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Celebration to mark Robert Louis Stevenson’s 175th Birthday at his former home

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Special evening of performances, readings, talks and networking at Skerryvore Gardens – the site where he wrote Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde


The Bournemouth Writing Festival will mark the 175th birthday of Robert Louis Stevenson with an atmospheric evening at Skerryvore Gardens in Westbourne on Thursday 13 November 2025, 7–9pm. 


Set on the site of Stevenson’s former home – where he famously wrote Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – the evening will combine performances, talks, readings and informal networking, all under marquees in the gardens.


Stevenson’s years in Westbourne were some of his most productive: as well as Jekyll & Hyde, he wrote Kidnapped and A Child’s Garden of Verses with fellow author Henry James a frequent visitor.


The event programme will feature:

  • Mark Freestone – actor with extensive stage, screen and television credits, delivering an exclusive performance as Stevenson (a role he previously played in John Foster’s acclaimed play Weevil in the Biscuit).

  • Andrew Emery – local historian, author and Bournemouth resident, speaking about Stevenson’s time living in Bournemouth.

  • Mark Steeds – founder member of the Long John Silver Trust and active member of the Robert Louis Stevenson Club, presenting the story of the European Cultural Route In the Footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson.

  • Ali Bacon – novelist and fellow RLS Club member, with a talk on Stevenson’s women contrasting Frances Sitwell and Fanny Osbourne: “The weevil, his wife and the other woman”.


The evening will end with informal networking – a chance for readers, writers and the local community to connect in the very gardens that inspired one of literature’s most enduring tales.


Dominic Wong, Festival Director of the Bournemouth Writing Festival, said:“Robert Louis Stevenson’s time in Bournemouth is often overlooked, yet it was here that he wrote some of his greatest works. This event brings his legacy to life in the place where it happened – with words, performances and community spirit coming together to celebrate one of our most famous literary residents.”


Jeremy Hodges, spokesperson for the Robert Louis Stevenson Club, said:“Skerryvore was the setting for some of Stevenson’s finest creations. This anniversary is a chance for readers, writers and residents to honour his remarkable life and the enduring power of his words.”


Visitors will also have the chance to pick up a brand-new edition of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, designed by Royal book designer Briony Hartley and published by her new venture Beach Hut Books series. This special edition features a newly commissioned introduction by Andrew Emery and a walking tour retracing Stevenson’s Bournemouth that reveal the light-and-shadow contrasts of his life by the sea. Copies (£7.99) can be collected and signed at the event.


Signed copies of Ali Bacon's The Absent Heart, inspired by the letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, will also be on sale, priced £9.99 (cash or card). 


Practical information:

  • Tickets: £7.50 (with optional donation to support upkeep of Skerryvore Gardens).

  • Venue: Skerryvore Gardens, Westbourne (3 Alum Chine Rd, Bournemouth BH4 8DS), at the south end of Robert Louis Stevenson Avenue.

  • Bring your own refreshments, and seating if required, and note there will be no toilet facilities on site.


 
 
 

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