The Ellingworth Prize

The Ellingworth Prize is awarded every year to an author for a book that informs our appreciation of life in the East of England. 
At first glance the books shortlisted for this year’s Ellingworth Prize seem vastly different. But books this year have in common that they explore timelessness. We found each of these books informing, entertaining, compelling reads, and the judges enjoyed many lunchtime debates exploring the merits of each. Sylvannesssence features the ancient woods that will, we hope, outlive us. Hesket uses a myth to warn us of the dangers of ecological destruction, and I, Lorina, brings a first-person account of the historic treatment of victims of abuse and mental illness that can follow. And Flint Country featured the stone which is literally beneath our feet, surrounding us on buildings that have stood for centuries, and which will last far beyond when we are forgotten. 
In the end the judges had to make a decision, not based on their own enjoyment of reading these books – that would have been impossible to agree! 
However we did agree that one book stood out above the others in describing an experience which we all share, daily. Even when the author steps out of Norfolk, the narrative explores how his subject connects us to people over millennia, and in particular how significant Norfolk has been in its use. Developing a story that goes across history, the book returns to Norfolk to include each topic’s relevance here in our county. From Palaeolithic times, to tools and weapons, to houses of worship and art sculpture, the book argues that the stone beneath our feet has been formative, constructive, and beautiful. The judges agreed that it would be difficult to find a book that has more of Norfolk steeped into every page. So we congratulate Laurence Mitchell on his book Flint Country.