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The Man Who Influenced Village Hall Drama


Don’t we all enjoy a bit of amateur drama down at the village hall? One of the pioneers of this community activity was L du Garde Peach. You might have heard of him as the writer of the Ladybird ‘Adventure from History’ series – but before he got this gig he was much better known as a radio playwright and amateur drama champion, running his own respected theatre in his home village of Great Hucklow in Derbyshire.

I’ve produced a new book about his life and work…here’s the blurb:

L du Garde Peach is perhaps best known today for his authorship of the Ladybird 'Adventure from History' books. These children's books dating from the 1950s and 1960s are iconic among a generation who were introduced to British history through the beautifully illustrated pages. However, Peach is now often viewed as a dinosaur from an age that historians might rather forget. He is pigeon-holed as one of the entitled, jingoistic types that ruled the British establishment in the 20th century. Without knowing anything of his life and career, this is an unfair assumption to make.The Case for the Defence of L du Garde Peach has been drawn up using archive records and texts of the plays that he wrote. Emerging from these is a modern man, with feminist and pro-European instincts and a desire to bring communities together in a way that is high on the 21st century agenda.

You can purchase the book here for less than a fiver. There is also a Kindle download available.



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