In June 2023, Marrin’s Antiquarian bookshop in Folkestone kindly offered Canterbury Christ Church University a collection of material related to the Kent author Jocelyn Brooke which had been collected by the late Patrick Marrin. Carol, Patrick’s widow, was keen that the collection should be available to local researchers and as Dr Simon Wilson had undertaken some research into Brooke’s connections with Bishopsbourne for Kent Maps Online, the university seemed the perfect location.

Jocelyn Brooke was a poet and naturalist who wrote several semi-autobiographical novels, notably the Orchid Trilogy, based on his life in Kent. Born in Sandgate, Brooke was educated at King’s School, Canterbury and Bedales, before going to Worcester College, Oxford. During World War II, he enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps where he treated soldiers for venereal disease.

After the war Brooke moved to Ivy Cottage, Bishopsbourne where he lived with his childhood nanny, Ninnie. He wrote The Wild Orchids of Britain (1950) and The Flower in Season (1952) as well as becoming a founder member of the Kent Trust for Nature Conservation. You can read more about Brooke’s life in Dr Simon Wilson’s article.

After the kind offer of the donation was made, Professor Carolyn Oulton visited Carol in the bookshop where she collected the material and transported it back to Augustine House library. The collection has been partially catalogued by volunteers Yosselin Claudio Montano and Evie Loos-Page and it is hoped that the remaining parts of the collection will be catalogued in the Autumn.

In July 2023, Dr Diana Hirst visited the collection, bringing a rare copy of a signed edition of The Birth of a Legend to add to the collection. Diana completed a PhD on Elizabeth Bowen at the university in 2021 and had become interested in Brooke, after she read his pamphlet on Bowen published in 1952.

Spending a few hours together, Professor Oulton, Dr Wilson and Dr Hirst scoped the collection, discussing possible avenues of research. We look forward to hearing more about what they discover.

Thank you to Marrin’s Bookshop and to Diana Hirst.