'IN THE Footsteps of the Romantic Poets' is helping children and young people to understand and connect with the landscape, taking inspiration from the Romantic Poets, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William and Dorothy Wordsworth, who lived and wrote in Somerset’s Quantock Hills.
Thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Quantock Hills will provide a focus for pupils to explore, make and play outside as part of The Quantock Landscape Partnership Scheme led by The Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Lynn Perry (Inclusion TA; Eastover Primary School) with pupils
Kim Salt (Class Teacher; Eastover Primary School) with pupils
This term over 100 pupils from schools on either side of the Quantock Hills have been learning about this special landscape and using the arts to find their place within it.
This exciting aspect of the project is led by the Somerset Partnership Arts Education Agency (SPAEDA) charity.
Artist Liz Gregory helping one of Eastover’s pupils
Alice Crane; Artistic Director SPAEDA, helping with the project
Collaborating with artists, children and young people have been discovering Coleridge and his poems: following in his footsteps at the Museum of Somerset with Peter Stiles; learning to listen and to look at the landscape with Liz Gregory; exploring the archives at Hestercombe Gallery with Jon England and uncovering a long history of artists capturing the landscape to uncover.
Year 5 pupils with some of their work
Penny Phillips, the art coordinator at Crowcombe and Stogumber School, said: “The whole day was brilliant…It was nice to see the children enjoying being able to explore the museum independently.
"In subsequent days, they were still re-enacting their stories during their playtimes resulting in some new friendships.
"The exhibition was a gift in enabling the children to experience the Romantic Poets and to appreciate where they lived within the Quantock area.
“These are ideas that can be used in school so thank you. The photography was fascinating for the children.
"The children learnt a lot of science with this and due to the scale of the cameras and practical nature they were entranced. The practical torch activity - they just simply loved. It was most definitely their wow moment.
“Taking part in the Quantock Landscape Partnership Scheme is part of our Art Development plan and these enrichment activities are most definitely meeting those outcomes.”
Below are more photos from the event.
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