Inspiring Voices: Poetry, Heritage and Community

Poetry, Heritage and Community

As part of an 18-month research project with TORCH (The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities), led by Professor Christine Gerrard (Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford) and Research Associate Dr Abbi Flint, we explored the poetic legacy of English Heritage sites. From Stott Park Bobbin Mill to Stonehenge 119 young people aged 11-25 were encouraged by expert facilitators to delve into site stories and histories and create their own poetic responses.

An online mass participation poetry festival culminated in the Past, Present, Future Weekender at the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Oxford University in June 2026.

Poetry workshops

Who...

Between October 2025 and April 2026 we invited schools and youth groups to participate in eight poetry workshops at six sites nationally including Bolsover Castle; The Home of Charles Darwin Down House; Marble Hill House; Stonehenge; Stott Park Bobbin Mill and Whitby Abbey. These sites were chosen as they had been identified by Dr Abbi Flint as having poetic links and gave a variety of historical periods as well as a good geographic spread to allow young people from different areas of the country to participate. Each workshop had an outline written by Dr JC Niala of TORCH which was informed by Abbi’s research.

Workshop participants were encouraged to broaden and deepen engagement with community and heritage through poetry, by showing them how others had been inspired by the sites and supporting them to create their own poetic response.

How...

Workshop facilitators included Dr Claire Mulley, poet and lecturer at Oxford University; Professor Christine Gerrard of TORCH; Guruleen Kahlo, EH Young Producer; Tyler Turner, poet and Community Engagement Officer EH; EH Community Poet Sarah Terkaoui and Turner; Toni; Tate & Ria from Rap Club. We were supported throughout by members of the Learning, Partnerships and Participation team and the amazing site staff and volunteers who provided site tours and were on hand to answer any questions during the sessions.

Every young person at the workshops created some form of poetic response. Some chose to share, others asked their peers or us to read them aloud for them. We asked for their thoughts before and after each session and lots of them felt more positive about poetry after the workshops than before.

 

Rap Club worked with a group of young people from one of their clubs who created a cypher rap inspired by their visit to Marble Hill House. Check out the video below…