Member Events

Member Events
Ungetatable Barnhill?

Introduction

The Trustees have felt from the beginning of The Orwell Society, that visits and other events to Orwell related sites were an important part of being an Educational Charity. They provide a great opportunity for members to gain greater understanding of Orwell, and the circumstances in which he wrote, from visiting the locations which relate to key work. Members also benefit from the knowledge they each bring to an event. Great enduring friendships have resulted from the camaraderie which develops when members spend time together.

Thanks to Richard Blair, our Patron, we often get access to locations that are not available to others, including Barnhill and places in Spain, for example the Poliorama on the Ramblas.

We aim to have a variety of events for members, ranging from the major multi-day events to half day visits, for example to Eton College.

We welcome event ideas submitted by Members. A good example of this is the Marrakech event where we follow the comprehensive research of member Kevin Carter into Orwell and Eileen’s 6 months in Morocco. Orwell wrote Coming up for Air while he was there.

Orwell never owned a home and lived a life of movement from place to place. In consequence we have held events in many places including, for example, Wallington, where he married Eileen and lived from 1936 into the War years; Southwold; in the home the home of Georges Kopp in Scotland; the Cold War Museum; Wigan; and the National Coal Mining Museum among many.

Regular visits include Barnhill on Jura, the sites of Homage to Catalonia, Eton College, walks in London at the end of September, and our annual visit to Sutton Courtenay where Orwell is buried on the nearest Sunday to his birthday on June 25th. We also hold symposia and conferences from time to time.

Events are open to all members. Members are welcome to bring one other person, who can share their room for visits. We do not want anyone to feel they cannot pursue their interest in Orwell. Some events have to be restricted to a certain number of places, for example Eton in accordance with their requirements, and places like Jura where the boats we use are licensed for 12 places. If an event is oversubscribed we have a draw for the available places.

In addition to the UK, we have members in over 30 countries from New Zealand to the USA and Canada as well as many European countries. Many of our members from these countries really enjoy our events and return for more despite the distances involved.

How to apply to attend

1. Members will receive an email a week before the invitation document for each event informing them when the invitation document will be emailed to them.
2. The Invitation document will contain a full description of the event and how to apply.
3. Applications should be submitted within the 48 hour span defined in the email with the Invitation document.
4. If an event is oversubscribed, a draw is held to allocate the available places.

Outline Programme for 2026-28

Updated 27 January 2026