Perhaps the most significant contribution of the Romantic Poets was their invention of the idea of “landscape” as something to be appreciated and understood at an emotional and spiritual level, rather than thought of only in terms of financial or military value. They were amongst the first and most influential to describe what we now call “sense of place”.

This project is a way for school pupils to explore what the poets’ ideas mean for us today. It centres around a school engagement programme that gets pupils out on the hills, feeling the wind and getting mud on their shoes.

We’ve been working with a mix of schools in the project area and surrounding towns. The programme has included visits to the Quantock Hills and classroom based activity for students aged 7-15, as well as a film by Feral Practice made in partnership with students from Pyrland School. Both aspects will be celebrated at Hestercombe Gallery from the 20th July 2024 to the 23rd February, 2025, as part of ‘What Stories Make Worlds’, an exhibition focusing on our relationship with the landscape and the environment at a time of change.

Our delivery partner co-ordinating all this work is the arts education charity SPAEDA, who are based at Hestercombe in Somerset. You can find out more about the charity and the project ‘In the Footsteps of the Romantic Poets’ here https://www.spaeda.org.uk/for-all-our-futures