The Essay - Free Thinking 2010 - New Histories of the North East - Old Religion, New Ideas

The first of a series of Essays that offer five new perspectives on the history of North East England - all recorded in front of an audience at BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking festival 2010. Writer Sara Maitland, author of The Book of Silence, devotes much of her life to solitude and prayer. She looks back at the history of religious life in the North East. Unlike Southern England, the region was Christianised from the Celtic tradition of Iona, not continental Europe. This heritage has deeply informed both the landscape and the history of the area - from Lindisfarne to the Prince Bishops. Sara Maitland asks: are there lessons we can take from that life to help us to navigate the modern world? Producer: Allegra McIlroy.