The Road To Wigan Pier – Stourbridge to Clent – Anniversary Walk

80th Anniversary Commemorative Walk Repeats George Orwell Journey

On February 1st 1936 George Orwell ended his second day of journeying by walking from Stourbridge to Clent, where he spent the night in a Youth Hostel.

‘…bus to Stourbridge. Walked 4 – 5 miles to Clent Youth Hostel. Red soil everywhere. Birds courting a little, cock chaffinches and bullfinches very bright and cock partridge making a mating call.’

Orwell’s diary entry on the Orwell Prize website

On September 10th 2016, 80 years after Orwell’s journey, his son Richard Blair (Left in photograph) led a party of Orwell Society members and friends on a commemorative walk along the same route.

‘Raining all day, on and off’, Orwell wrote, and the Society were able to repeat the same experience. Umbrellas were lowered for the photographer.

At the end of the day’s journey and exploration, organiser Dr David Craik (Right in photograph) was pleased to make contact with the Clent History Society.

Photograph by Neil Smith shows the party at the site of the Clent Youth Hostel, now Clent Community Centre