Plus, win a copy of Portrait of Kent
Antique of the month
With Tony Pratt of The Canterbury Auction Galleries
Lucy Beswick was a great fan of Beatrix Potter’s nursery stories and her husband, Ewart, happened to be chairman of pottery manufacturer John Beswick in Stoke-on-Trent. After a holiday in the Lake District, when they visited the farmhouse near Hawkshead where Beatrix Potter wrote her books, Lucy had the idea of bringing her favourite, Jemima Puddle-Duck, to life in clay.
Beswick’s chief modeller Arthur Gredington produced the first in what proved to be a run of Beatrix Potter. By 1947, Jemima had been joined by Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, Timmy Tiptoes et al. Not all the figures were popular; this black cat called Duchess, introduced in 1954 and discontinued in 1967, is a rare survivor. It sold for �1,000.
Portrait of Kent
Have you been wowed by this month’s spectacular cover image?
It’s the work of local photographer Andreas Byrne, who was inspired to create a hardcover landscape photograph book on our glorious county so that people could enjoy Kent from their armchairs.
The result, Portrait of Kent, captures the varied landscape, extensive coastline, historic buildings and old villages of our county, and provides an excellent cross section of all the Garden of England’s different moods.
“Kent is packed full of lovely vistas”, says Andreas, “and this inspired me to take up my camera and try and record them. Light is very important, as it changes the landscape all the time, so I have been out very early in the morning and stayed out until sunset”. For more information, contact Halsgrove Publishing, tel: 01823 653777.
I never stopped loving you
A new commission by internationally acclaimed Kent artist, Tracey Emin, will see an innovative work of art grace Droit House in Margate.
I Never Stopped Loving You is a neon text, in effect a love letter to the artist’s home town, written in pink and will be unveiled on the seafront building this month.
Emin has been working with neon since the late 1990s and says: “I came up with the idea for this neon quite a few years ago – everyone who is associated with Margate, whether it’s their past or their present, should never stop loving Margate. This neon is for everyone who knows thatMargate is a truly beautiful place.”
For futher details, contact the Turner Contemporary, tel: 01843 280261.
Life in landscape
Canterbury’s Sidney Cooper Gallery is showcasing an exhibition of work by Walmer-based landscape painter George Rowlett this month. Along with a selection of still life paintings and self portraits, George’s landscape paintings capture the essence of light and colour through a direct and
inventive application of paint.
The exhibition begins on 17 April and runs until 8 May. For more information, tel: 01227 453267.
Reader Competition
If you can’t wait to get your hands on a copy of Portrait of Kent, you’re in luck – we’ve got a copy to be won. To be in with a chance, simply send the best photograph you’ve taken of Kent, with a short description, to editor@kent-life.co.uk and we’ll ask Andreas to pick his favourite. The best entries will also be published on our website, and considered for the ‘Beautiful Kent’ section of the magazine.
