SALISBURY’S rich literary heritage was celebrated at the weekend as book-lovers and writers united for the inaugural Salisbury Literary Festival, with talks and events for all ages at venues across the city.

The official launch party took place at Culture Coffee in Fisherton Street on Friday, with speeches from Salisbury MP John Glen, mayor John Lindley and festival director Tom Bromley. Prizes were also awarded to two of the Salisbury Story Prize competition winners.

I managed to catch a couple of the weekend's events, including on Saturday afternoon, award-winning playwright and author Barney Norris, who talked candidly about his book Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain, his influences and his relationship with the city. He was funny and endearing as he told the Playhouse audience about moving to Salisbury when he was 10-years-old and his 20-minute walk from his home on the Coombe Road into school every day and how this gave him time to think and devise characters for what would be his critically acclaimed debut novel.

Another best-selling author Philippa Gregory packed out the cathedral on Saturday evening as she talked about her passion of retelling history through the eyes of a woman. On what was the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, two actors performed passages from her book The Last Tudor, as Philippa talked about the great women involved in reform who have influenced her writing.

Festival director Tom Bromley said it had been an “absolutely amazing” weekend “We’ve had audiences across the events far exceeding expectations and people travelling to Salisbury from all over the country to visit the festival,” he said.

“From Kristina Stephenson inspiring young children at Salisbury Library to sold out talks about our Salisbury Greats, a packed cathedral for Philippa Gregory on Saturday night to a wonderful Writer’s Day on Sunday, it’s been a real celebration of Salisbury’s literary past, present and future.”

Tom added: “The festival team have been incredibly touched by the support and goodwill across the city and we hope this is just the first chapter.”