We are offering a rare chance to explore the influences of one of the leading thinkers in cultural studies and philosophy: a biographical tour celebrating the life, legacy and enduring influence of Raymond Williams. Click on the image below to be taken to the booking details and logistics of the tour. Further information is also available below
Visit the principal locations in his ‘Border Country’ of his formative years that influenced his novels, non-fiction writing, and his thinking, including:
- Llwyn Derw, his childhood home in Pandy
- chapels
- his grave in Clodock/Clydawg
- the tramway and railway that industrialized Pandy and the Honddu valley
- nearby industrial communities that influenced Williams’s conceptualisation of a “real, genuine socialism” created, nurtured and owned by people and communities themselves
Our co-founding director and Raymond Williamsphile , Russell Todd, animates the tour making the connections between the locations you visit and Williams’s work; all in the shadow of the natural beauty and charm of the Black Mountains/Y Mynydd Du:
“Where the meadows are bright green against the red earth of the ploughland, and the first trees, beyond the window, are oak and holly” (The Country and the City, 1973)
We also visit The Skirrid Inn – reputedly Wales’s most haunted pub! – where you will enjoy a complimentary drink on us.
Testimonials
Black Hawk Hancock, Associate Professor, Sociology Department, DePaul University, Chicago:
I’d recommend the ‘Date With Raymond Williams’ tour to anyone looking to better know and understand Raymond Williams. Venturing deep into Williams’ Border Country brought his written page to life in an immersive experience. It’s an ideal point of entry into his world
Dr Jan Huyton, School of Education, Cardiff Metropolitan University:
We were taken to places I would never have found on my own, and it was all brilliantly organised. I met lots of like-minded people and enjoyed great dialogue. The combination of rural and industrial history exemplifies the contrasts in Williams’s life and writing. The meeting point of Abergavenny Station is a great idea. People were arriving from all over the UK. Lots of learning and lots of memories to take away. I went on my own but quickly found convivial company.
Who is the tour for?
- Anyone seeking further understanding, inspiration or re-energising from Wiilliam’s ideas
- Students of philosophy, literature, cultural studies and politics
- Practitioners and academics in community work, community development and organising who’ll find inspiration and enduring value in Williams’s writing on working-class communities and identity
- Activists in adult & continuing education (a chief passion of Williams’ throughout his life)
