What makes Falmouth so distinctive, and what should we hold on to as the town continues to change? In this special book festival conversation, three people with very different relationships to the town come together to explore its past, present and future.
Falmouth's history is inseparable from the sea. From its rapid rise as a great maritime port to its present-day identity as a working harbour, university town and creative centre, the town has always been shaped by the water around it.
Writer Philip Marsden, whose celebrated book The Levelling Sea explores the town’s extraordinary maritime history, is joined by BBC TV presenter and naturalist Gillian Burke and Matt Slater of Cornwall Wildlife Trust for a wide-ranging conversation about Falmouth past, present and future.
Together, with Falmouth-based artist and writer Helen Trevaskis steering the conversation, they will explore the town’s fierce independence, its relationship with the natural world, the harbour and marine environment, and what it means to live in Falmouth today. What has been gained as the town has changed, what do we value most about it now, and what do we want for its future? The audience will be invited to bring their own experiences and reflections into the conversation too.
About Philip Marsden
Author of The Levelling Sea
Philip Marsden is an award-winning author of travel, history and fiction whose work explores place, landscape and our relationship with the natural world.
His books include The Levelling Sea, which tells the story of Falmouth’s extraordinary rise as a maritime port, Rising Ground, The Summer Isles and, most recently, Under a Metal Sky, published by Granta in 2025.
His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and lives on the Roseland Penisula with his family and several small boats.
About Gillian Burke
BBC Presenter, biologist and naturalist
Gillian Burke is a biologist, broadcaster and naturalist, best known as a presenter of the BBC’s Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch programmes. She has also presented Blue Planet UK and worked for many years behind the camera as a natural-history producer and director.
A biology graduate of the University of Bristol, Gillian is drawn to stories about our relationship with the natural world and the recurring themes of wonder, struggle, survival and hope. She is also a Vice President of The Wildlife Trusts and now lives in Falmouth.
Her first book for children, You Are Nature, Too, was published by Walker Books in 2026.
About Matt Slater
Marine Conservation Officer, Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Matt Slater is a marine biologist who grew up in Falmouth and has spent much of his life on and under the water. He has worked as a fisherman, sailing instructor and aquarium manager and is now Marine Conservation Officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust where his
work ranges from marine wildlife recording to citizen science and seafood sustainability.
He coordinates Cornwall’s Seasearch and Shoresearch projects and works on the Cornwall Good Seafood Guide, helping people understand the close relationship between coastal communities and the marine environment. In 2022 he received a National Biodiversity Network award for his contribution to marine wildlife recording
