The Noah to Now project traces these ‘water marks’ that flooding leaves on East Coast literature across time, moving from late medieval plays and poems to today’s eco-poetry and climate fiction. The project is interested in past literature and past floods, but its performance of Britten’s Noyes Fludde also makes clear the continued relevance of these flood stories to the East Coast communities with whom we work. These are communities with experiences and memories of recent flooding, from the flooding that affected parts of Lincolnshire in January 2025, to the devastating 2007 floods in Hull, which saw over 10,000 homes damaged by flood water.
Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, our work is therefore shining an important light on the role the arts and humanities can play in educating and engaging schools and wider communities with the topic of flooding. The project is working with five primary schools across Hull and North-East Lincolnshire: Laceby Acres Academy (Grimsby), Mersey Primary Academy (Hull), Pilgrim Academy (Immingham), Stepney Primary School (Hull), and Wybers Wood Academy (Grimsby).
Benjamin Britten’s Noyes Fludde will be performed at Grimsby Minster on 24 March 2025, and at Hull Minster on 26 March 2025. Both performances are ticketed, but free to attend. To reserve tickets, please visit our separate Eventbrite pages for the Grimsby Minster and Hull Minster performances.
Stewart Mottram is Professor of Literature and Environment at the University of Hull and Project Lead for the Arts and Humanities Research Council project, ‘From Noah to Now: A Cultural History of Flooding in English Coastal and Estuary Communities’ (AH/Y004779/1).
Edward Brookes is a Research Fellow at the University of Hull with research specialisms in cultural geography, arts engagement and the environmental humanities. This includes working as part of the research team for the AHRC-funded ‘From Noah to Now’ and ‘Risky Cities’ projects.
Lisa J Coates is a freelance singer, writer and theatre maker, and Creative Director for 'From Noah to Now', producing and directing Britten’s Noye's Fludde.