbing the Bookshelves, Shirley Williams’ own autobiography.

Dinner for forty guests was served in the elegant Museum Suite and gave Baroness Williams a chance to catch her breath. It was a captivating evening.