Published on 1st November 2024

The Shelley Memorial Project (SMP) held a Celebration of Poetry and Music at St Mary’s Parish Church on Saturday 12 October. The evening, which included an announcement of the winners of the SMP’s International Poetry Competition, was compered by BBC Radio 4 newsreader Chris Aldridge and featured poetry and music by Louis De Bernières, the best-selling author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. AAH attended the evening to find out more about the Project’s efforts to celebrate the life and legacy of Percy Bysshe Shelley…

First, a little context…

Shelley is often labelled as Horsham’s most famous son, having been born at Field Place, Warnham in 1792. He was born into privilege, with his father Sir Timothy being the 2nd Baronet of Castle Goring and a former MP for Horsham. Having died in a boating accident off the coast of Sardinia aged 29, Percy Bysshe didn’t achieve widespread acclaim in his own lifetime, but is now recognised alongside John Keats and Lord Byron (who also led tragically short lives) as one of the most influential English romance poets.  

To celebrate the bicentenary of Shelley’s birth in 1992, Horsham District Council commissioned Angela Conner to create a sculpture as a lasting legacy. Inspired by one of Shelley’s poems, Mont Blanc, it was called The Rising Universe and finally installed in 1996. The Shelley Fountain (as it was more commonly known) had a central sphere that would rise up, before slowly descending as it filled with water. Then, it would release six tonnes of water into a basin below, creating a dazzling spectacle. 

It was spectacular yet divisive, making it a fitting tribute to a radical poet. However, the complex mechanical structure of the sculpture meant that it often malfunctioned, resulting in costly repair and maintenance bills. By 2016, The Rising Universe’s time was up and it was dismantled. You’ll be forgiven for not having noticed the 16 birch trees between The Lynd Cross and Specsavers that were planted in the basin instead. Horsham was left without a notable memorial to the poet, thus inspiring the formation of Shelley Memorial Project. 

David Hide, Chair of SMP, said: ‘Percy Bysshe Shelley is the most famous person that Horsham can lay claim to and he should be memorialised in some way. After The Rising Universe was dismantled, a small group led by Susannah Brady, who had fought for the fountain to remain, set about creating a permanent legacy and the Shelley Memorial Project was founded.’  

‘Initially, we worked closely with Collyer’s College, but they pushed on with their own memorial, the Shelley Building, an educational facility funded by a former Principal and featuring a sculpture by Horsham artist and former Collyer’s student Hannah Stewart. This was wonderful, but it mainly serves the college and our aim was to provide something for all the community.’ 

‘We engaged with Horsham District Council, who offered financial support once we had reached a certain point with our fundraising. We identified the ideal location for a memorial, by the pond in Horsham Park, and invited artists to submit designs for a piece of public art inspired by the life and works of Shelley. Nobody wanted to get their fingers burned after the experience with The Rising Universe, so after creating a shortlist of four concepts, we held a consultation, with 1,700 people voting for their preferred design. There was no majority, but 38% voted for a design by Chichester-based artist Vincent Gray (of a bronze quill pen sitting on a pillar inscribed with Shelley’s poetry) and this was the one we have commissioned. Aspects of the final design have been softened and we will be adding an inscription too, once again engaging with the public during the process.’

POETRY CONTEST

Once a month, project supporters meet for a Poetry and Pints evening, where they can read and share their poems or the work of others, encouraging participation in poetry across the Horsham District. This has helped to increase interest in an poetry competition, held as part of the Shelley Memorial Project’s annual celebration of poetry. This year, it was held at St Mary’s Church in Horsham for the first time after two years at St Margaret’s Church in Warnham.The 2024 competition attracted a record 230 entries thanks to an accessible theme of “the changing seasons”, with poets taking inspiration from the last line of Ode to the West Wind, one of Shelley’s most famous poems.

Ted Gooda, a Director of SMP, is a writer and teacher who has recently published a pamphlet of poetry, Silence & Selvedge. Ted said: ‘SMP has evolved and now our focus is not just the statue, but also celebrating poetry. Works of public art are not always popular so we wanted the project to offer something else, and what better tribute to Shelley can there be than a poetry competition?’ Although we encourage local entries, it’s an international competition that attracts entries from all over the world. In our first year, we sent books out to a prize winner in Africa.’

‘Every year we invite a different judge to reads all the entries and make an independent decision on the winners. I judged the competition in the first year alongside author Nicola Garrard, with Sussex-based performance poet Simon Zec judging in 2023 and author/poet Liz Barnes invited to judge this year’s entries. We have prizes for the top three poems as well as a Sussex Cup, open to poets who live locally or poems with a connection to the county.’ 

‘Winners can read their poem on the night, although the performance aspects of poetry isn’t for everyone. Have been a teacher for 27 years, I prefer to learn my poem by heart, so that I can perform it without referring to notes, which helps to engage the audience.’  

SUSSEX CUP

The overall winner was Sarah Mills’ Mood Disorder, with Peter Devonald’s Winter Has a Wish For You and Lucy Crispin’s Getting the Summer Clothes Out of Storage third. Winner of the Sussex Cup was Caroline Berry, a Horsham poet who performed her entry, Here She Comes, at St Mary’s.  

Caroline said: ‘I started writing poetry during lockdown. I enjoyed writing when I was young so it was nice to have time to re-engage with poetry. It helped me to make sense of feelings during a very strange time. Much of my work follows themes of mental health and I find poetry helps me process my feelings. I tend to write from the heart, so it was challenging to write something to a specific theme. Taking inspiration from Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind, which has autumnal themes, I wanted to write a more optimistic poem about the arrival of spring. I wasn’t sure if it would appeal to the judges, so I was delighted to win the Sussex Cup!’  

The evening also included readings by poets Liz Barnes, Theresa (Ted) Gooda, Simon Zec and Barry Smith, with the latter joined by guitarist Chris Hardy to beautifully set Shelley’s poetry to music. The event was compéred by BBC Radio 4 presenter/announcer and Horsham resident Chris Aldridge, who has supported the SMP since attending Shelleython in 2021. 

Chris said: ‘I was a fan of The Rising Universe and feel sure that Shelley would have enjoyed the controversy it caused! It got people talking and when it was working, children loved it and would engage with the four smaller spheres around it. I was sad to see it go, so to see Shelley’s profile being raised once again is fantastic. It’s nice to have the chance to compére at St Mary’s, as the Shelley family has historic connections to the town centre. Shelley’s grandfather lived at Arun House in Denne Road and a young Percy Bysshe was often known to join him at The Swan pub, so I use these stories during the evening.’

EXPRESS YOURSELF

Topping the bill was award-winning author Louis de Bernières, who performed poetry and music. As well as writing best-sellers including Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis has written four collections of poetry and recorded four albums. As well as playing guitar, there were murmurs of joy when Louis started playing the instrument featured in his most famous book!  

Louis told AAH: ‘Writing poetry is less lucrative than writing books, but it can be fun. As well as poetry, I have written songs inspired by musicians that I love listening to, such as Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Tom Paxton. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 17 and became very good at one point, but now have focal dystonia, a neurological condition that affects many musicians, so I’m gradually losing dexterity.’  

‘I have written poetry since my teenage years but didn’t have any of my poems published until about 15 years ago. When I set out to be a writer, I submitted poetry to an agent who responded by telling me that they didn’t like poetry and that there’s no money in it! I sent a manuscript for a book instead and that was how I became a novelist rather than a poet. The upside of that is, I could afford a house of my own! It seems to me that poetry remains popular as it’s one of the ways we like to express ourselves. There is no culture in the world that doesn’t have poetry of one form or another, as much like music, there is something essentially human about it.’ 

LASTING LEGACY

With the statue plans progressing and the poetry competition well established, the SMP is committed to shining a light on Shelley’s work and hopes that, in time, the poet can make a greater contribution to local tourism. 

David Hide said: ‘There is a strong arts community in Horsham that embraces music, art, theatre, film and poetry and we believe that Shelley can provide this cultural community with a focal point, helping put Horsham on the map. When you think about Stratford-Upon-Avon, you think of Shakespeare, while Portsmouth celebrates its association to Charles Dickens and Bath draws visitors through its Jane Austen connections. What we would like to do is for Horsham to tap into 

Shelley’s legacy, creating opportunities for local businesses and tourism. The late, great performance poet Benjamin Zephaniah is just one of those to have referenced Shelley as the poet who most influenced his work, so we should recognise what a special person he was and create a legacy that brings lasting benefits to the District.’  

WORDS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright

Further information: Visit the website at www.shelleymemorialproject.co.uk