The Henry Williamson Society Spring Meeting
15–17 May 2026
Henry's Illustrators
Our Spring Meeting will be in Anglesey, home of Henry Williamson's best-known illustrator, Charles Tunnicliffe. This is a new venue for our Society, with what promises to be a most interesting weekend. We look forward to welcoming members there.
INTRODUCTION, by Robert Walker, Chairman of the Henry Williamson Society:
I wish to give members advance notice of the HWS Spring Meeting scheduled to take place on Anglesey from 15-17 May 2026. As mentioned in my August 2025 Chair's letter, we have chosen Anglesey as the location of the meeting primarily due to its connection to Charles Tunnicliffe, the wildlife illustrator who did the engravings for the first illustrated edition of Tarka the Otter, and who lived on Anglesey from 1947 to his death in 1979. By a happy co-incidence, Mildred Eldridge, who did the illustrations for the second edition of The Star-born, also lived in North Wales, and we have invited an expert on her work to come and speak to us.
The proposed Programme is given below, but in summary I shall give a talk on Friday evening after dinner at the Bulkeley (pronounced Buckley) Hotel on Henry and Tunnicliffe. On Saturday, we shall visit Oriel Mon, where Tunnicliffe's sketchbooks are held and there is a standing Tunnicliffe exhibition; then we shall go across to Malltraeth, where Tunnicliffe lived. Susan Fogarty will give us a talk about Mildred Eldridge before dinner at the Bulkeley Hotel. On Sunday, nothing specific is planned, though there are many places worth visiting on Anglesey, such as Beaumaris Castle, the RSPB Reserve at South Stack, Plas Newydd, Newborough Warren etc.
The reason why I am giving advanced notice is because of the accommodation situation. The talks and the dinners will all be at the Bulkeley Hotel in Beaumaris, but the Bulkeley itself was not able to reserve rooms or offer a discounted rate. For this reason, and also because attendees may prefer to stay for a longer period in a holiday let or Airbnb, there is no official hotel for the meeting. Therefore, if you do wish to attend, you will have to arrange your own accommodation.
The dinner menus have not been finalised, but the likely charge for a three-course meal plus hot drink is £35 per head per dinner. Please note that we are not booking a coach, so there will be car-sharing on the Saturday, with a map provided. The recommended railway station for Beaumaris is Bangor, though the romantic at heart might choose to change for Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!
A full Registration Form will be included in the Spring Mailing as usual, but this is an opportunity to sort out your accommodation in advance. If you choose to book the Bulkeley Hotel itself, please book Bed & Breakfast only, as the dinners will be charged separately.
I hope to see you at the meeting; please let me know if you have any questions.
PROGRAMME
Friday, 15 May
| 6.00 p.m. on | Assemble in the bar at the Bulkeley Hotel |
| 7.00 p.m. | Dinner at the Bulkeley Hotel |
| 9.00 p.m. | 'Henry and Tunny: the perfect match' – an illustrated talk by Robert Walker |
Saturday, 16 May
| 10.00 a.m. | Assemble in the car park of Bulkeley Hotel and drive to Oriel Mon in Llangefni |
| 10.30 a.m. |
At Oriel Mon: Introductory talk by the Curator, Ian Jones Tour of galleries and museum Tunnlicliffe Archive with Ian Jones |
| 1.00 p.m. | Lunch at Oriel Mon (purchased from the café) |
| 2.00 - 4.00 p.m. | Travel to Malltraeth and walk round Malltraeth |
| 6.00 p.m. |
'ME Eldridge and The Star-born', illustrated talk by Susan Fogarty, Director of the RS Thomas and ME Eldridge Society (held in the Ballroom of the Bulkeley Hotel) |
| 7.00 p.m. | Dinner at the Bulkeley Hotel |
| 9.00 p.m on | Relax in the bar |
Sunday, 18 May
| Various options, including visits to RSPB South Stack, Beaumaris Castle, etc. |
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