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Leith Hill Place Literary Festival

A day of talks, workshops and interactions with some of the leading writers of Sussex and Surrey.

  • Booking essential

Leith Hill Place hosts its first one-day book festival featuring an intriguing mix of published authors and poets to whet your literary whistle.

Programme:

10.00 Welcome and Introduction - Catherine McCusker (Terrace Room)

10.15 Jane Austen’s Leatherhead with Cathy Brett (Terrace Room)

11.00 Morning Break

11.30 Writing Period Fiction with Jody Cooksley, Harriet Steel and Kathryn Attwood (Terrace Room)

12.15 Lunch / Poetry Open Mic (Terrace Room) / bookshop & book signing opportunity (Drawing Room)

13.30 Workshops: • Make Your Own Book with Cathy Brett (Panel Room) max 12 • Getting To Grips With Poetry with Ted Gooda (Darwin Room) max 12 • Spark Your Creativity - a prose writing workshop with Lisa Brace (Terrace Room) max 14 • Forest Bathing: So what’s that all about? with The Forest Bathing Institute (Library and Rhododendron Wood) max 12

15.30 Afternoon Break

16.00 A is for Arsenic - The Poisons of Agatha Christie with Dr Kathryn Harkup (Terrace Room)

17.00 Close.

All talks and a choice of practical workshops included in the ticket price.

Times

Prices

Event ticket prices

Ticket typeTicket category
All £38.00

The basics

Booking details

Call 03442491895

Suitability

Not appropriate for children. Minimum age 15.

Meeting point

Meet at Reception. Parking at the Rhododendron Wood Car park (What3words location push.horses.fade). Normal charges apply. NT members park for free.

What to bring and wear

Dress comfortably for your performance

Accessibility

No disabled toilets but cubicles are large. Ramp to front entrance. Limited disabled parking at the front of the House.

Other

The volunteer-run café will be offering hot and cold drinks plus a selection of cakes and scones baked on the premises. Pre-booked packed lunches will also be available that can be enjoyed (weather permitting) on the terrace with glorious views to the South Downs

Upcoming events

T-Time Talk: Holmwood Common: Uses and Abuses through the centuries with historian Kathy Atherton 

For 1000 years the Common has been a resource for the communities surrounding it. That it was created was down to human necessity; that it survived was down to the interplay of politics and economics. The history of the Common is a social history...

Event summary

on
13 Jun 2026
at 15:00 to 16:00

Poetry Hub 

Poetry Hubs are welcoming and inclusive spaces designed to foster a love for poetry across Surrey. These community-driven gatherings invite poets of all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned writers, to come together, share their work, and...

Event summary

on
14 Jun to 13 Sep 2026
at 10:00 to 12:00+ 6 other dates or times

Shipley Festival Concert with the Bernardi Piano Trio and guests 

Set within the inspirational surroundings of Leith Hill Place in the Surrey Hills, this special concert brings together new music and much-loved masterpieces.

Event summary

on
21 Jun 2026
at 18:00 to 20:00

Open Mic Poetry afternoon with Mole Valley Poets 

Join us for an afternoon of words, voices, and good company. Whether you've been writing for decades or scribbled something on the way here — you're welcome on the mic.

Event summary

on
28 Jun 2026
at 14:00 to 16:00