The Long Trick: An Appreciation of John Masefield

The Masefield Matters Project

The Long Trick explores, through narration, drama and music, the life of Ledbury’s most famous son.

After his idyllic early childhood in Ledbury, his life took many challenging twists and turns. He lost both parents, endured a perilous sea journey around Cape Horn as a young sailor, and spent time as a penniless vagrant in New York.

Despite minimal traditional schooling and none of the benefits of university education, his unshakeable passion for reading and writing led him to become one of the most popular and admired writers of his generation, and Poet Laureate for 37 years.

The Long Trick is one of a range of events in support of The Masefield Matters Project
(John Masefield Memorial Project | Ledbury Town Council), celebrating John Masefield's work, life, and the things that mattered to him. The project will finish with a memorial celebrating John Masefield's 150th anniversary in June 2028.