A BOOK festival that attracted JK Rowling, Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith is almost certain never to return.
The Lennoxlove book festival in Haddington, East Lothian, has been cancelled for the second year running after Lennoxlove House stopped operating as a venue.
The event had run since 2009, but was cancelled last year after the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton made Lennoxlove House their family home.
A spokeswoman for the festival’s organisers said: “After considerable deliberation Lennoxlove Book Festival definitely won’t be returning, following the change of status at Lennoxlove House, which has ceased to operate as a venue.
“The other commitments of the festival organisers means that future plans for an alternative to Lennoxlove Book Festival are on hold for the forseeable future.”
Sad
Councillor John McMillan, East Lothian Council’s development spokesman, said it was a “sad blow” for Scotland.
He said: “It was a great venue and some real headline authors appeared, so it is sad. It is a sad blow for not only the county but for Scotland.
“We have had a few offers of people looking to replace it and we would certainly work with anybody looking to run a festival like that at Cockenzie and CoastWord (a similar festival in Dunbar).”
