Dickens was one of England’s greatest writers and he lived in North Kent at two different times. Why did he return and what kind of impact did his experiences have on his work? Find out more at the next Drill Hall Dialogue 2 July 10.00 in the Guildhall Museum DA002 in Rochester. The talk, by Dr Jeremey Clarke, will be illustrated with objects from the Guildhall Museum’s collection. 

Dr Jeremy Clarke has been Education Officer at the Guildhall Museum, Rochester, since 1998. He is responsible for all formal education and learning programmes supported by the museum collection or its listed buildings. Most of this is work with or in local schools, but he also runs courses, lectures and illustrated talks for adults. 

Dr Clarke has also run partnership projects to support children in making music for Dickens’s novels, in illustrating scenes from Great Expectations, and in working with actors at locations made famous by the novel. In 2010 he hosted a shared reading of Great Expectations in the original parts, timed to coincide with their publication 150 years before.

 Drill Hall Dialogues is a monthly series of talks held at the Drill Hall Library, the learning resource centre for the Universities at Medway collaborative project. A wide variety of topics has been covered including prison libraries, NHS libraries, Dickens and Christmas, Medway regeneration, the Medway Floods of 1953 and Fort Amherst.

Previous Drill Hall Dialogues have been from academics based on the campus including the Centre for Journalism and the Faculty of Education (CCCU). The talks take place on the first or second Tuesday of the month and usually last no longer than 45 minutes with 15 minutes allotted for any questions and answers.  All staff are welcome to attend.