The Bolsover Young Writers' group at their Bolsover Goes Boo! showcase.
Since February 2024, we have had the brilliant opportunity to work with Writing East Midlands (WEM) in supporting the Bolsover Young Writers’ group. Through poetry and prose, the Bolsover Young Writers brought to life one of England’s most haunted historic sites in their petrifying anthology Bolsover Goes Boo!
Read more about project below!
Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire is supposedly one of England’s most haunted historic castles!
Built in the 11th century by William Peveril, a knight of William the Conqueror, Bolsover Castle came under the ownership Sir Charles Cavendish (1553-1617) in 1612. […], Sir Charles commissioned the building of the Little Castle as a retreat from his principal residence in Welbeck. Following the death of Sir Charles in 1617, Bolsover Castle was inherited by his son William Cavendish (1593-1676) who was a notorious playboy, poet and courtier, and who later became the Duke of Newcastle.
Even more notorious than William was his second wife Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673) who the Duke met in exile during the English Civil War (1641-1651). Like William, Margaret was interested in literature, philosophy and science. In fact, Margaret was one of the most prolific female authors of the seventeenth century
Bolsover Castle was hugely influential in Margaret’s writings, with the Little Castle even featuring in her sicence-fiction novel The Blazing World (1666). This was also true for the Bolsover Young Writers’ group who were captivated by many of the castle’s long-dead inhabitants….
The Bolsover Young Writers’ group first met in early February to explore the haunted halls of Bolsover Castle with creative writer Tyler Turner. Through fun and engaging creative writing exercises, the group learnt about the many paranormal occurrences which have been reported by staff and visitors.
This included a beloved ghost dog who continues to roam the corridors of the Little Castle, as well as a very friendly ghost cat found in Sir William Cavendish’s bedroom. Other supernatural stories included that of the Castle’s former inhabitants, such as Sir William’s rumoured dabbles with demonology and Margaret Cavendish’s experiments with the elements.
Creative writing sessions continued each month until July 2024, with the young writers exploring more of Bolsover Castle and encountering even more ghostly tales of the Castle’s long-dead inhabitants. By the end of the writing sessions, the young writers had written a total of twenty poems and short tales to be included in their anthology.
We decided to celebrate the launch and publication of the Bolsover Goes Boo! anthology with an extra special Halloween Party at the Castle!
We celebrated the launch of Bolsover Goes Boo! with an extra special Halloween Party at the Castle!
The Bolsover Goes Boo! Halloween Party brought both writing groups together to take part in an afternoon filled with some spooky crafts and activities. […] making their own terrifying Bolsover ghost from air-drying clay as well as solving some Halloween riddles!
Following their Halloween Party, friends and family members of the young writers were invited to a special behind-the-scenes tour of Bolsover Castle. However, this was not a typical tour of Bolsover Castle, with friends and family having a live reading of the young writers’ terrifying tales!
Starting the tour at the Castle’s magnificent copper beech tree, the supposed location of a great plague burial pit, friends and family were welcomed to Bolsover Castle with a stirring announcement from one of the young writers!
Throughout the late afternoon, families and friends continued to roam the castle’s grounds hearing strange tales about the very stern Mrs Robbins as well as some grisly meals coming from the castle’s kitchens!