Lamport Lecture Series: Dr Barbara Cooke
12 NOV
Thursday 12th November 2020
6.30pm refreshments for a 7pm start.
Dr Barbara Cooke – Civilised Murder: The Rise of the Country House Crime Novel
Vintage crime writing is enjoying a renaissance. Libraries and publishers are excavating their vaults to produce new editions of twentieth-century “classics” with high production values and, sometimes, an even higher dose of nostalgia. One feature stands out above all in these narratives of murder, haunting and deceit: the English country house! In this lecture, Dr Barbara Cooke explores the true-life origins of the Country House Murder narrative in a Victorian case of fratricide before guiding us through the interwar ‘golden age’ of crime writing to post-war stories of haunting and neglected family homes. Although Lamport Hall has not, as far as we know, witness a murder to contribute to this literary heritage, it does have its secrets. Dr Cooke will conclude her lecture by offering some thoughts on how the history of Lamport Hall might find its way into its own murder mystery, interweaving the story of the house and its inhabitants with fiction and speculation to offer some responses to old, unanswered questions.
Ticket price:
£14.50
Call 01604 686272 to book.
Refreshments include a glass of white or red wine. A non-alcoholic option will be available. Free parking on site. Disabled access.
6.30pm refreshments for a 7pm start.
Dr Barbara Cooke – Civilised Murder: The Rise of the Country House Crime Novel
Vintage crime writing is enjoying a renaissance. Libraries and publishers are excavating their vaults to produce new editions of twentieth-century “classics” with high production values and, sometimes, an even higher dose of nostalgia. One feature stands out above all in these narratives of murder, haunting and deceit: the English country house! In this lecture, Dr Barbara Cooke explores the true-life origins of the Country House Murder narrative in a Victorian case of fratricide before guiding us through the interwar ‘golden age’ of crime writing to post-war stories of haunting and neglected family homes. Although Lamport Hall has not, as far as we know, witness a murder to contribute to this literary heritage, it does have its secrets. Dr Cooke will conclude her lecture by offering some thoughts on how the history of Lamport Hall might find its way into its own murder mystery, interweaving the story of the house and its inhabitants with fiction and speculation to offer some responses to old, unanswered questions.
Ticket price:
£14.50
Call 01604 686272 to book.
Refreshments include a glass of white or red wine. A non-alcoholic option will be available. Free parking on site. Disabled access.