\n Sir John Barrow Primary School in Ulverston will host a screening of\u00a0Voyage East, a documentary retracing the travels of the town hero Sir John Barrow.\n<\/p>\n
\n The event, which will take audiences back in time, will be hosted at 7.30pm on June 19.\n<\/p>\n
\n John Barrow portrait (Image: Steve Wharton)\n<\/p>\n
\n Sir John joined Britain\u2019s first trade embassy to the Far East where he learned Chinese and observed daily life at the Imperial Palace.\n<\/p>\n
\n Steve Wharton, the Ulverston filmmaker behind the project, retraced his journey through Vietnam and eastern China in 2025.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: “It\u2019s exciting to know I have stood in the same places as John Barrow did, thousands of miles from home and separated by over two centuries.\n<\/p>\n
\n Steve Wharton at Sir John Barrow Cottage, Ulverston (Image: Steve Wharton)\n<\/p>\n
\n “It\u2019s fulfilling to bring the film highlighting his achievements back to our hometown to inspire others to be curious about his life and interests.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I really hope this can be the start of regular celebrations to honour the Ulverston lad who became the father of modern polar exploration and founder of the Royal Geographic Society.”\n<\/p>\n
\n A Mandarin in his Court Dress by William Alexander (Image: Steve Wharton)\n<\/p>\n
\n Mr Wharton\u2019s documentary offers a window on modern China and is supported by other exhibitions across the town.\n<\/p>\n
\n A mural in the town centre by artist Gill Barron illustrates key moments from Sir John\u2019s life, while the Hoad Hill monument\u2014now open to visitors\u2014lists the polar explorers he dispatched on their missions.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ulverston\u2019s Cottage Museum is also hosting Faces of Xinjiang, another exhibition by Mr Wharton.\n<\/p>\n
\n Steve Wharton at Palace Museum, Beijing (Image: Steve Wharton)\n<\/p>\n
\n It documents his travels along the Silk Road during his time teaching in western China in 2011.\n<\/p>\n
\n The museum is open Fridays from 10am to 2pm and Sundays from 1pm to 5pm.\n<\/p>\n
\n Free tickets for the film screening can be booked at www.tinyurl.com\/sjbfilm.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n