The Good Humour Club met weekly in a York tavern from 1725 until c1770 and kept two minute books. These showed a fascinating glimpse into the leisure time of eighteenth-century York gentlemen and the reception of one of Laurence Sterne’s most controversial novels, 'The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.’ 2013 marked the 300th anniversary of the Georgian author’s birth. To celebrate, the Laurence Sterne Trust recruited volunteers to explore and conserve the two books, one of which had been bought by the trust with a previous HLF grant, and share their hidden stories with others.

Working with York Museum Trust, lively exhibitions and learning workshops introduced the characters to 70,000 visitors at Shandy Hall and Yorkshire libraries. School sessions helped 800 children to write with a quill and ink and form their own heritage clubs and house rules.  A radio drama and 21st Century good humour club, with comedy performances throughout the city, brought the characters to life for a modern audience. The stories lived on after the project ended through a website displaying complete digitised versions of the exhibition, radio play, and minute book, and an interactive heritage trail app which overlaid the key locations from the 18th Century books onto the modern day city.

For further information, visit the Good Humour Club website.