Arley Hall and Gardens

FLAG members set off on a beautifully sunny day to Arley Hall and Gardens. It's nestled in the centre of a triangle formed by Northwich, Knutsford and Warrington. Everyone seems to have had a fantastic time and the gardens were particularly beautiful.

Huge thanks to all our contributors. 

Here's Carolyn's photo and words about the visit. 

On a hot day made very pleasant by a strong breeze, we visited Arley Hall, which at first glance looks like a substantial Tudor house. In a style known as Jacobethan, it was actually built between 1832 and 1845, copying both styles and now very much blackened by soot, At least the fourth house built on the site, it was commissioned by Rowland Egerton-Warburton, but fell into disrepair so that parts were demolished and much altered. 

 

It’s now the home of Viscount Ashbrook and has extensive panelling, heavily ornate ceilings and a massive staircase and is well furnished. 

 

Its real distinction is its grounds – eight acres of formal gardens including the first herbaceous border planted in England, and a great quantity of well-trimmed yew hedges and topiary, all immaculate.

 

In the grounds is a 15th-century cruck barn with seven cruck trusses.

 

Also in the grounds is a Gothic Revival chapel built at the same time as the house. Designed by Anthony Salvin, it has plain brick walls above stone arches and a number of carved angels in best medieval style. There is also some fine metalwork, including a very elaborate hearse canopy of wrought iron that you expect to be protecting a monument. Beneath is a fine Victorian radiator.

 

And here's some more photos of the day from Cherry. 

 

 

 

And finally this one. It's a rootery! A rootery is apparently a collection of roots and soil with plants growing from it.

 

Wollerton Old Hall and Shrewsbury

We spent the morning in Shrewsbury doing our own thing, wandering around at will, having coffee and lunch to suit ourselves.

Shrewsbury is a medieval market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, known for it's cobbled streets and old timbered buildings. It is sited on the River Severn, 33 miles (53 km) northwest of Wolverhampton. If you'd like a full history of Shrewsbury there is a dedicated Wiki page here. Here's some photos of the day from one of our group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: one of the stained glass windows in St Mary's medieval church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

A few snapshots in the excellent museum and art gallery.

 

 We then went on to the gardens at Wollerton Old Hall. These gardens were taken over in the 80's and started life as a bare field.

 

 As you can see, quite a transformation. The owner is an artist and the choice of colours and plant combinations was wonderful. The sun shone, the cakes were delicious, and a good time was had by all just wandering around the many garden rooms and wild areas.

 

 

Coventry Civic Society visit.

Yesterday, Thursday 12th June, The Leamington Society and FLAG hosted a return meeting with the Coventry Civic Society, who had kindly showed them around various sites in Coventry in October last year. The guide for that visit was Lady Godiva who walked everyone through the ruins of the old Cathedral and the splendid Guild Hall, before finishing in the Undercroft at the Priory Visitor Centre.

For their visit to Leamington the Coventry Civic Society were shown the new Creative Quarter:  The Fold in Spencer Street which is a new creative workshare space aiming for inspiration, education and creation.  The idea was to focus on the Stoneleigh Arms, the Old School redevelopment, 1 Mill Street, and then the new John Bridgeman sculpture in the Jephson Gardens. (You can see our posting about the sculpture here) 

Unfortunately it began to rain whilst the visitors were out walking, but they pressed on and were revitalised with tea and cake, and a good natter, at the Town Hall afterwards. (The cakes were by Wilhelmina's Bakery, a local Leamington bakery - they were fab!)

 

 

Below is a brief look at some of the places visited and links to the relevant websites, so you can find out more if you'd like to. 

 

The Old School redevelopment.

" The 2nd phase of the Creative Quarter development consists of the redevelopment of a derelict pub, an old school house, and an underutilised car park, off Court Street in Leamington Old Town. The new development will have a distinctive character and be a destination to pull visitors to the area. It will support and link to the continuing regeneration of Leamington’s Old Town – uplift the surrounding area and be a catalyst for further change in the area. We also plan to encourage active transport and a shift away from car use, tying into a wider sustainable movement network and encouraging connectivity and permeability to and through the area."

The Fold 

Phase One of the Creative Quarter was completed at the end of 2023 and includes the restoration, extension and change of use of three derelict buildings. The c.£5m project has delivered approximately 1,700m² of flagship creative office, media and education space. A former Grade II listed church is now home to Cogent a leading digital marketing firm, that operate The Fold, a new shared workspace with cutting-edge production studios designed for the creative community.

The Fold has been set up in partnership with SAE Institute, the global specialist provider of creative media education, who now operate from 2 Spencer Yard (formerly the old nursery) as part of their campus. Number 1 Spencer Yard a building comprising c. 370m² of office space, has been let to a number of businesses across a range of industries to complement the new creative hub

1 Mill Street

 

" The Most Community-Fuelled Coworking Space In The UK." 1 Mill Street started with a vision from co-founders Nigel and Dessie Shanahan: to bring people together, help them thrive, and have some fun along the way. "1 Mill Street and Make Good Grow was born: a haven for freelancers, digital creatives, startups, and anyone keen to do good things with good people. It’s more than just a workspace; it’s a spot where big ideas, local legends, and many laughs come together".

 

Our visit to Amersham and Chenies Manor

It's lovely to get feedback on our trips and today we're hearing from Carolyn about a lovely sunny day out and about in Buckinghamshire. Thank you for sharing Carolyn, and we're always delighted to hear from all Flag members, especially if you have some photos!

"We spent a brilliantly sunny day in Buckinghamshire, with the morning in the pleasant town of Amersham. 

 

Lots of us visited St Mary’s Church, where only one window remains from the 12th century, other parts having been added in every century since. It also contains the fine Drake family chapel and outside, a rare collection of ‘body stone’ gravestones dating from 1770 –1860.

 

The afternoon we spent at Chenies Manor, a Tudor manor house much enlarged by John Russell, the first Earl of Bedford. An excellent guided tour took us through two well-furnished floors, an apparently haunted tester bed and a priest’s hole which is a mystery in a Protestant household. 

 

After we had been refreshed by delicious tea and cake, we wandered round the immaculate gardens. These include a large sunken garden bordered by an impressive display of Alliums, other borders with huge white tulips, and a pergola very popular with newlyweds, as Chenies has branched out into the wedding business".

 

Instagram!

 

The Harmony of Difference 1 and 2 by Annabel Rainbow  At the gallery until 11th May.

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Say Hello to Our New Instagram! 

We’re excited to share some colourful news—Friends of Leamington Art Gallery is now on Instagram!

If you’re already following us on Facebook (thank you!), you’ll know we’ve been quietly building a lovely little online community over the past year. We’ve shared behind-the-scenes peeks, updates about gallery events, and stories that celebrate the art and artists that inspire us all. Now, we’re bringing that same spirit to Instagram; another wonderful way to stay connected with all things art and gallery life.

Whether you’re an Instagram regular or a complete newcomer, we warmly invite you to come along and give it a try. You don’t need to be a tech wizard, just a lover of art and community.

Why Instagram?
Instagram is all about images, and we think that’s a perfect match for art lovers. Expect beautiful photos from our exhibitions, sneak previews of upcoming events, glimpses into the gallery’s collection, and a celebration of creativity in all its forms.

Already on Facebook?
If you’ve been following our Facebook page, thank you for your support! Keep an eye on both pages for fresh content, updates, and more chances to connect with fellow Friends and art enthusiasts.

Follow us on Instagram:  @friendsofleamingtonartgallery
Find us on Facebook: Friends of Leamington Art Gallery

We hope you’ll join us online and help spread the word. Every follow, like, and share helps us support the gallery.

With thanks The Friends of Leamington Art Gallery Committee

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Can you help?

Support Local Culture – Become a Member of FLAG!

 

Are you passionate about art, history, and supporting your local community? Join us in championing the Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum by becoming a member of our charitable Friends group.

 

Why Join?

• Membership directly helps us:
• Fund new acquisitions and conserve important pieces
• Support exhibitions, including booklets and educational visits for children
• Host special talks, trips, and behind-the-scenes experiences
•  

Your support helps keep our gallery thriving for future generations!

Annual Membership: Only £15 per person

(Payable by cheque or bank transfer)

 

Let’s work together to celebrate and preserve the cultural heart of Leamington Spa. Whether you're an art lover, history buff, or someone who wants to give back to the community — we need you.

 

For more info or to join, contact us here, on the website, or by emailing friendsofleamingtonartgallery@hotmail.com

 

Friday Focus - details of dates etc until 11th July 2025

 

The Friday Focus is a series of FREE talks and is open to everyone - just come along! They start at 1pm and usually last 30-60 minutes.

Here's a list of what's happening until July 2025

2nd May - Meandering with Mayoralty - a talk about Leamington Mayors by Martin Harrison

9th May - Then and now around the county with David Morse

16th May - Swimming at the Royal Pump Rooms with Victoria Slade.

23rd May - From Paris to Warwick - The story of Tony Dury with Paul Baker.

13th June - A different View Exhibition by Kellie Sabin

20th June - Health care in Leamington with Michael Pearson

27th June - This is a man's place- Lord Leycester 

7th July - From scrapbooks to photocollage - Lily Crowther

11th July - Derek Billings - Photographs of Leamington with Barry Franklin.

Boughton House and Gardens visit - Northamptonshire

Wednesday 9th April - images courtesy of Cherry. She says:

 

"We had a lovely visit to Boughton House and Gardens in Northamptonshire yesterday. A private tour of the house with its impressive collection of paintings and furniture. After a tasty soup and sandwich lunch we explored the gardens. The sky was blue, the sun shone and the gardens were beautiful, a thoroughly enjoyable day".

 If you'd like to know more about our excursions click here.

Here's some more of Cherry's lovely photos:

 

Windrush Meet The Artist special - FLAG exclusive

Not only is Saturday 12th April (2-4pm) a Meet The Artist special with Annabel Rainbow and some of the people involved in her series of Windrush portraits, but it's also Benjamin Zephaniah day, and the gallery has 2 quilts made by Annabel in the Unravelling History exhibition that feature Benjamin.

 

Here's a FLAG exclusive showing the pieces and how one was constructed. 

Below: The first stage was to use sketches made of Birmingham and create a cloth that could be used as a background. Can you recognize any of these iconic places?

 

Below: knocking back the background with white acrylic - "The Background's Too Strong, It Needs To Be Whiter".

Below: Beginning to put in the outlines of Benjamin on stage. This helps with the stitching lines.

Below: Building colour and adding text. Beginning to stitch the dreadlocks and body.

Below: Stitching round significant phrases and words in pink thread. The whole quilt is heavily stitched throughout the figure and the background.

Below: standing back once the sewing is finished to appraise the piece before finishing the painting and getting balance into the piece.

Final adding of paint to the stitched dreadlocks.

 

Finally, in place in the gallery.

 

 

 

 

Friday Focus 4th April 2025 - Samplers

 

Stepping Off The Edge

Quilt

103cms (40.5") long x 69cms (27") wide

From sampler to memento mori.

A memento mori inspired by a sampler in the Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum's  collection. (Memento mori is a Latin phrase meaning 'remember you must die'. A basic memento mori painting would be a portrait with a skull but other symbols commonly found are hour glasses - or chicken egg timers to bring it up to date! - or clocks, extinguished or guttering candles, fruit, and flowers). It's called Stepping Off The Edge because of the bronze stepping off on the left hand side and symbolises life after death, and going into the unknown.

The quilt also has from the collection, a child's balancing toy, and a large pot which I've put honesty seedheads in. The raven is dripping paint onto a small book which has the words "The moving finger writes..." stitched on. The quote "I wasted time and now time doth waste me" is from Richard II, Shakespeare. The clock hands are made of the words *the life of time is motion*  and were taken from a clock at Snowshill Manor in Glos. 

 

  

The balancing act toy in the collection, and the earthenware post that contains honesty seeds on the new work.

 

 The sampler 

  Text from the V&A 

"The English word 'sampler' derives from the Latin 'exemplum', or the old French term 'essamplaire', meaning 'an example'. Before the introduction of printed designs, embroiderers and lacemakers needed a way to record and reference different designs, stitches and effects. The answer was to create a sampler – a personal reference work featuring patterns and elements that the owner may have learned or copied from others, to recreate again in new pieces.

Such stitch and pattern collections may have been assembled in a number of cultures where decorative needlework was widely practised. Early examples rarely survive, but the quality of the oldest surviving samplers suggests they were made by experienced hands, as well as children, (in many cultures learning needlework was an important part of a young girl's education). The earliest in our collection were found in Egyptian burial grounds, and probably date from the 14th or 15th centuries.

LSAGM have a number of samplers in their collection, but I liked this blue and white one, with it's prayer at the bottom.

The V&A continue about 19th century samplers...

"Moral or religious texts, though usually less personal (than Parker's), continued to be a frequent choice in the first half of the 19th century. First popular in England in the mid-17th century, these improving or pious statements are central to the often fairly unsophisticated pieces we now recognise as a 'classic' Victorian sampler. This type of piece was also important in the embroidery traditions of European settlers in America, whose strongly felt sense of religious purpose helped to sustain them in an unfamiliar and often unforgiving landscape. A more accomplished piece stitched by 'E Pratt' in the 'New Orphan House Ashley Down Bristol' in 1886 helps demonstrate that in the 18th and 19th centuries samplers were increasingly being used as an educational tool for girls from all social backgrounds."

The sampler in the LSAGM collection