Lancashire Folklore Talk

Dr Anna Fielding is taking over The Harris on Thursday 29 October for a talk on Lancashire's folk tales, myths and legends. It runs from 6pm to 7pm in The Reading Room, so it's an hour's session rather than a whole evening. The whole thing is aimed at adults, 16+, and you'll need a ticket to get in.

Fielding takes you through some of the county's most chilling folk tales, and she doesn't shy away from the darker side of things. She works with the idea of Lancashire as a landscape steeped in mystery, haunted by witches, boggarts and centuries of eerie storytelling. It's the kind of stuff that's always been part of the local lore around here, the stories that get passed down and stick.

There's a bit of history to it, too. King James I once described Lancashire as the 'dark corner of the country', and the talk leans into that reputation. It's less about the postcard version of the county and more about the shadows — the witches and the boggarts that have lived in the folklore for generations. If you've ever had a soft spot for the weirder, spookier side of the North West, this is exactly that.

It's held in The Reading Room at The Harris, in Market Square, Preston PR1 2PP. Tickets are £10, and it runs from 6pm to 7pm on Thursday 29 October.