Warwickshire News Mine

The competition ended the Heritage Lottery Funded ‘Scenes Revisited’ Festival marking the 150th anniversary in 2007 of George Eliot’s first work of fiction ‘Scenes of Clerical Life’. The festival was a tremendous success with over 14,000 people attending events.

To celebrate the anniversary, Warwickshire County Council commissioned a series of Podcasts bringing to life the characters, locations and life of George Eliot as depicted in her novels.

Presented by broadcaster Jane Markham, the Podcasts accompany the forthcoming ‘Scenes Trails’ guide, which provides walking, cycling and driving tours of the places which inspired ‘Scenes of Clerical Life’ and other works by George Eliot. The podcasts and the new guide add an extra depth to her life and works and her home town of Nuneaton.

After listening to the Podcasts participants had to answer a question (see below) in order to be able to win the top prize of an iPod;

“What was the fictional name given to the town based on modern day Nuneaton in George Eliot’s story, ‘Janet’s Repentance’?”

Ruth correctly submitted the answer of ‘Milby’ and was greeted at Griff House, where George Eliot lived, to collect her prize from Cllr Chris Saint of Warwickshire County Council and Roger Simmonds, Scenes Revisited Project Officer from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.

Cllr Chris Saint, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, said: ““The Scenes Revisited festival celebrated the launch of George Eliot as a writer in 1857. She was to go on to write some of the greatest novels of the 19th century and become one of the most famous writers of all time.

“Presenting the prize at Griff House in Nuneaton, where she lived for 21 years is particularly appropriate since the people and places in her stories are based upon George Eliot’s experiences in the local area.”

Roger Simmonds added “Judging from the impact the festival has made, it has certainly increased the profile of George Eliot in the area and beyond.

“The George Eliot Podcasts are a perfect way of updating her appeal as well as introducing new generations to the close ties between the places in her fiction and real life locations in Warwickshire.”

If you haven’t already checked out the George Eliot Country Podcast tours, you can do so at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/georgeeliot. To be placed on the mailing list for the forthcoming ‘Scenes Trails’ and ‘George Eliot Country’ guides, contact tourism@nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk or tel: (024) 7637 6490.

Link to WCC