Picture this….
It’s 1937. The far-right is on the rise throughout Europe. In Paris, Picasso is painting a dying horse in his anti-war masterpiece Guernica, while Orwell is visiting the front-line of the Spanish Civil War taking notes.
When he returns to his cottage (in the tiny Hertfordshire village of Wallington), Orwell will work these notes up into a book of first-hand reportage, Homage to Catalonia.
In Royston, a market town less than ten miles from where Orwell is scribbling, E. Herbert Whydale (like Picasso) is painting horses. These are beasts that strain every sinew against the recalcitrant plough or cart, as the artist pictures the passing of the old rural life.
Five years later, Whydale can be found travelling the lanes of nearby Bassingbourn in a horse-drawn gypsy caravan, trying to spot the best location to sketch Spitfires. He has a mind to work them up in oils, and raffle off the finished pieces to raise funds for the Wings for Victory campaign.
The airbase there will soon host John Steinbeck as he chronicles the lives of USAF bomber crews.
Today, the building that housed the Red Cross Social Club for those aircrews is home to Royston Museum, and with it an extensive collection of Whydale’s work.
The role of a local museum
Tucked away in a courtyard opposite King James I’s hunting lodge, Royston’s locally-funded museum lies at the heart of the rapidly expanding Hertfordshire commuter town, and despite these cash-strapped times, is looking to the future. Sophie Riches, the museum’s curator, tells East Anglia Bylines:
Local museums have a really important role. They give you a sense of place in this world where everything moves on so quickly. When you commute, museums can give you a place to pause and think about where you are living.
We cover a bit of everything. Fossils, prehistoric tools … right up to a pair of knitted swimming trunks from the 1950s. It’s one of the benefits of being a local museum.
We’re keen to become a real centre of the community. We’ve developed a new community room, which arts and knitting groups use, and we hold kids’ activities during the summer, which are cheap.
Serving the community …
… is a sentiment that Whydale would applaud. “He was very active in Royston. He was a member of a local amateur dramatic group and did all the scenery for that, and he was an ARP warden during the Second World War,” Sophie explains.
A Yorkshireman by birth, Whydale first set down roots in the town in 1917, when his father, Josiah Whydale, became minister at the local Wesleyan Church. His sister Elsie would go on to run the local Guide group; his brother Arthur William, an architect, was to redesign the local park, which won the town a ‘civic design and landscape’ award in the Festival of Britain.
When Herbert Whydale died in 1952, the local broadsheet ran a two-column obituary which applauded his achievements, his sense of public duty, and his service to the community and town. This was despite the fact that “his ideas for the improvement of Royston may have been somewhat Utopian”.
Exceptional gifts
Whydale exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy, contributed a miniature etching to Queen Mary’s dolls house (which can be seen at Windsor Castle), and has works in the National Gallery of Canada, the V&A and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
He illustrated books, painted in oils and water colours, but is best known for his skill in etching, which led to his election as an Associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers. Though one review in The Telegraph described his “exceptional gifts”, he remained out of step with the art world and never quite managed to gain national recognition.
Royston’s artist
Building on a collection first put together by the local history society, Royston Museum now holds over 600 pieces of Whydale’s work, many of which he first gave to local friends and relatives.
These artworks document not only the labourer’s lot on pre-mechanised farms, and Royston’s decline as a rural hub, but also the destruction of many of its ancient buildings in order to widen roads as traffic increased. (Before the construction of the A1(M), M11 and the A505 bypass, the narrow streets of Royston were a notorious blackspot for anyone travelling from London to Cambridge.)
Sophie explains:
“The only record of the demolishing of the Crown Inn is his painting. He gives us a snapshot of a way of life that disappeared after the war. He’s good at capturing the energy of farm work – the exhaustion and frustration of the horses and workmen. His art may look old-fashioned but it shows how hard that life was.”
The national collection
Sophie goes on:
“A few years ago, we decided to actively start collecting, to develop a national collection as no-one else was doing it. We’ve got plans to convert upstairs to be a Whydale Gallery.”
There is one major problem: no-one knows how many artworks he created, and some are so different they might not be recognised as by Whydale. Many are still in the area and there are three in particular, that the museum would love to get its hands on.
“The Homecoming Fund works were in a completely different style – quite abstract and modern. One of them we’ve got, but we don’t know where the three others went.”
Fortunately, they were captured in the rare photo at the top of this article. Homecoming Funds were set up all over the UK at the end of the Second World War to support local returning veterans. In the Royston photograph, Whydale adopted the whimsy of himself as a pavement artist, selling his works on the street for contributions collected in a hat. “Those are the ones we’d really like to find,” Sophie adds wistfully.
Do you know where they are? Royston Museum would like to hear from you!
Events taking place this weekend (tickets available at time of writing):
Norfolk:
Book ahead for the Baden Powell Historic Fishing Cutter. Sailing trips from Kings Lynn out to the Wash to see the seals. Trips last between 1.5 and 2 hours.
Baden Powell is a 1900 built local fishing boat owned by the the charitable trust – King’s Lynn Worfolk Boat Trust – and crewed by fully trained volunteers who introduce passengers to the historic river frontage of King’s Lynn and continue out to the Wash to see the seals on Bulldog Bank. Volunteers spent a decade rebuilding this unique fishing smack, built in 1900. She is the only double-ended vessel of her type. Days and times depend on tide times and the trips are very popular. Advance booking essential, £20 per passenger. Book and for departure point, which is usually Visitor’s Pontoon, King’s Lynn South Quay, PE30 5DT
Bee Experience Friday 28 June, 10 am – 12 noon, with later dates available. Explore the enchanting world of bees up close, at Sunnyfields Apiaries near Bungay. £65 per adult, children welcome but must be accompanied by a paying adult. These hands on immersive bee experiences offer a unique opportunity for individuals to connect with nature, learn about the fascinating world of bees and to understand their importance as pollinators in our ecosystem. Sunnyfields Apiaries Ltd.,Woodhouse Farm, Sexton Rd, Hedenham, Bungay, NR35 2DQ
Suffolk:
Quentin Blake: The Illustrated Hospital. From now until Sunday 6th October Since 2005, Quentin Blake’s has been making drawings for hospitals and healthcare settings and they have become a significant part of his work. Because of those settings, only patients and hospital staff may get the chance to see some of them so Moyse’s Hall is making them available to a wider audience. Swimming babies, helpful dragons, treetop adventures, and poignant landscapes, there are plenty of unexpected delights to discover. Adult £5, Child £3, entry times depend on day. Moyse’s Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1DX
Showcase of Suffolk Authors Saturday 29 June, 10:00 – 16:00. Meet your local authors at this Book Fair. Refreshments, Children’s Book Reading & Story Telling, Raffle. Free entry and free parking. Darsham Village Hall, Darsham, Suffolk, IP17 3FA. More info: russellwebb@live.co.uk
Southwold Street Festival Saturday 29 June, 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm. The Grand Finale of the week-long Southwold Arts Festival, there are musical acts, dance troupes, pavement café food and drink, family activities and a carnival procession. Free entry. Southwold Town Centre, IP18 6.
Essex:
Chelmsford’s Heritage Scavenger Blue Plaque Hunt can be done whenever suits you, just download the map from their website. Self-guided search for 12 points of history marked by blue plaques. Where was Marconi’s first wireless factory? What did Dickens think of Chelmsford when he stayed there? Uncover the stories behind the 12 blue plaques within the city centre, which are displayed on the buildings and locations listed on the hunt.
Maldon Armed Forces Day Sunday 30 June 10 am – 3 pm, Parade at 11:00 am. Veterans and Military vehicles in attendance. If you have a relevant vehicle and would like to be included in the parade, you must arrive 9 – 10 am through the main promenade entrance. Free entry. Maldon Promenade Park, CM9 5JQ. To show its support, First Bus is offering free transport across its whole Eastern Counties network (not just Essex) to members of the Armed Forces, including veterans and cadets. Please see https://www.firstbus.co.uk/essex/news-and-service-updates/news/free-bus-travel-armed-forces-weekend for details of how to show eligibility.
Hertfordshire:
There are lots of gardens open this weekend, right across the region, please see this website to find one near you. Herts is particularly rich in its offerings, but we especially like:
Sunnyside Rural Trust Trail Saturday 29 June 10:00 – 16:00 The entry fee gives access to all three gardens in the group. The Trust offers training and employment opportunities to young people with learning disabilities. One site has a wildlife pond and small animal farm and their location close to the Chilterns AONB makes these lovely places to visit. Adult: £7.50, Child: Free. Book in advance or pay on the day.
Hertford Museum Throughout the summer, Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 – 17:00, Sunday 12:00 -16:00. Two temporary exhibitions, “100 years of Hertford North Station” and “On The Sauce: Life & Death in Hertford’s Pubs”, along with the permanent displays, offer insights into the life of this fascinating town throughout the years. Entry is free. 18 Bull Plain, Hertford SG14 1DT
Bedfordshire:
Shuttleworth Festival of Flight Friday 28 – Sunday 30 June Gates open 9 am each day. Shuttleworth celebrates 60 years of air shows with displays, activities, fun fair, and tours of their extensive collection of military and civilian aircraft. Visiting aircraft include the Red Arrows on the Saturday afternoon. Please see their website for details of the programme and pricing. The Shuttleworth Collection, Alder Drive, Biggleswade, SG18 9DT
Warden Abbey Vineyard. Saturday 29 June, 1:30 – 5:00 pm Just a couple of miles from Shuttleworth, you could bring a picnic and a rug and watch the Red Arrows from here. You can also take a tour of the vineyard and try some of their wines. Adult £3, children free entry. Bedford Rd, Biggleswade SG18 9LS
Danesborough Chorus Summer Concert Saturday 29 June, 19:30 – 21:30 Will Todd Mass in Blue. The evening will be an eclectic mix of Dave-Brubeck inspired jazz, blues, gospel and choral music, along with jazz classics. Will Todd’s works were chosen for Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee and President Obama’s Inauguration, amongst other prestigious events. Tickets £20, £15, £10, under-18s £5. St Mary’s Parish Church Park Street Woburn Bedfordshire MK17 9PG
Cambridgeshire:
Story Time at the Sedgewick Museum: Rainbowsaurus with Steve Antony Saturday 29th June, 2:00 – 2:30 pm. Free, booking essential. Suitable for under-5s. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Steve Antony will read from his book about a family’s hunt for the Rainbowsaurus and afterwards there will be a Rainbowsaurus hunt in the museum. Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ
Pop-Up Preloved clothes shop and DJ workshops Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 June – 10am to 6pm Free,
There’s too much going on to do justice here to Re-Fashion & Fizz – The Festival Edition. Grand Arcade, Saint Andrew’s Street, Cambridge, CB2 3BJ
Buckinghamshire:
Visionaries: A Multi-Sensory Experience Saturday 29 June – Sunday 30 June. Grounds open from 12:00 to 8:30 pm each day, for performance times please see the website. “Experience Handel/Milton’s L’Allegro Part I through all your senses other than sight.” A 45 minute experience for which the audience members are blindfolded, heightening the other senses. Co-devised by people with visual impairments and experts in relevant fields, this is a celebrates Buckinghamshire as the birthplace of the Paralympics in a beautiful environment. Tickets: Full price £45, under-35s £25. The Vache, Vache Lane, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, HP8 4SD
Discover the History and Wildlife of Weston Turville Reservoir Sunday 30 June, 10:30 – 1230. Organised by the local Wildlife Trust and led by experts, this is an easy walk around the reservoir which was built to serve the water mills after their original supply was diverted to the then-new canal. Although small, it offers diverse habitats, with open water, reedbeds and wildflowers. Adult £7 + booking fee, Child £3 + bkg fee. Meet in the lay-by on Worlds End Lane, Weston Turville, HP22 5PS. Map grid ref. SP858097, what3words: companies.steams.pity
This list is far from comprehensive, reflecting the interests of the EAB team and their friends. If you have an upcoming event you would like us to include, please get in touch by writing to: editor@eastangliabylines.co.uk
