ENCLOSURES
Leith Hill Place Arts & Heritage Programme 2026
Childhood home of one of England’s greatest composers Ralph Vaughan Williams, Leith Hill Place (LHP) is a place of creativity and inspiration. Managed by the National Trust, LHP is a growing cultural hub set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The ENCLOSURES programme sets out to further establish LHP as a dynamic site for heritage arts practice that deepens our connection with the landscape. It builds upon LHP’s arts programme which has already developed strong regional partnerships including Surrey Cultural Partnership, Surrey Hills National Landscape, the University of the Creative Arts and University of Surrey.
Through the ENCLOSURES, LHP will actively engage local communities, while seeking to reach wider audiences through innovative programming.
Landmarks - Spoken Word Video: developed through interviews with local residents about their relationship to the landscape
Creative Partners
Rosie May Jones (Lead Creative)
Rosie May Jones is multidisciplinary artist and poet, specialising in spoken word & place-responsive performance. Her work explores how narratives of place shape our sense of self and community. She has delivered creative projects for organisations including the National Trust, Sky Arts, the British Council and Natural England, and she is currently a PhD student studying Animist Landscapes for Co-creative Practice.
Engaging communities and co-creation are central to her work. Much of her poetry is developed through verbatim techniques, working directly from recorded conversations conducted during her research. She is also a passionate workshop facilitator, with experience in creating poetry workshops which engage people in landscape, place and more-than-human perspectives.
“I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for your wonderful poem and performance at the launch of the NNR... Your words truly captured the spirit of the landscape and the occasion—moving, evocative, and beautifully delivered.”
Catherine McCusker (Producer)
Catherine McCusker, Visitor Operations & Experiences Manager at LHP, brings extensive cultural programming experience and essential community networks. She has extensive experience running a learning and events department working with the widest age group from toddlers to teens and adults in the Surrey Hills. As a a qualified forest bathing guide and a Mental Health First Aid Trainer she is passionate about nature's power to heal and restore. She facilitates nature connection outreach projects including the impactful Rest and Digest Retreat with East Surrey Domestic Abuse Service.
Damn Cheek Productions (Community Development & Facilitation)
With a passion for accessibility and inclusivity, Damn Cheek Productions has been creating bold, community led theatre since 2013. They champion new writing that tackles difficult and nuanced issues head-on, always seeking to provoke, entertain and inspire through compelling performances. Their work reaches diverse audiences across unconventional spaces – from community centres, libraries, parks and pubs to theatres and festivals. Central to their practice is involving communities as central collaborators, building skills for everyone involved through co-creation projects and comprehensive workshops and training programmes.
Maya McCourt (Music Director)
Music Leader at English Folk Dance and Song Society, Maya McCourt specialises in engaging young people with traditional British music and building communities of young traditional musicians. Director at Flotsam Sessions, facilitating intercultural community through folk music. Graduate of University of Edinburgh with Masters in Music in Development from SOAS. Her expertise in folk music and community engagement makes her ideally suited to lead the musical elements of this RVW pageant revival and develop partnerships with local youth choirs and village bands, as well as introducing diverse musical influences that update and reflect contemporary society.
Jack Kingslake (Electronic Music Ensemble Facilitator)
As Contemporary Music Lead for Surrey Hills Arts, Jack Kingslake will work with young people in Surrey to develop an Electric Music Ensemble. This ensemble would develop electronic music elements that complement and contrast with Ralph Vaughan Williams' orchestral compositions and traditional folk music, creating a multi-layered soundscape that speaks to intergenerational experiences of land, community, and change. Jack is a multi instrumentalist, contemporary music producer, composer and sound designer with over 25 years experience in the industry, including teaching music production at every level and delivering workshops in a huge range of community settings.
THE PROGRAMME
Enclosures Exhibition
Roots & Rhymes Workshop
Ralph Vaughan Williams Heritage Walk
TEA TIME TALKS PROGRAMME
TALK 1: Witch with India Rakusen - Creator of BBC's 13-part documentary series exploring how the witch became a symbol of resistance and fear, examining witch hunts' connection to historic land enclosure.
TALK 2: Land, Loss and Madness with Julian Pooley - The hidden connection between land enclosure and mental health, and the link between land dispossession and the development of county asylums.
TALK 3: Folk Music Has Lost Its Way with Jennifer Reid - focusing on 19th century Lancashire dialect & Victorian broadside ballads, ballad singer Jennifer Reid shares the tradition of working-class music as provocation.
TALK 4: Local History and Community Voices - Oral history participants share their stories exploring connections between land, community, and belonging.