Higham Ferrers turns out to hear granddaughter of local literary legend speak about the life and times of H.E. Bates

By William Carter
Published 3rd May 2023, 16:18 BST
Updated 3rd May 2023, 16:19 BST
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Her talk was organised by The Friends of St Mary’s

Victoria Wicks is the granddaughter of H.E. Bates, and was the guest of honour at Higham Ferrers’ Bede House, giving a sold-out talk to locals about his life and times.

Almost 50 years since prolific writer Herbert Ernest Bates died, his literary legacy and his love for Higham Ferrers is very much alive as people attended the talk on April 30 with eager ears.

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Speaking before the talk in March, Victoria said: “I think of H.E. as a boy riding a pony to the Green Dragon pub for supplies of beer for the men, or playing in the corn stooks with his cousins, or sitting on the pony and trap with his grandfather, or helping his grandmother to bunch violets for sale on his grandfather’s horse-drawn dray.

SIGNING SESSION: Victoria Wicks, Graham Padden, left, and Richard Bates, had their pens at the ready to sign some of the audience’s books by H.E. Bates.SIGNING SESSION: Victoria Wicks, Graham Padden, left, and Richard Bates, had their pens at the ready to sign some of the audience’s books by H.E. Bates.
SIGNING SESSION: Victoria Wicks, Graham Padden, left, and Richard Bates, had their pens at the ready to sign some of the audience’s books by H.E. Bates.

“I feel I see them all everywhere whenever I visit and it all feels just an arms’ length away.”

H.E. Bates is one of Rushden & Higham’s most famous sons, being the author of a huge catalogue of novels, short stories, plays and non-fiction books, including the beloved Darling Buds of May. That novel was twice made into a television series for ITV in 1991 and again in 2017 under the name The Larkins.

Victoria, a director of the company which manages her grandfather’s literary estate, spoke about how many of H.E’s stories were set close to Higham Ferrers, how he included some real names of local people in his work.

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H.E. Bates was only 27 when his grandfather died, and Victoria noted that he would write about him for the next 40 years.

Herbert Ernest (H.E.) Bates was born in Rushden, and produced more than 1,000 works including The Darling Buds of MayHerbert Ernest (H.E.) Bates was born in Rushden, and produced more than 1,000 works including The Darling Buds of May
Herbert Ernest (H.E.) Bates was born in Rushden, and produced more than 1,000 works including The Darling Buds of May

She said: “In death and in life, they could not be separated.”

Many attendees brought along their H. E. Bates books to be signed by Victoria, her uncle Richard Bates and Northampton actor Graham Padden who co-wrote the 1991 ITV adaptation of The Darling Buds of May.

Victoria, Bates’ eldest granddaughter, has herself made appearances in, among others, Doctor Who, Skins, and the Imitation Game, and now spends time giving talks about her grandfather and his literary works.

While H.E. Bates had said that Higham Ferrers might physically not be the most beautiful town in England, he said it was the one that was “closest to my heart.”