Chiswick Book Festival strengthens links in the Borough of Ealing

Agatha Christie in 1912; books by Cathy Rentzenbrink and Sophie Hannah

Ealing connections …

Agatha Christie spent much of her early life in Ealing – a good west London pub quiz fact if ever there was one.

This year’s Chiswick Book Festival will be celebrating the great crime writer, 50 years after her death, with authors Cathy Rentzenbrink (The Agatha Christie Cure) and Sophie Hannah (The Last Death of the Year: A Hercule Poirot Mystery) who will examine her enduring appeal.

Tickets: Agatha Christie’s enduring appeal

The Chiswick Book Festival, now in its 18th year, grew out of the Ealing Literary Festival, which took place in Chiswick in 2007 and 2008. Ealing’s festival returned in the form of the Ealing Book Festival in 2024, supported by its sister festival in Chiswick which has grown up in the meantime.

Chiswick’s festival director Torin Douglas is keen to grow the links between the two. Read Easy Ealing as one of the four reading and community charities Chiswick Book Festival supports. It has raised a total of £170,000 for charities since the first Festival in 2009.

Alex Gerlis; Jane Thynne and Charles Cumming with their books

St Benedict’s School becomes a sponsor

This year St Benedict’s School in Ealing is to partner with the Chiswick Book Festival, following its successful sponsorship of the Ealing Book Festival.

St Benedict’s will sponsor the ‘Double Cross, Double Bill: Spies in Fact & Fiction’ sessions on Saturday afternoon, 12 September, in which Ealing author Alex Gerlis will interview fellow spy novelists Charles Cumming and Jane Thynne.

Tickets: Double Cross, Double Bill: Spies in Fact & Fiction

Torin said: “We’re delighted that St Benedict’s is further strengthening our Ealing links by becoming one of our Diamond Partners. A third of Chiswick’s homes lie in the Borough of Ealing and for several years we held our own events with Gunnersbury, Pitzhanger Manor and the University of West London until Ealing set up its own book festival again.”

St Benedict’s follows in the footsteps of the University of West London, which has sponsored the Chiswick Book Festival since 2017.

Dina Potier, PR & Communications Manager for St Benedict’s, said:

“As a school with a strong commitment to literacy, reading and the arts, we are keen to support initiatives that promote a love of books and learning within the local and wider community. Events such as Chiswick Book Festival play an important role in bringing families together, inspiring young readers and fostering engagement with literature across all ages.

“Our partnership with the highly successful Ealing Book Festival has been enormously valuable in strengthening community connections and celebrating the importance of reading and the written word – and we are delighted to extend this to the Chiswick Book Festival.”

Tony Palmer; All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music; Sue Elliott; Trent Park House: A Century of Secrets

Book Festival starts Wednesday 9 September

Other Ealing authors speaking at this year’s Chiswick Book Festival include the acclaimed film-maker Tony Palmer, director of the 17-part TV documentary series All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music, and historian Sue Elliott, whose latest book Trent Park House: A Century of Secrets tells the story of the country house in Enfield which opened to the public as a museum in July.

The Chiswick Book Festival brings together many of the country’s top authors and their readers in aid of charities. The 18th Festival will open on Wednesday 9 September with the Local Authors Showcase at the George IV pub, followed by the Chiswick House evening and a wide range of speakers at other venues.

READ ALSO: Interview with Kate Mosse, appearing at the Chiswick Book Festival 2026

READ ALSO: Lineup of authors announced for Chiswick Book Festival 2026 Local Authors Showcase

On Thursday, Tony Palmer will be one of the Beatles experts speaking in a panel session at Chiswick House & Gardens, marking 60 years since the band filmed its Paperback Writer music video in the grounds there.

READ ALSO: Guy Fairbank traces Chiswick’s rock and roll history for the Book Festival

The St Benedict’s events take place on the main festival weekend in St Michael & All Angels Church, near Turnham Green tube station. The Festival closes on Monday14  September at Hogarth’s House.