On 26th March, 2026, Bunyan Meeting were excited to host a Book Launch and Poetry Reading of work by local poet and archaeologist, Matthew Edgeworth, who has written two ‘chapbooks’ of poetry over the last couple of years. The first, Embodied Things, focuses on artefacts from the museum, and other objects connected with John Bunyan. These speak in their own voices to the reader. The second book, Embodied Places takes us into the town and landscape, to sites with strong connections to Bunyan.
Edgeworth’s poems are rich, and atmospheric. They dig deep into the sometimes ancient history of the places described, but also make poignant links to the present day. We recently reviewed Matthew’s second book Embodied Places – Deep and Gold and Green in our last newsletter.
John Bunyan wrote poetry as well, of course, though it is far less well known than his major prose works. Some of his verse even appears in The Pilgrim’s Progress, including one that has become a well-loved hymn: ‘Who would true valour see’. So we called on members of the Swan Theatre Company in Bedford, to read from Bunyan’s verse, alongside Matt’s readings of his own poems.
Bunyan’s poetry is serious and didactic, but also contains a great deal of wit, and is hauntingly evocative of the natural and technical world, the snail, the spider, even the pocket watch, which would have been familiar to him. The interplay between the two sets of readings provided an entertaining and informative afternoon, followed by tea and cakes, while Matthew Edgeworth signed and sold copies of his books. These, along with Bunyan’s works and other merchandise, are on sale in the Museum Bookshop.