THE first Coleridge in Porlock weekend attracted nearly 70 people, many of whom had travelled to Porlock from other parts of the UK.

It was organised by Porlock Parish Council and volunteers in association with the Friends of Coleridge to bring people to Porlock to boost the economy at the start of visitor season, and enhance the area’s cultural life.

The event, which celebrated the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, saw attendees staying in local accommodation and eating in local public houses and cafes.

Parish Cllr Sue McCanlis said: “Thanks to the support of local people and the Friends of Coleridge, the event paid for itself through ticket sales, while bringing activity into the village.

“What is more, it was enormous fun and we had great feedback from those who attended.”

The weekend began with a welcome evening in the village hall when Porlock actor Jen Warwick enchanted the audience with her performance of three of Coleridge’s poems, ‘Kubla Khan’, ‘Frost at Midnight’, and ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’, which were written in Somerset when the poet lived in Nether Stowey.

There was a walk along the coast path from Ash Farm to Broomstreet Farm, following the route Coleridge would have taken when he visited the area and stopped at one of the remote farmhouses to write ‘Kubla Khan’.

Cultural historian and author Diana Barsham, who lives in Nether Stowey, gave a talk about Coleridge’s influence on biographer, novelist, and short story writer Margaret Drabble.

Prof Gregory Leadbetter, chairman of the friends, led a vibrant discussion in the solar of Dovery Manor Museum on the enigma of ‘Kubla Khan’.

More than 30 people attended a walk from Porlock along the marsh to the Weir, and for the final talk Prof Tim Fulford spoke about ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ and survivor’s guilt and PTSD.