Colaton Raleigh's artistic commune






Judging by this website you'd be easily forgiven for thinking that Fairlynch Museum and Budleigh Salterton are the most happening places in East Devon. And by contrast you might well be wondering what people get up to in the quiet Devon villages surrounding us.



Well, take a closer look, suggests villager Laura Boyd. Her own community of Colaton Raleigh, a few miles north-east of Budleigh, is, among other things, surprisingly full of artists.

















Proud artists of Colaton Raleigh

"You probably know about our most distinguished painter Alan Cotton," says Laura. He's the most eminent of a virtual commune of artists. Seven of the others, amateur and professional, including Friend of Fairlynch Rowan Turnbull, have come together to show 'Village Art', an exhibition of painting, photography and ceramics."



"The common threads of their work are a love of Devon, their need to express their reactions to this special part of the world and their wish to share it all with you," Laura explains.


















And yes... a Budleigh Salterton scene is featured in the Colaton Raleigh Art Exhibition


"Colaton Raleigh is a varied, thriving village with wonderful countryside and walks, the River Otter, farms and livestock, a shop and a pub.  It also boasts a magnificent Village Hall, formerly the village school next to the church.  Here ‘Village Art’ will be on show from Friday evening 11 May till Sunday evening 13 May. Alan Cotton has very kindly agreed to open the exhibition at 6.30pm on the Friday." 



"Members of the group will be there to demonstrate their work, and delicious home- made refreshments will be available throughout. In this village cooking is another celebrated skill!" adds Laura.



So do go and see what happens in Colaton Raleigh, enjoy the work of Laura Boyd, Cynthia Boult, Penny Silverthorne, Lis McGill, Simon Bramble, Chris Ferguson and Rowan Turnbull.  Explore their village, see ‘Village Art’ and enjoy some local food.





This post lnks to one at http://www.devonmuseums.net/Colaton-Raleigh%27s-artistic-commune/Latest-News/Fairlynch-Museum/Museum-News/









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WW2 100 – 3 July 1941 – ‘Our beloved son’: Private Stanley John Holloway (1914-41) 12th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment

Image
Continued from 11 June 1941 ‘A German platoon fired a salute of honour over the grave’ FLYING OFFICER PETER HAROLD HOWARD PRITCHARD (1921-41)   https://budleighpastandpresent.blogspot.com/2021/11/ww2-75-11-june-1941-german-platoon.html   Image credit: www.FindaGrave.com Stanley’s sad death at the age of 27 stirred various thoughts in me when I first read about it. He is not listed on Budleigh Salterton’s War Memorial, yet his grave is in St Peter’s Burial Ground on Moor Lane. His family were not local, yet he seems to have been killed while engaged in the highly hazardous work of protecting Budleigh against invasion.   The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records him as a member of the 12 th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment with the Service Number was 5627659. According to the same source, his parents were George and M. Holloway, of Hounslow, Middlesex.   Tackling this WW2 project chronologically as I am, it was clear that Stanley had died on the same day as Private Clifto
Read more

People from the Past: 3. Reg Varney (1916-2008)

Image
Reginald Alfred 'Reg' Varney was an English actor, most notable for his role as a cheerful Cockney bus driver in the 1970s TV sitcom On the Buses . For ten years he lived at Dark Lane House on picturesque Dark Lane in Budleigh Salterton, seen above.  Millions of television viewers remember him with affection. He has been described as belonging to the old school of comedians, with his dislike of much contemporary television and his pride in never using swear words to get a laugh. Varney was born on 11 July 1916 in Canning Town, which was then part of Essex but is now part of East London. His father worked in a rubber factory in Silvertown and he was one of five children who grew up in Addington Road, Canning Town. He was educated at the nearby Star Lane Primary School in West Ham and after leaving school at 14, he worked as a messenger boy at the Regent Palace Hotel, pictured above.  
Read more

A home that Hatchard-Smith built: Lavender House

Image
Lavender House, one of no less than 50 houses in Budleigh Salterton designed by Hatchard-Smith   Instantly recognisable with their red and white decoration and their front doors set within brick arches, the houses built by architect William Hatchard-Smith (1887-1987) are still sought after and appreciated by their owners for their elegance and comfort, their sturdy construction and their attention to practical detail. Plans for one of the houses designed by Hatchard-Smith Lavender House, on Moorlands Road , is a four-bedroomed detached family residence built by Hatchard-Smith in the late 1920s when it was originally named Lavenderhay.   Set within what are described as beautifully landscaped gardens of approximately an acre it has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment programme while retaining much of the original charm and character. The stained glass memorial in Budleigh Sa
Read more