Bonchurch Presents: A Celebration of Village Spirit
For one night, the gardens of Under Rock glowed as if stitched together from history, theatre, and sheer village mischief. And so Bonchurch Presents came alive — not just a performance, but a celebration of all that makes our village utterly, irresistibly Bonchurch.
A Setting Straight from a Storybook
Under Rock is no ordinary backdrop. With its winding paths, palms swaying as if they’d joined the chorus, and that golden house looking on with quiet pride, the garden became a stage straight from a dream. Our gratitude goes to Simon and Sarah Harrison, who lent not only their house and garden but also their spirit of generosity. For one night, it felt as if the trees, the stones, and even the breeze had slipped into costume.
A Village Ensemble (Who Really Ought to Know Better!)
What a cast! A merry band of neighbours and friends took to the stage, billed (quite honestly) as “a company of folk who really ought to know better.” With twinkles in their eyes and the courage only community can provide, they carried us from roaring laughter to thoughtful silence, all while reminding us why it’s such a joy to live in a place where people still throw themselves into such ventures with gusto.
And they didn’t stand alone. Behind the curtain — and sometimes in front of it — stood the kind hands and open hearts of:
Bonchurch Community Association
Ventnor Arts Club
The Costume Warehouse, Shanklin
And the warm, willing audience, without whom the magic would have fallen flat.
A Whistle-Stop Tour Through Bonchurch’s Tales
The programme was a patchwork quilt of our village’s stories, stitched together with wit and music. We tumbled down St Boniface Down, staggered through shipwrecks and storms, dined with Dickens, lingered with Swinburne, and even applauded the noble culinary triumph of “Life-Changing Lasagne.”
Music flowed through it all — sometimes lilting, sometimes rousing — carrying us from scene to scene as easily as waves against the shore.
The Bonchurch Song
No village celebration is complete without a rousing singalong, and Song for Bonchurch was exactly that. With verses wandering through leafy lanes, smugglers’ tales, poets’ paths, and waves crashing on crumbling shores, it captured everything we love about this sleepy, magical corner of the Isle of Wight.
By the final chorus – “Bonchurch, my dear, there’s magic here – and love that’s always true” – the audience was in full voice, proving once again that Bonchurch has both history and harmony in abundance.
With Thanks, With Love
Special thanks go to Elizabeth Smith and Sue Lowday, whose beautifully designed programme guided us with charm, and to Angie Davies, whose photographs (see link at the bottom of page) caught the flicker of lantern light and laughter that words alone could never hold.
But most of all, thanks to you — everyone who came, clapped, sang, and shared in the silliness, the splendour, and the simple joy of being together in Bonchurch.
Until the Curtain Rises Again…
Bonchurch Presents wasn’t just a show. It was Bonchurch reminding us — with a wink and a song — that history is still alive in these lanes, that beauty is woven into every garden wall, and that community is our greatest performance of all.
If you missed it, well…
you missed something special. But don’t despair. In Bonchurch, magic has a habit of returning when you least expect it. So keep your lanterns handy, keep your voices tuned, and keep an eye on this page — because when the village decides to tell its stories again, you’ll want to be there.