Exhibition: Philip Larkin, 'The Less Deceived', and his friend Ted Tarling
Original material will be on display in the library, 6 November 2025 - 8 January 2026, during our opening hours
Free, all welcome
Join us as we mark the 70th anniversary of Philip Larkin’s poetry collection 'The Less Deceived', published by the Marvell Press in 1955. Discover the photograph album that inspired the first poem in the collection, 'Lines on a Young Lady's Photograph Album', and view Larkin's original notebook containing his first drafts of the poem.
We also invite you to discover the fascinating friend of Larkin, Ted Tarling. Born in Stoneferry, Hull, Tarling attended Hull Art School before making his mark locally as a jazz musician. He launched the Sonus Press, publishing the poetry magazine 'Wave', and was a talented artist. You can view the painting by Tarling that Larkin admired for its 'meticulous melancholy', commenting that it 'speaks straight to me…it's very much life as I see it.'
Graham Chesters, Chair of the Philip Larkin Society, says, 'For a man with such gifts, Ted seems to have been unconcerned about fame or even recognition. Looking back 21 years after his death in 2004, it's time to take the light from under the bushel. Larkin would have approved.'
Family Lego Club
3 January, 10am-12pm
Free, all welcome. Children must be accompanied by an appropriate adult.
Come and build with Lego blocks. All materials provided. What will you build... perhaps your favourite castle, or maybe your favourite old building in Hull?
Lunchtime Talk: Municipal Cemeteries as Places of Resort
Richard Clarke
13 January, 12.30-1.30pm
Free, all welcome