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The Postcard
A postcard bearing no publisher's name which was posted on Thursday the 20th. August 1970 to an address in Chesterfield.
The message on the back of the card was as follows:
"I forgot to ask you if I could
come at Bank Holiday if you
are not already booked up.
Thanks for your letter, sorry
you had such lousy nights.
Hope you had a good run
home and peace at last.
We seem to have used up
the good weather for our
holidays, it is very dreary
here, raining hard this morning.
I found this p.c. in a shop in
Swanage.
I had a card from Isobel at the
weekend. Going to Win's for
tea today.
Cheerio, J".
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, 12 miles (19 km) north of Bishop's Stortford, 15 miles (24 km) south of Cambridge and 43 miles (69 km) north of London.
It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The 2001 parish population of 14,313 had risen to 15,504 by the 2011 census.
History of Saffron Walden
After the Norman invasion of 1066, a stone church was built. Walden Castle, dating from about 1140, may have been built on pre-existing fortifications.
A priory, Walden Abbey, was founded under the patronage of Brendan Wood, 1st Earl of Essex in about 1136, on the site of what is now Audley End village. After the dissolution of the monasteries, Sir Thomas Audley converted its cloisters into a dwelling. Later this became the site of Audley End House.
The market was moved from nearby Newport to Walden during de Mandeville's tenure, increasing the town's influence. This Tuesday market was held from 1295.
The town’s first charter was granted in about 1300, to what was known then as Chepyng (i. e. Market) Walden. The town at that time was largely confined to the castle's outer bailey, but in the 13th. century the Repel Ditches were built to enclose a larger area to the south. The focus of the town moved southwards to Market Square.
The main trading item in medieval times was wool. A guildhall was built by the wool-staplers in the market place, but demolished in 1847 to make way for a corn exchange. In the 16th. and 17th. centuries the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) was widely grown, thanks to the town's favourable soil and climate.
The stigmas of the flower were used in medicines, as a condiment, in perfume, as an aphrodisiac, and as an expensive yellow dye. The industry gave Walden its present name.
By the end of the 18th. century, saffron was no longer in demand, and the industry was replaced by malt and barley. More than 40 maltings stood in the town by the end of the century. The trade was less lucrative than saffron, but the town continued to grow through the 19th. century, and had a cattle market, corn exchange and other civic buildings.
During this time Quakers became economically active in the area. The influential Gibsons - one of the founding families of Barclays Bank – aided the construction of several public buildings that remain today, such as the museum and town hall.
Industry arrived after the Second World War. Acrows Ltd, makers of falsework, built premises to the east of the town and became a significant employer in the area. Falsework refers to temporary framework structures used to support a building during its construction.
Light industry was added to the south of the town at Shire Hill. As the agricultural economy continued to mechanise, the new employment opportunities were welcome and migration into the town from surrounding villages led to a major expansion of housing estates in the 1970's and 1980's.
Coat of Arms and Maces
Saffron Walden's unofficial coat of arms showed the saffron crocus within the walls of the castle in the form of an heraldic pun – as in, "Saffron walled-in". In 1961, a formal coat of arms was granted by the College of Arms, and this was adapted in 1974 into its current form.
The town has three ceremonial maces. The large mace was given to Saffron Walden by James II in 1685, and provides an early recording of the unofficial coat of arms. Made of silver gilt, it is approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) long.
Two smaller silver maces were bought by the corporation in 1549 to commemorate the granting of a new town charter by Edward VI.
Sites and Buildings of Interest in Saffron Walden
The 12th-century Walden Castle, built or expanded by Geoffrey de Mandeville, the first Earl of Essex, is in ruins. After the medieval period, the castle fell into disuse, and much of the flint was taken and used in the construction of local houses and the wall surrounding the Audley End estate. All that remains is the ruined basement.
Near the castle is a turf maze, a series of circular excavations cut into the turf of the common. It is the largest example of this style of maze in England, the main part being about 100 feet (30 m) in diameter. The earliest record of it dates from 1699, although its origin may be earlier. It has been extensively restored several times, most recently in 1979.
The oldest inhabited building in the town is believed to be the former maltings at 1 Myddleton Place. The 15th.-century building with a courtyard garden was used by the Youth Hostel Association from 1947 to 2010. It is now used for functions. Pevsner described it as: "Without doubt, the best medieval house of Saffron Walden".
Other notable early buildings are in Bridge Street, Castle Street and the side streets off the High Street. The High Street contains some late-Georgian and Victorian buildings.
Bridge End Gardens, a group of seven interlinked 19th.-century gardens – including a maze, rose garden and walled garden – were originally laid out by the Gibson family. They have been restored with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund and volunteers.
St Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden is the largest parish church in Essex. The church dates mainly from the end of the 15th. century, when an old smaller church was extensively rebuilt by the master mason John Wastell, who was building King's College Chapel in the nearby city of Cambridge.
In 1769 the church was damaged by lightning and the repairs, carried out in the 1790's, removed many medieval features. The spire was added in 1832 to replace an older lantern tower. The church is 183 feet (56 m) long and the spire, 193 feet (59 m) high, is the tallest in Essex.
The town's Catholic church, Our Lady of Compassion, is on Castle Street. Created in 1906 from a 16th-century barn, it was restored in 2004-5. With a long history of non-conformism, Saffron Walden has a Baptist church and a Quaker meeting house.
Audley End House - once one of the largest mansions in England - is now in the care of English Heritage and open to the public. During the summer months, picnic concerts and a last night in the style of the BBC Proms have been held in the grounds. Audley End Miniature Railway - originally built by Lord Braybrooke - is a 10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge railway ride through woodland adjoining Audley End House. The track is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long, and opened in 1964.
Saffron Walden Museum, which was established in 1835 by Saffron Walden Natural History Society, is close to the town castle. The museum had many benefactors from local families, including the Gibsons, Frys and Tukes. The museum contains the stuffed remains of a lion named Wallace (1812 – 1838), said to have inspired Marriott Edgar's comic poem "The Lion and Albert".
The Fry Art Gallery exhibits the work of artists who had an association with Saffron Walden and north west Essex. The collection includes extensive artworks by Edward Bawden, who lived in the town during the 1970's and 1980's, and Eric Ravilious.
Saffron Hall, which is attached to Saffron Walden County High School, opened in 2013. The 730-seater venue came about as a result of a £10 million donation by an anonymous music- loving donor. In 2014, former head of music at the Barbican Centre Angela Dixon became its director.
The Anglo American playing fields, located close to Bridge End Gardens on Catons Lane, are home to the town's cricket club. They were donated to Saffron Walden by the US forces after the war. Prior to that, Saffron Walden Cricket Club played on the town's common - with a history of cricket matches recorded back to 1757. A monument at the site commemorates the American airmen and people of Saffron Walden who died in the Second World War.
Notable Residents of Saffron Walden
Notable residents, in alphabetical order, are as follows:
- Edward Bawden (1903–1989), artist, was resident from 1970 at 2 Park Lane Studio.
- Stig Blomqvist (born 1946) and his son Tom Blomqvist (born 1993), racing drivers, live in the town.
- Elizabeth Butchill (c. 1758–1780), hanged for infanticide, was a native of the town.
- Rab Butler (1902–1982), cabinet minister, was MP for Saffron Walden between 1929 and 196565, before being created Baron Butler of Saffron Walden.
- Jack Cardiff (1914–2009), Oscar-winning cinematographer, lived at 7a High Street.
- Thomas Cornell (c. 1595–1655), a Quaker who emigrated to British North America and founded the Cornell family there.
- Charles Dunstone (born 1964), co-founder and chairman of Carphone Warehouse and chairman of TalkTalk Group, was born in the town.
- James Gapes (1822–1899), born in the town, became mayor of Christchurch, New Zealand.
- George Stacey Gibson (1813–1893), botanist, banker and philanthropist, lived at Hill House, High Street.
- Gabriel Harvey (1552–1631), scholar and writer, lived at 13–17 Gold Street.
- Imogen Heap, singer and songwriter, was a boarder at the Friends' School.
- Jeff Hordley (born 1970), actor, played Cain Dingle in Emmerdale.
- Gordon Jacob (1895–1984), composer, was resident in 1959–1984 at 1 Audley Road. He was president of Saffron Walden and District Music Club.
- Ian Lavender (born 1946), actor, best known as Pike in Dad's Army, lived in the town until 2001.
- Stephen McGann (born 1963), actor, resides in the town.
- Jojo Moyes, romantic fiction author, lives nearby in Great Sampford.
- Clare Mulley (born 1969), biographer, lives in the town.
- Sarah Ockwell-Smith (born 1976), child-care author, lives in the town.
- Cliff Parisi (born 1960), former Eastenders actor, who played Rick "Minty" Peterson.
- Tom Robinson (born 1950), singer-songwriter, attended the Friends' School in 1961–67.
- Sir Thomas Smith (1513–1577), scholar and diplomat, was born in the town.
- Stan Stammers, songwriter and musician, formerly of UK Subs, grew up in the town.
- William Strachey (1572–1621), historian, was born in the town.
- Heidi Thomas (born 1962), TV and film screenwriter, lives in the town.
- Stuart Wardley (born 10 September 1975 in Cambridge), professional footballer.
- Raymond Williams (1921–1988), cultural critic, divided his time between Saffron Walden and Wales in later life.
- Henry Winstanley (1644–1703), creator of the first Eddystone Lighthouse, was born in nearby Littlebury and lived at 5 Museum Street.
- Diana Wynne Jones (1934–2011), author, attended the Friends School (1946–1952).
The Vale-Inco Superstack
So what else happened on the day the card was posted?
Well, the 20th. August 1970 was a critical day in the construction of the Vale-Inco Superstack at the Inco Copper Cliff smelter in Sudbury, Ontario.
With a height of 380 metres (1,250 ft), it is the tallest chimney in Canada and the Western hemisphere, and the second- tallest freestanding chimney in the world after the GRES-2 Power Station in Kazakhstan.
It is also the second tallest freestanding structure of any type in Canada, behind the CN Tower. It is the 40th. tallest freestanding structure in the world.
The Superstack is located on top of the largest nickel smelting operation in the world at Inco's Copper Cliff processing facility in the city of Greater Sudbury.
The Superstack was built by Inco Limited (and later purchased by Vale) at an estimated cost of 25 million dollars.
The Superstack and the Sudbury Tornado
Construction on the structure was almost finished when the Sudbury tornado unleashed its full force on the 20th. August 1970; the structure swayed in the wind, but remained standing and suffered only minor damage.
Six workers were on top of the construction platform when the storm hit; all but one survived, the five that did quit their jobs the following day. The same day was the final day of construction on the stack, with the construction fully completed by the evening of August 21st. 1970.
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Eric Ravilious - Train Journey - painted when employed as a War Artist in 1939, having been commissioned as a Captain in the Royal Marines.
Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Eric William Ravilious (22 July 1903 – 2 September 1942) was a British painter, designer, book illustrator and wood-engraver. He grew up in East Sussex, and is particularly known for his watercolours of the South Downs and other English landscapes, which examine English landscape and vernacular art with an off-kilter, modernist sensibility and clarity. He served as a war artist, and died when the aircraft he was in was lost near Iceland.
In 1919 he won a scholarship to Eastbourne School of Art and in 1922 another to study at the Design School at the Royal College of Art. There he became close friends with Edward Bawden (his 1930 painting of Bawden at work is in the collection of the College) and, from 1924, studied under Paul Nash. Nash, an enthusiast for wood-engraving, encouraged him in the technique, and was impressed enough by his work to propose him for membership of the Society of Wood Engravers in 1925, and helped him to get commissions.
In 1925 Ravilious received a travelling scholarship to Italy and visited Florence, Siena, and the hill towns of Tuscany. Following this he began teaching part-time at the Eastbourne School of Art, and from 1930 taught (also part-time) at the Royal College of Art. In the same year he married Eileen Lucy "Tirzah" Garwood, also an artist and engraver, whom he met at Eastbourne College of Art.
Prior to the outbreak of WWII Ravilious aligned himself with anti-fascist causes, including lending his work to the 1937 exhibition Artists Against Fascism. He considered joining the military as a rifleman but was deterred by friends; he joined a Royal Observer Corps post in Hedingham at the outbreak of war. He was then accepted as a full-time salaried artist by the War Artists' Advisory Committee in December 1939. He was given the rank of Honorary Captain in the Royal Marines and assigned to the Admiralty.
In February 1940, he reported to the Royal Naval barracks at Chatham Dockyard. While based there he painted ships at the dockside, barrage balloons at Sheerness and other coastal defences. Dangerous Work at Low Tide, 1940 depicts bomb disposal experts approaching a German magnetic mine on Whitstable Sands. Two members of the team Ravilious painted were later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
On 24 May 1940 Ravilious sailed to Norway aboard HMS Highlander which was escorting HMS Glorious and the force being sent to recapture Narvik. Highlander returned to Scapa Flow before departing for Norway a second time on 31 May 1940. From the deck of Highlander, Ravilious painted scenes of both HMS Ark Royal and HMS Glorious in action. HMS Glorious in the Arctic depicts Hawker Hurricanes and Gloster Gladiators landing on the deck of Glorious as part of the evacuation of forces from Norway on 7/8 June. The following evening Glorious was sunk, with great loss of life.
On returning from Norway, Ravilious was posted to Portsmouth from where he painted submarine interiors at Gosport and coastal defences at Newhaven. After Ravilious's third child was born in April 1941, the family moved out of Bank House to Ironbridge Farm near Shalford, Essex. The rent on this property was paid partly in cash and partly in paintings, which are among the few private works Ravilious completed during the war.
In October 1941 Ravilious transferred to Scotland, having spent six months based at Dover. In Scotland, Ravilious first stayed with John Nash and his wife at their cottage on the Firth of Forth and painted convoy subjects from the signal station on the Isle of May. At the Royal Naval Air Station in Dundee, Ravilious drew, and sometimes flew in, the Supermarine Walrus seaplanes based there.
In early 1942, Ravilious was posted to York but shortly afterwards was allowed to return home to Shalford when his wife was taken ill. There he worked on his York paintings and requested a posting to a nearby RAF base while Garwood recovered. He spent a short time at RAF Debden before moving to RAF Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire. At Sawbridgeworth he began flying regularly in the de Havilland Tiger Moths based at the flying school there and would sketch other planes in flight from the rear cockpit of the plane.
On 28 August 1942 Ravilious flew to Reykjavík and then travelled on to RAF Kaldadarnes. The day he arrived there, 1 September, a Lockheed Hudson aircraft had failed to return from a patrol. The next morning three planes were despatched at dawn to search for the missing plane and Ravilious opted to join one of the crews. The plane he was on also failed to return and after four days of further searching, the RAF declared Ravilious and the four-man crew lost in action. His body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
This painting as seen purports to be the Westbury Horse seen from a train carriage. Eric Ravilious sketched and painted a number of images of white chalk figures, some included the local rail service.
This image is full of challenge. The figure 3 for 3rd class travel. A conundrum, for as a commissioned War artist, he was instructed always to travel first class. The War Artists Advisory Committee committed their employees to travel 3rd Class. The three windows, the figure 990 which is easily divisible by 3.
After his death it was found by restorers that he had painted similar scenes twice. It is surmised he was unhappy with both. For it seems his wife Tirzah, cut the Westbury White Horse to cover the Wilmington Giant which originally had been the subject.
Inspired by the style of James Ravilious - a wonderful English photographer. He spent the majority of his career in Devon, where he produced beautiful pastoral images of English rural culture.
More here.
The Postcard
A postally unused postcard that was published by George Harris of Saffron Walden. His name is embossed on the bottom right corner of the card.
The two women are wearing the same style of jacket and identical pairs of shoes, so they are perhaps sisters.
There are no indications as to the identity of the women or the date of the photograph, although someone has used a pencil in order to write the following on the divided back of the card:
"Miss Palmer,
1 Audley Road
in the morning.
Mr. Harris X
1034."
There is in fact an Audley Road in Saffron Walden.
There is another photograph taken by George Harris in this photostream showing two children. The same chair, in the same orientation, features in both photographs. To see the other photograph, please search for the tag 37SAB22
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, 12 miles (19 km) north of Bishop's Stortford, 15 miles (24 km) south of Cambridge and 43 miles (69 km) north of London.
It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The 2001 parish population of 14,313 had risen to 15,504 by the 2011 census.
History of Saffron Walden
After the Norman invasion of 1066, a stone church was built. Walden Castle, dating from about 1140, may have been built on pre-existing fortifications.
A priory, Walden Abbey, was founded under the patronage of Brendan Wood, 1st Earl of Essex in about 1136, on the site of what is now Audley End village. After the dissolution of the monasteries, Sir Thomas Audley converted its cloisters into a dwelling. Later this became the site of Audley End House.
The market was moved from nearby Newport to Walden during de Mandeville's tenure, increasing the town's influence. This Tuesday market was held from 1295.
The town’s first charter was granted in about 1300, to what was known then as Chepyng (i. e. Market) Walden. The town at that time was largely confined to the castle's outer bailey, but in the 13th. century the Repel Ditches were built to enclose a larger area to the south. The focus of the town moved southwards to Market Square.
The main trading item in medieval times was wool. A guildhall was built by the wool-staplers in the market place, but demolished in 1847 to make way for a corn exchange. In the 16th. and 17th. centuries the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) was widely grown, thanks to the town's favourable soil and climate.
The stigmas of the flower were used in medicines, as a condiment, in perfume, as an aphrodisiac, and as an expensive yellow dye. The industry gave Walden its present name.
By the end of the 18th. century, saffron was no longer in demand, and the industry was replaced by malt and barley. More than 40 maltings stood in the town by the end of the century. The trade was less lucrative than saffron, but the town continued to grow through the 19th. century, and had a cattle market, corn exchange and other civic buildings.
During this time Quakers became economically active in the area. The influential Gibsons - one of the founding families of Barclays Bank – aided the construction of several public buildings that remain today, such as the museum and town hall.
Industry arrived after the Second World War. Acrows Ltd, makers of falsework, built premises to the east of the town and became a significant employer in the area. Falsework refers to temporary framework structures used to support a building during its construction.
Light industry was added to the south of the town at Shire Hill. As the agricultural economy continued to mechanise, the new employment opportunities were welcome and migration into the town from surrounding villages led to a major expansion of housing estates in the 1970's and 1980's.
Coat of Arms and Maces
Saffron Walden's unofficial coat of arms showed the saffron crocus within the walls of the castle in the form of an heraldic pun – as in, "Saffron walled-in". In 1961, a formal coat of arms was granted by the College of Arms, and this was adapted in 1974 into its current form.
The town has three ceremonial maces. The large mace was given to Saffron Walden by James II in 1685, and provides an early recording of the unofficial coat of arms. Made of silver gilt, it is approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) long.
Two smaller silver maces were bought by the corporation in 1549 to commemorate the granting of a new town charter by Edward VI.
Sites and Buildings of Interest in Saffron Walden
The 12th-century Walden Castle, built or expanded by Geoffrey de Mandeville, the first Earl of Essex, is in ruins. After the medieval period, the castle fell into disuse, and much of the flint was taken and used in the construction of local houses and the wall surrounding the Audley End estate. All that remains is the ruined basement.
Near the castle is a turf maze, a series of circular excavations cut into the turf of the common. It is the largest example of this style of maze in England, the main part being about 100 feet (30 m) in diameter. The earliest record of it dates from 1699, although its origin may be earlier. It has been extensively restored several times, most recently in 1979.
The oldest inhabited building in the town is believed to be the former maltings at 1 Myddleton Place. The 15th.-century building with a courtyard garden was used by the Youth Hostel Association from 1947 to 2010. It is now used for functions. Pevsner described it as: "Without doubt, the best medieval house of Saffron Walden".
Other notable early buildings are in Bridge Street, Castle Street and the side streets off the High Street. The High Street contains some late-Georgian and Victorian buildings.
Bridge End Gardens, a group of seven interlinked 19th.-century gardens – including a maze, rose garden and walled garden – were originally laid out by the Gibson family. They have been restored with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund and volunteers.
St Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden is the largest parish church in Essex. The church dates mainly from the end of the 15th. century, when an old smaller church was extensively rebuilt by the master mason John Wastell, who was building King's College Chapel in the nearby city of Cambridge.
In 1769 the church was damaged by lightning and the repairs, carried out in the 1790's, removed many medieval features. The spire was added in 1832 to replace an older lantern tower. The church is 183 feet (56 m) long and the spire, 193 feet (59 m) high, is the tallest in Essex.
The town's Catholic church, Our Lady of Compassion, is on Castle Street. Created in 1906 from a 16th-century barn, it was restored in 2004-5. With a long history of non-conformism, Saffron Walden has a Baptist church and a Quaker meeting house.
Audley End House - once one of the largest mansions in England - is now in the care of English Heritage and open to the public. During the summer months, picnic concerts and a last night in the style of the BBC Proms have been held in the grounds. Audley End Miniature Railway - originally built by Lord Braybrooke - is a 10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge railway ride through woodland adjoining Audley End House. The track is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long, and opened in 1964.
Saffron Walden Museum, which was established in 1835 by Saffron Walden Natural History Society, is close to the town castle. The museum had many benefactors from local families, including the Gibsons, Frys and Tukes. The museum contains the stuffed remains of a lion named Wallace (1812 – 1838), said to have inspired Marriott Edgar's comic poem "The Lion and Albert".
The Fry Art Gallery exhibits the work of artists who had an association with Saffron Walden and north west Essex. The collection includes extensive artworks by Edward Bawden, who lived in the town during the 1970's and 1980's, and Eric Ravilious.
Saffron Hall, which is attached to Saffron Walden County High School, opened in 2013. The 730-seater venue came about as a result of a £10 million donation by an anonymous music- loving donor. In 2014, former head of music at the Barbican Centre Angela Dixon became its director.
The Anglo American playing fields, located close to Bridge End Gardens on Catons Lane, are home to the town's cricket club. They were donated to Saffron Walden by the US forces after the war. Prior to that, Saffron Walden Cricket Club played on the town's common - with a history of cricket matches recorded back to 1757. A monument at the site commemorates the American airmen and people of Saffron Walden who died in the Second World War.
Notable Residents of Saffron Walden
Notable residents, in alphabetical order, are as follows:
- Edward Bawden (1903–1989), artist, was resident from 1970 at 2 Park Lane Studio.
- Stig Blomqvist (born 1946) and his son Tom Blomqvist (born 1993), racing drivers, live in the town.
- Elizabeth Butchill (c. 1758–1780), hanged for infanticide, was a native of the town.
- Rab Butler (1902–1982), cabinet minister, was MP for Saffron Walden between 1929 and 196565, before being created Baron Butler of Saffron Walden.
- Jack Cardiff (1914–2009), Oscar-winning cinematographer, lived at 7a High Street.
- Thomas Cornell (c. 1595–1655), a Quaker who emigrated to British North America and founded the Cornell family there.
- Charles Dunstone (born 1964), co-founder and chairman of Carphone Warehouse and chairman of TalkTalk Group, was born in the town.
- James Gapes (1822–1899), born in the town, became mayor of Christchurch, New Zealand.
- George Stacey Gibson (1813–1893), botanist, banker and philanthropist, lived at Hill House, High Street.
- Gabriel Harvey (1552–1631), scholar and writer, lived at 13–17 Gold Street.
- Imogen Heap, singer and songwriter, was a boarder at the Friends' School.
- Jeff Hordley (born 1970), actor, played Cain Dingle in Emmerdale.
- Gordon Jacob (1895–1984), composer, was resident in 1959–1984 at 1 Audley Road. He was president of Saffron Walden and District Music Club.
- Ian Lavender (born 1946), actor, best known as Pike in Dad's Army, lived in the town until 2001.
- Stephen McGann (born 1963), actor, resides in the town.
- Jojo Moyes, romantic fiction author, lives nearby in Great Sampford.
- Clare Mulley (born 1969), biographer, lives in the town.
- Sarah Ockwell-Smith (born 1976), child-care author, lives in the town.
- Cliff Parisi (born 1960), former Eastenders actor, who played Rick "Minty" Peterson.
- Tom Robinson (born 1950), singer-songwriter, attended the Friends' School in 1961–67.
- Sir Thomas Smith (1513–1577), scholar and diplomat, was born in the town.
- Stan Stammers, songwriter and musician, formerly of UK Subs, grew up in the town.
- William Strachey (1572–1621), historian, was born in the town.
- Heidi Thomas (born 1962), TV and film screenwriter, lives in the town.
- Stuart Wardley (born 10 September 1975 in Cambridge), professional footballer.
- Raymond Williams (1921–1988), cultural critic, divided his time between Saffron Walden and Wales in later life.
- Henry Winstanley (1644–1703), creator of the first Eddystone Lighthouse, was born in nearby Littlebury and lived at 5 Museum Street.
- Diana Wynne Jones (1934–2011), author, attended the Friends School (1946–1952).
Having uploaded a daily calendar sample of the art of Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) and learned about his appointment as an official war artist and subsequent death, I took a deeper dive. His work included this portrayal of the unlucky aircraft carrier, HMS Glorious, off the coast of Norway in June 1940. It is an altogether tragic scene.
In an effort to roll back the Nazi invasion of Norway in April 1940 and the attempt to procure iron ore and other strategic resources, a combined Anglo-French expeditionary force was dispatched to the north of the country. Whilst there were local tactical successes, the Nazi forces prevailed, and the Allies were forced to retreat.
The Royal Navy aircraft carriers HMS Ark Royal and Glorious were dispatched to assist the evacuation. HMS Glorious was given the task of rescuing the RAF squadrons of Hawker Hurricanes and biplane Gloster Gladiators that had fought in the Norwegian campaign. This was a huge gamble, as the RAF pilots had no prior experience of carrier landings - nor had such a fast monoplane ever previously attempted a landing at sea. Eric Ravilious showed the aircraft wheeling around HMS Glorious, and every plane landed safely - a wonderful feat.
But the success turned to tragedy a day or two later. In very controversial circumstances, the captain of HMS Glorious insisted on an early return to British waters, ahead of the main fleet, and with minimal protection. Escorted by just two destroyers, and inexplicably failing to mount aerial reconnaissance missions, HMS Glorious sailed directly into the path of the German battlecruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Their firepower quickly overwhelmed the Royal Naval force. Only 40 people survived the sinking of the three ships, including a sole RAF pilot.
A reception and screening of the film ‘Drawn to War’, a documentary about the life of British artist Eric Ravilious, whose artwork often drew inspiration from his wartime surroundings. Roger Readwin provided brief remarks
and introduced Dame Diane Lees.
Book Endpaper for 'Housebound' by Winifred Peck taken from a 1941 watercolour design by Eric Ravilious for a textile commissioned by the Cotton Board in that Year.
(Go to all sizes to view at max. 1000x350 - 150 dpi).
The Horsham Branch of the Art Society meets at the Capitol Theatre in Horsham. We are about to have a talk about the painter Eric Ravilious.
377114 crosses the A259 as it departs from Newhaven Town with the 18.24 Seaford to Brighton service on May 4th 2016. Waiting at the barriers on service 12 to Brighton is Brighton & Hove 941 (BX15 ONT), a 2015 Mercedes-Benz/Wright Streetdeck named 'Eric Ravilious' after the artist who produced many stylised images of the Sussex Coast and Downs in the 1930's.
The advert appears in Wine & Food, the quarterly magazine edited by Andre Simon in the 1930s and that was printed by the exemplary Curwen Press, in Plaistow, London - and, in the quality of the printing and layout, it shows.
This beautifully set out advert is blessed with the first appearance of a 'stock' block of Curwen Press, worked by Eric Ravilious, the wonderful pre-war artist and designer.
The Hind's Head is still a famous destination - apparently Price Phillip's 'stag night' took place here in 1947..
An Eric Ravilious Decorated Paper used for his first illustrated book "Desert" and later used as a Curwen Press pattern paper. Part of the extensive Schmoller Collection of Decorated Papers,
the Collection is the culmination of a lifelong pursuit by collectors Hans and Tanya Schmoller. Hans Schmoller (1916-1985) was a renowned typographer and was Production Manager, and later Director at Penguin Books.
It was his and Tanya's passion for design and pattern that led to the accumulation of a body of work which represents the best of twentieth century Western decorated book papers.
Eric Ravilious was a leading exponent of wood engraving who was taught by Paul Nash at The Royal College of Art. He developed sensitive watercolours, drawings, book illustrations and ceramic designs for the Wedgewood company. He also served as an official war artist during World War II. Tragically he failed to return from an air-sea rescue mission off Iceland in 1942.
This pattern was used for the frontispiece of the Catalogue for the memorial exhibition of his art organised by the Arts Council 1948-49
(Go to All sizes to view at max. 1500x700 - 150 dpi).
Eric Ravilious painted a mural in the cafe at the Midland Hotel, Morecambe. The walls weren't properly prepared, it started peeling soon after and was painted over in the 1930s. Only monochrome photographs remain, and extra doorways have been cut in the walls, so a faithful recreation is not possible. An adapted version, however, was added when the hotel was restored a few years ago, and hints at the original. Ravilious was one of the most talented artists of the immediate pre-war era in the 1930s. he became an official war artist, and died in an aeroplane accident in 1942.
Brand new Brighton and Hove Bus Company Mercedes Benz Wrightbus Streetdeck BH4 double decker bus 941 BX15ONT 'Eric Ravilious' on display for the public to inspect on Terminus Road in Eastbourne in East Sussex (UK).
BX15ONT was delivered to the Brighton and Hove Bus Company just 4 days previously on April 21st 2015. It will be used on their Coaster Route 12 between Eastbourne and Brighton.
My Bus and Coach album flic.kr/s/aHsjJgWqCA
Photograph taken by my regular photostream contributor David on his travels and is posted here with very kind permission.
As a compare and contrast, here's P&A Campbell's steamer Britannia seen from the same spot on Mardyke Wharf as the other picture. This was painted by John Nash in 1938. He was here on a painting expedition with Eric Ravilious, who nearly came to a sticky end:
"...when Eric had decided to go on drawing outside after dark, and was working intently on his picture of a paddle steamer, he had suddenly heard a grinding noise and a voice calling out, 'lucky for you I saw you, old cock, or you'd have been a box of cold meat.' Eric had set up his easel, without noticing it was on the tracks of one of those light railways that are used in the docks." (Helen Binyon)
Earlier this year I made a map (below) of my sets and groups on Flickr, this is my first version of galleries that I'm building up that interface with my sets and groups I subscribe to. Building galleries is a lot of fun, I've now many more than this.
Now in a sad state of repair the local council have been trying to obtain permission to demolish it for years. Looking at the signs attached to a fence around the edge that permission has been granted.
Somewhere in the pavilion there's a mural by the artist Eric Ravilious that has been either covered, or painted, over.
Oblique view of the front of The Midland Hotel, Morecambe, Lancashire.
The hotel was commissioned in 1932 by the London Midland and Scottish Railway to replace a Victorian predecessor. Their chosen architect, Oliver Hill, produced for them this classic Streamline Moderne design. Eric Gill made the two seahorses on the outside and some interior features; Eric Ravilious contributed a painted ceiling for the café.
The building was listed Grade II* in 1976. Ownership had changed several times by then, and the following years were marked by decline and neglect.
In 2003, the restoration specialists Urban Splash bought the hotel, reopening it in 2008 after a three-year restoration. The Midland is now managed by the English Lakes group.
There's more detail in this BBC article and a personal memoir in The Guardian. Plenty of pictures here.
Taken 23/01/23 in Brighton's Queen's Road; According to Wikipedia the "... Wright StreetDeck is an integral double-deck bus manufactured by Wrightbus, with a Daimler OM934 diesel engine ....the first production examples entered service with Brighton & Hove in 2015." These were the BX15 batch which are all allocated to Newhaven and branded into Coaster livery for use on the 12 cluster of routes between Brighton and Eastbourne.
Again as per Wikipedia ".... Brighton & Hove was established in 1884 as Brighton, Hove and Preston United Omnibus Company. In 1916, Thomas Tilling took over the company and replaced all its remaining horse buses with motor buses. In November 1935 it was formed as the Brighton Hove and District Omnibus Company. In January 1969 it merged with Southdown Motor Services as a subsidiary of the National Bus Company. In January 1985 in preparation for privatisation, Brighton & Hove was separated from Southdown. In May 1987 it was sold in a management buyout. In November 1993 Brighton & Hove was sold to the Go-Ahead Group."
Brighton and Hove allocate names to virtually all their fleet and clicking on to the bus name on the following website gives biographies of those so honoured:
history.buses.co.uk/history/fleethist/current.htm
Connections with Brighton and Hove : Tirzah Garwood was a notable artist and the wife of war artist Eric Ravilious from 1930 until his death in 1942. Born in 1908 to a military family, she was educated at West Hill School in Eastbourne. She swiftly showed promise as an artist and wood engraver. She later studied at the Central School of Art. She gained many commissions including one from the BBC to refashion its coat of arms. Garwood married Eric Ravilious in Kensington in July 1930 and he was already well known by then. They both loved the Sussex countryside which inspired much of their work. They had three children. Garwood suffered from breast cancer and during her recovery wrote an autobiography. Ravilious became a war artist and his plane went missing off Iceland in 1942. His body was never recovered. Garwood spent her later years in Essex, marrying again and resuming her career as an artist. But the cancer returned and she died in 1951. A memorial exhibition was held at the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne in 1952. Two of her paintings are in the Towner Gallery, which also has the largest collection of her husband’s work.
Another extremely fine engraving - indicative of the quality of work achieved by Ravilious and Curwen Press as printers.
Our new exhibition Court on Canvas: Tennis in Art (27 May - 18 September 2011) was preceded by a fantastic public curtain-raiser event in London - Court in Conversation, held at Christie’s South Kensington on Monday 9 May, 6.30 - 8.30 pm.
The first game of lawn tennis was played in 1859 by Major Harry Gem and his friend, Jean Batista Augurio Perera, on a court at the latter's home, 8 Ampton Road, Edgbaston. This unique show at the Barber – less than half a mile away from Ampton Road – is the first-ever to explore the subject of tennis in art. It brings together paintings, drawings and sculptures inspired by the game, including Sir John Lavery’s iconic The Tennis Party andother works by artists as diverse as LS Lowry, Eric Ravilious, Stanley Spencer, EH Shepard (of Winnie the Pooh fame) and David Hockney. The main exhibition will be accompanied by a large display of historic tennis equipment, photographs and memorabilia tracing the origins of the game and the importance of Edgbaston as its birthplace.
Barber Director, Professor Ann Sumner discussed Court on Canvas, its themes, and issues that have arisen during the curation of the exhibition, with BBC Arts Correspondent Rebecca Jones. It was set against a backdrop of projected images of some of the wonderful tennis paintings to be featured in the show
After spending some time in the Cathedral, we wandered over to the High Street. Mrs W wanted to look at a couple of the shops, and I can always waste time in bookshops.
Alas, the bookshop closed, and we browsers were chucked out (a pity, as I was perusing a series of books on Eric Ravilious, which were very jolly). So I wandered up and down, awaiting my spouse's arrival, as she had said that she would collect me on the way back to the car.
We don't go to Exeter very often now. I am no lover of shopping, even when I have something I need to buy, and I certainly don't see it as a form of entertainment; so I rarely actually go into the High Street. So I hadn't seen this picture before Mrs W drew my attention to it.
It's rather cleverly done: the rendering has been gouged, to varying depths, and the colour of the underlying wall forms the picture. There's a bit about the artist here.
I don't know why the earlier mural was replaced, and admit to be a bit surprised that it hadn't been under some sort of protection, even though it was actually relatively recent (1991).
I've chosen a number of photographs on various themes that reflect aspects of my life and concerns. As yet I've not started to put together galleries on photographs of architecture and work closely related to my own photography. I hope you will enjoy some of these sets, there are a wide range of styles and techniques. I was sorry not to include some photographs I liked because their gallery function was not available.
St Michael, Copford, Essex
In loving memory of Tirzah Swanzy (Eillen Lucy Garwood) 1908 - 1951 and of Eric Ravilious, lost in the Atlantic, 1903-1942, artists. 'Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see.'
One of the loveliest churches in Essex. A delightful setting beside the old Hall, and a spectacular interior, the walls shimmering with paintings old and new.
Photographer : Never had the pleasure of meeting the man who lived local. He would hate the fact that I took this picture on a Camera phone and edited the picture on said device! He shot in Black and White using his trusted Leica , Please take a moment to check out the website, some great books on Amazon which I was lucky enough to buy, Thanks to @Rupert Stockwin for lending me the DVD documentary which is fantastic. So blessed and lucky to live in this part of England. www.jamesravilious.com
The Ravilious Rotunda Bar, originally the hotel tea-room, and the restored (and adapted) mural originally designed and painted by Eric Ravilious and his wife Tirzah Garwood in 1933.
Designed in Streamline Moderne style by architect Oliver Hill, with sculptures by Eric Gill, the hotel was built by the London Midland & Scottish Railway and opened in 1933. It finally closed in 1998 and lay derelict until it was restored in 2006-2008 and reopened as a hotel again.
My first 24 plate 710 about to start a 14 from the Sealife centre 710s name Eric Ravilious previously on 941
I was thinking of James Ravilious when I took this. He wouldn't approve of the PP. www.jamesravilious.com/
Just met another one of my Flickr friends today. We went to see the Ravilious exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery , followed by lunch at Gail's Bakery. A lovely day out...
Detail of dd's stuff. London. March, 2013. A shelf in one of our cupboards. I've put the location of this as Greville Street, Prahran in Melbourne, which I think is where I bought Blueboy after a lunch with Martoon many, many years ago. Like so many of our little figures, the quiff has broken off :-( But unlike our South African TinTin we still have it attached. The small blue book in the background is a book that dd made me of nice things to do in 2012. We did most of them!
My first 24 plate 710 about to start a 14 from the Sealife centre 710s name Eric Ravilious previously on 941 the reg plates on these mmc are either YX24 ,YY24 or YY73
Brighton & Hove 941 Mercedes-Benz Wright Streetdeck BX15ONT 'Eric Ravilious'. Seen at Old Steine, Brighton.
Our new exhibition Court on Canvas: Tennis in Art (27 May - 18 September 2011) was preceded by a fantastic public curtain-raiser event in London - Court in Conversation, held at Christie’s South Kensington on Monday 9 May, 6.30 - 8.30 pm.
The first game of lawn tennis was played in 1859 by Major Harry Gem and his friend, Jean Batista Augurio Perera, on a court at the latter's home, 8 Ampton Road, Edgbaston. This unique show at the Barber – less than half a mile away from Ampton Road – is the first-ever to explore the subject of tennis in art. It brings together paintings, drawings and sculptures inspired by the game, including Sir John Lavery’s iconic The Tennis Party andother works by artists as diverse as LS Lowry, Eric Ravilious, Stanley Spencer, EH Shepard (of Winnie the Pooh fame) and David Hockney. The main exhibition will be accompanied by a large display of historic tennis equipment, photographs and memorabilia tracing the origins of the game and the importance of Edgbaston as its birthplace.
Barber Director, Professor Ann Sumner discussed Court on Canvas, its themes, and issues that have arisen during the curation of the exhibition, with BBC Arts Correspondent Rebecca Jones. It was set against a backdrop of projected images of some of the wonderful tennis paintings to be featured in the show
Mark Haworth-Booth, co-curator of the exhibition describes the way James Ravilious works
From the HERE | Uncovering North Devon exhibition about the Beaford Archive, featuring photographs from James Ravilious and Roger Deakins, at The Burton, Bideford.
The Midland Hotel is a Streamline Moderne building in Morecambe, Lancashire, England. It was built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), in 1933, to the designs of architect Oliver Hill, with sculpture by Eric Gill, and murals by Eric Ravilious (subsequently destroyed). It is a Grade II* listed building. The hotel has been restored by Urban Splash with architects Union North, Northwest Regional Development Agency and Lancaster City Council.
The hotel is designed in the Streamline Moderne style of Art Deco. Oliver Hill designed a three-storey curving building, with a central circular tower containing the entrance and a spiral staircase, and a circular cafe at the north end. The front of the hotel is decorated with two Art Deco seahorses, which can be viewed at close proximity from the hotel's rooftop terrace.
The hotel stands on the seafront with the convex side facing the sea, and the concave side facing the former Morecambe Promenade railway station, in homage to the railway company whose showcase hotel this was. Hill designed the hotel to complement the curve of the promenade, which allowed guests to view spectacular panoramas of the North West coast.