In the second River Stour Festival talk, Tim Burrows unpicks the competing narratives about the county everyone thinks they know, from Sabine Baring-Gould’s distaste at the illiterate peasants of Mersea, to the days Margaret Thatcher lived in Manningtree. He asks just how real a historical figure the Essex stereotype is, why it matters, and what makes it endure.

This event is part of Essex Book Festival’s PLACE weekend, taking place at Firstsite in Colchester on Saturday 23 & Sunday 24 March.

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About the River Stour Festival
riverstourfestival.com

The River Stour Festival runs for its second year in 2019 and celebrates the river, its culture, surrounding landscape and people throughout the year. It aims to provide an impetus to arts, nature, health, environment and businesses in the Stour Valley and beyond, and hopes to connect both local people and visitors with the rich landscape on our doorstep. The programme includes walks in the landscape, talks, a wild river swim, boat trips, exhibitions, music, poetry, painting, photography and wild writing.

It is an unusual festival, as instead of running for a particular week it takes place throughout the year at various points along the river, from the source near Haverhill to the sea at Harwich, rather like a caravanserai, with something happening somewhere in the Stour Valley each month. The festival curates a selection of events as well as including events run by partner organisations. Ruth Philo, Festival Director