Joan and Peter: The story of an education

In the bright summer of 1893, a newborn cry breaks the quiet of a Sussex garden, announcing the arrival of Peter. His parents, a modern, forward‑thinking couple, watch him with a mixture of awe and anxiety, already imagining the future they hope to craft for him. The narrative opens with vivid scenes of the nursery—sunlit rooms, cheerful wallpaper, and a gentle, watchful nurse—setting a tone of both tenderness and expectation. From the first moments, the story hints at the weight of family legacy and the desire to shape a child's character.

As Peter grows, his household becomes a laboratory for new ideas about education, religion, and social responsibility. The family’s Quaker‑Wesleyan roots clash with their ambition to break from tradition, prompting experiments in learning, moral development, and the balance between freedom and discipline. Through Peter’s early years, the book explores how love, hope, and the pressures of a prosperous industrial lineage intertwine. Listeners are invited to witness the delicate dance between a child's innocence and the grand designs of those who raise him.