I lived and worked in Bristol for around thirty-five years and obviously have many memories of my life there.
One vivid one was visiting an old friend – now departed – who was a clergyman based at All Saints Church in Clifton. It was where I first saw the brilliance of the late artist John Piper.
The original Victorian church was bombed in the Second World War, and only part of it was left standing. That was to be incorporated into a new church, and on 26 September 1962, the Parochial Church Council approved the suggestion of the architect, Robert Potter, that John Piper be invited to design the new windows.
He came up with two novel ideas for creating windows representing the “Tree of Life” and the “River of Life”
Quoting from the church’s website: https://www.allsaintsclifton.org/Groups/296406/The_Piper_Windows.aspx
“These are not stained glass windows. Piper described these windows as being rather ‘like painting on canvas’ and that they should be ‘painted in situ’. The fibreglass ‘canvas’ was created by Gillespie Associates in Farnham. Onto this Piper poured the coloured resins, creating large sections without the use of ‘leads’, even where colours changed.”
They are beautiful examples of the man’s incredible talent, although best known for his paintings and drawings. As an official War Artist, he even came to Bath.
My husband spotted on the internet that a major exhibition of his work – depicting the landscape and architecture of Wiltshire and Dorset – was currently running at the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes.
I haven’t been to this historic market town for some time. I seem to remember, back in HTV days, filming the Wadworth shire horses – the drays that pulled the beer wagon around the town. I read they were retired last year.
The exhibition continues until June 6th, then moves to the Museum and Art Gallery in Swindon from July 4th.
I thoroughly recommend a visit!
I also want to ‘talk up’ the town. Visit Wiltshire https://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/towns-and-villages/devizes-p476493
describes it as: A historic market town with a colourful Medieval past, wealth of history and architectural heritage with more than 500 listed buildings and a large Market Place in the heart of the town.
This can all be enjoyed as you discover the wide range of traditional independent shops or peruse the Thursday market. Whatever your reason for visiting Devizes, there is a lot to explore.
The Wiltshire Museum is a great visitor attraction, as is Wadworth’s Brewery, and not forgetting the ” 29 locks of the Caen Hill flight on the Kennet and Avon canal, a triumph of Georgian engineering.”
All in all, a great morning!
