The idea of story boxes has been around a while, last year at Haldon Forest they had a great set. So I thought as part of the re-invigoration of the Coleridge way I should install some here for the summer of 2013.
The idea is simple, a box with pen, notebook and some paints are dotted along the path, the walker or family finds one, adds a paragraph or drawing to the tale and no more. They then leave it for another to do the same, and by the end of the summer we will have a strange weaving tale, the product of all those different authors.
So to make six boxes, gather the parts, and prep for site is relatively simple, but it is another to get all the permissions and approvals required, as I would not conceive of placing any of them without full consent. Undoubtedly we will lose some of the story boxes over the summer, and when we go to retrieve them they will have vanished. So to negate this I have spent some time choosing appropriate locations which will have good foot traffic and a little way from car parks.
Of the six boxes three already have permission, Coleridge Cottage in the garden, (I hope to put it in the Lime Tree Arbour if I can), Porlock Visitor Centre, (hopefully near the newly renovated ancient cider press.) One more is to be at Webbers Post at the Jubilee Hut, (on the path to Horner), but the others are still a little fluid.
I had hoped for one to be on the bridge at Dorothy's Glen (bridge pictured above) and the other on a bench not far along Alfoxden Parks private road (The Coleridge Way goes along here, so it is on a public right of way. These are both at Holford, and there is a great place to park near, and of course William and Dorothy Wordsworth ignited their style of poetry here with Coleridge.
But the bridge over the Glen is a little worse for wear and so the County Council are to be replacing / repairing it in the not too distant future. The last thing they want is for me to be actively promoting it right now, and until those works are done, I will need to find a different place. It is a shame but if disaster struck, can you image the calamity (and headlines) with poets and walkers plunging into the icy waters below. This is not the kind of press I would be hoping for, and if they were then to write in the story boxes I am sure I would need to edit them quite thoroughly!!
But the bridge over the Glen is a little worse for wear and so the County Council are to be replacing / repairing it in the not too distant future. The last thing they want is for me to be actively promoting it right now, and until those works are done, I will need to find a different place. It is a shame but if disaster struck, can you image the calamity (and headlines) with poets and walkers plunging into the icy waters below. This is not the kind of press I would be hoping for, and if they were then to write in the story boxes I am sure I would need to edit them quite thoroughly!!
So if you are the land owner along the path, or know of a great place that the story box should definitely be, then please let me know. The boxes will only be in situ for the summer, and hopefully will add a creative element which everyone can enjoy.
When the boxes are retrieved they will be exhibited along with other works in the reinvigoration project at Coleridge Cottage and also hopefully the Porlock Festival. But will keep you informed as details are firmed up.
