Stormy September ahead? As Dolly said “Storms Make Trees Take Deeper Roots”

Herstorical Tours
3 hours ago
4 min read

I can’t start the newsletter without a shout out to our lost Goddess….

Happy new month all. Blimey, that was quite the summer wasn’t it? Amidst heatwave and climate chaos, not only do we lose powerhouse Bonnie Tyler, we then lose Queen of Kindness and Country Music - Dolly Parton. A tough time for everyone, as Dolly was universally loved for not just her talent but her philanthropy, too. She was a true feminist icon - unapologetically herself, yet kind, giving, and completely grounded.

Storms Make Trees Take Deeper Roots

There are so many of her quotes that I love, but this one I found particularly apt for today - as they say we are in for a ‘stormy’ Autumn after record breaking heat here in the UK. Literal storms in this case- but it could also be metaphorical - for all that’s going on in our world. But instead of all the doom and gloom and apocalyptic panicking, I think we can all learn a lesson from Dolly and see the positive side of every tough situation. RIP Queen.

August re-cap

August was a busier month than I anticipated to be honest! The month of the solar eclipse we ran 5 very well attended public tours and 1 private one. Thank you so much to all who attended! Here are some highlights:

I also was interviewed by the wonderful Misti Marshall who runs www.thetudoryank.com website and YouTube channel. We chatted all things harlots, spooky and gory about London’s Herstory - check out the link to the episode

https://youtu.be/R1jYYs1ZPkk?si=qcKr4wdBnIjb2C3f

Septemberrrrrr! What’s Going On?

So what have we got for you this month? Well I’ll be off for my last little break of the year (before the madness of Halloween takes hold) the first week of the month but after that we are BACK !

Calendar

13th Sep: Votes for Women! Suffragettes at Bow Street and Beyond!

18th Sep: Hex and the City

20th and 27th Sep: Southwark Hysteries (Totally Thames Festival)

24th Sep: Witch Hunting in Blighty: Then and Now (Pints of Knowledge) SOLD OUT

25th Sep: Harlots and Strumpets and Tarts, Oh My! (with the Foundling Museum)

Totally Thames

I’m delighted to be bringing my Southwark tour Southwark Hysteries to the Totally Thames Festival again this year. This month-long celebration of all things River Thames includes a wealth of different and varied community events and my tour is one of them! Come and join the fun on 20th and 27th September and learn an alternative side to Bankside’s history - the HERstory. Booking now!

Witches!

After apparently being well received by Pints of Knowledge at my last talk on the 18th century sex trade, I am coming back on 24th September to talk about witch hunting - but this event is now sold out! Thanks so much to all who has bought tickets - keep an eye as sometimes people drop out last minute so there might be some tickets available nearer the time.

However don’t fret if you’ve missed out - you can also catch me talking about witches at The Chelsea Physic Garden as part of the Chelsea History Festival on 3rd October. Yes, I know it’s a whole month away - but these tickets are VERY limited and tend to sell out fast. I’ll be performing as well at this event - in the gorgeous and spooky twilight garden. Don’t miss it ! Here are some images from last year’s event.

Halloween is around the corner….

Speaking of witches and all things spooky - yes it may only be September but October is closer than wre think (Hurrah!) which means busy time for me!

I’m running my spooky tours Hex and the City , Magic, Mystics and Martyrs and Jailbirds of Old London this year throughout October, and they are available to book now.

But I also have a BRAND NEW TOUR that I’m launching this year for Halloween. All Hail….

Phantom Femmes

This is a new feminist ghost walk around the city, focussing exclusively on stories of women ghosts. This tour won’t be ‘theatrical’ officially in that it’s me storytelling rather than jumping about in character… but…. it might be theatrical…if you know what I mean! (we can’t predict what the spirits will do!)

There will be interactive paranormal investigation on this tour, and a surprise at the end. A perfect way to spend spooky season! You can read more about it and book tickets now for October here. I am selling early bird discounted tickets for a TENNER at the moment too!

I’ve got some great stuff coming up in November too, but more on that in the next newsletter, otherwise this one will be 10 pages long.

So that’s it for today, have a great month, hope to see you on a tour or at an event. And to finish a Tim Curry song lyric (because we lost another icon last month too - and I equally love him):

“Don’t dream it, BE it!”