On the trail of King Harold's love

A statue in St Leonards of the fallen King Harold in the arms of his mistress Edith Swan-Neck became the inspiration for an epic walk by Hastings based film-maker Andrew Kotting and writer Iain Sinclair.
Edith Walks 2 SUS-170913-143243001Edith Walks 2 SUS-170913-143243001
Edith Walks 2 SUS-170913-143243001

The walk followed a route from Waltham Abbey in Essex via Battle Abbey to St Leonards as a pilgrimage in memory of Edith Swan Neck.

The experience led to an acclaimed film called Edith Walks which can be seen at the Electric Palace cinema this Sunday (September 17).

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Premiering last year as a riveting ‘performance’ at the Route 1066 Festival, a-year-to-the-day later Edith Walks returns as a stand-alone film.

For this special event Andrew Kötting and Hastings singer and actress Claudia Barton (Edith Swan Neck), will present a one off mini-performance.

The film includes interviews with two of the UK’s greatest living writers Iain Sinclair and Alan Moore as well as the remarkable musical talents of David Aylward Claudia Barton and Jem Finer (The Pogues).

The evening will also feature the remarkable animated short film Forgotten the Queen by Eden Kötting and Glenn Whiting.

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This screening will conclude Edith Walks tour of the UK which has garnered critical acclaim across the UK and Ireland, being described as one of the best movies of 2017 by the Guardian.

Andrew first rose to prominence as a film-maker with Gallivant, a film which chronicled a journey around the coast of Britain accompanied by his grandmother and daughter Eden, who was aged seven at the time.

The work won him the Channel 4 Best New Director prize.

Edith Walks marks an evolving partnership between Kotting and Sinclair.

They worked together on the film Swandown, which saw them navigating their way from the beach at Hastings to Hackney in a swan pedalo, and more recently on By Ourselves, which followed the walk by country poet John Clare from an asylum in Epping Forest back to his native Northamptonshire.

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Commenting on Edith Walks, Andrew said: “Talking about his latest venture Andrew explained: “It started off as a very small project commissioned by the Root 1066 festival last year.

Ian became involved and insisted we walk from Waltham Abbey 104 miles back to the statue in St Leonards.”

Waltham Abbey is where King Harold is alleged to have been given a Christian burial. Edith is remembered in history and folklore chiefly for identifying Harold’s body after the Battle of Hastings.

To book in advance for Sunday’s event go to www.electricpalacecinema.com/whats-on/edith-walks-amp-forgotten-the-queen.