‘DARLING EDITH…’ by Volunteer Christine Mason

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Rex Whistler, Salisbury Museum, volunteer

‘Darling Edith’ at leisure. (Painting by Rex Whistler in The Salisbury Museum collection)

Last week, Volunteer Christine Mason wrote for us about the remarkable story of her involvement with the museum’s Rex Whistler archive. Thanks to this talented lady, some of the Whistler story is spreading far and wide…

Nothing of what happened throughout 2018 in preparation for the show would have been possible without the help, enthusiasm and encouragement of Louise Tunnard, and it was a gamble for her, as if the event wasn’t a success the museum stood to lose money.

I planned that there should be two readers, male and female, and I was very fortunate that two professional actor friends, Jill Fenner and Edward Halsted, expressed interest, so it was up to me to produce a script that would appeal to them. I started, naturally, by reading every item in the correspondence section of the archive, approximately 700 items, but of those 700, although some were just a single sheet, others were six or more pages long.  I selected about 59 possibilities to work on.  In the case of transcripts I could photocopy them to take home, but for the originals the photographs on Modes had to be retrieved, and here I was greatly indebted to volunteer David Balston for doing that.  Bearing in mind always that the performance had to be strictly of an hour’s duration was a good discipline when it came to editing the letters.  The first lines to go were the apologies that began almost every letter.  I have said that Whistler was a reluctant letter writer, and his correspondents always had to wait a long time for replies, even when commissions were being offered.  Repetition, references to people or events unknown today also disappeared.  Finally 27 letters and one envelope made up the script.  Once the shape was in place I had to provide a linking narrative, and decide on the division of the letters between the readers, which was roughly that the female would read letters addressed to women and the male those to men, but this was not strictly adhered to.  The title, ‘Darling Edith and others’ was arrived at by Louise and me over a lunchtime sandwich, and she designed the attractive poster advertising the event.  So with the script done, and timed with helpful friends reading aloud with me, copies were sent to the actors, who fortunately were both enthusiastic about it.

Soon after the script was completed, I was stewarding in the Henry Lamb exhibition, and one of the visitors was Katherine Olivier, the great-niece of the Darling Edith of the title.  We talked, and she said she lived in America so would not be able to come to the performance, but at her request I sent her a copy of the script, which she reviewed very kindly and positively.

With the script completed and accepted, I then had to think about the staging, bearing in mind the limitations of the Lecture Hall as a performance venue, with its very low stage making for difficult sightlines, and the lack of effective lighting.  Any staging, however minimal, is a costly business.  Both actors had offered to waive their fees, but this could not be allowed.  Louise negotiated with Edward’s agent, and Jill’s costs and other expenses were sponsored.  These included a dress being made to a 1930s pattern for Jill, and a donation to Salisbury Playhouse for the loan of furnishings, for which they generously had made no charge, and had given me a freehand to pick anything I wanted even including a vase of artificial flowers from the theatre’s foyer.  Other items to dress the set and genuine 1930s jewellery were scrounged from friends.  A superb copy of the self-portrait held by the museum was made, and two personal items from the archive also helped dress the set, Whistler’s Welsh Guard’s cap and the drinks flask he carried.

About two months before the date of the show, Jill and Edward came to Salisbury for a rehearsal one Saturday when the Lecture Hall was not in use.  This was our only rehearsal before the actual day, and all other notes and directions were conducted by e-mail between the three of us, but I could not have wished for more co-operative and amenable colleagues.

On the morning of 7^th December we were to rehearse and set the stage, so it was disconcerting to arrive and find a decorated, artificial Christmas tree on the acting area and the hall bedecked with totally inappropriate bunting.  Fortunately, Jill’s partner who worked for years backstage at the Coliseum for English National Opera, removed the bunting with Wagnerian thoroughness, but his fight with the Christmas tree was more in the style of opera comique, and apologies if the tree was never the same again.

To our great relief the evening was completely sold out, and the performance went smoothly.  It had to end with a black-out, which was difficult to do, so I hid on stage behind a screen before the audience arrived, and Louise joined me after her introduction.  We had to have four hands on four switches to achieve the black-out, and we had been unable to synchronise this at the afternoon’s rehearsal, but by a miracle we managed it when it mattered.

It is very gratifying, that after so many months’ work by everyone involved, ‘Darling Edith and Others’ will be seen again.  Lewes Little Theatre, Sussex, with a suitable donation to the museum, has programmed it into their next season as a Sunday afternoon foyer performance on 31^st May 2020, so if you missed it in Salisbury. . .

Christine Mason 

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PROMOTING THE REX WHISTLER ARCHIVE by Volunteer Christine Mason

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Rex Whistler, Salisbury Museum, volunteer

One of Rex Whistler’s paintings in the museum collection. Edith Olivier in garden of Daye House 1942

The artist Rex Whistler, 1905-1944, is less well known than his contemporary Eric Ravilious, 1903-1942.  One only has to look at the greetings cards in the museum shop to realise that.  Both were killed in World War II, both at the age of 39, and at the height of their powers with so much more to give.  Salisbury Museum is in a unique position to promote Rex Whistler’s work to a wider audience.

There have been retrospective exhibitions of Whistler, notably the Army Museum 1994, Brighton Art Gallery 2006 and Salisbury Museum 2013.  Whistler’s younger brother, Laurence, amassed a huge archive of everything and anything connected with his sibling, and this remained with the family after Laurence’s own death, and was purchased by the museum after the 2013 exhibition.  It is the most appropriate home for it, as a few years before his death Whistler had taken a lease on 69 The Close, a near neighbour of the museum.

As a volunteer steward at the 2013 exhibition, I was invited to an evening’s viewing of part of the archive soon after its arrival.  This was heaped on the tables in the Meetings Room, and it was almost impossible to pick out what to look at first, and the Director assured us it was only a small sample of the whole collection, which had never been fully catalogued.  In the five years since then, and most importantly, almost everything has been stored in protective sleeves where necessary, and proper storage boxes.  Where Laurence had put items into manila envelopes or similar, the contents have been removed, and the envelopes kept and added to the records, as they often provide clues on what they previously held.  The cataloguing continues, and the collection has been photographed.  As the cataloguing records are completed in longhand in pencil, the details are then transferred to Modes.

The cost of holding the archive did not stop with its purchase.  The materials for its protection are expensive, and some of the original works of art are in need of conservation, having been kept in unsuitable conditions or folded when they should have been stored flat.

The archive is, of course, available to bona fide researchers, and the Talking Objects scheme adopted by the museum during summer months, has given a wider public a taste of Whistler’s enormous talent in portraiture, mural painting, book illustration, film and theatre design, advertising, etc., etc.  This small selection also includes photographs and some of his correspondence, he being a reluctant but skilled letter writer, even though his spelling was always wobbly.

Initially I was asked to give an illustrated talk to fellow volunteers, which I did.  Subsequently I took this talk to an outside group, and a generous cheque was sent by them to the museum, and further bookings are in the pipeline with the possibility of more fees for the museum.

This gave me the idea of using the archive as performance matter, rather than lecture material, and early in 2018 it was agreed that something along those lines could be programmed into the museum’s events calendar.  I was given the date of 7^th December to work towards, and I decided to base the evening on the correspondence tracing Whistler’s life from a 12 year old boy just starting at boarding school, through his work and the high society life of the 20s and 30s to his army service with the Welsh Guards from 1940 until his death in 1944.

This fascinating account of a Volunteer’s interest becoming a public performance is continued next week… Thank you Christine!

Alan Clarke in Print

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Photo archive, Salisbury, Salisbury Museum, Sarum Chronicle, volunteer

Our own Alan Clarke (Salisbury Museum Volunteer, archivist of our Photograph Collection) has a wonderful article (with accompanying photos, courtesy of Salisbury Museum) in the latest edition of Sarum Chronicle (Issue 18:2018). It is entitled Salisbury High Street 1853.

It nicely complements our new exhibition The Origins of Photography in Salisbury 1839 – 1919, open to the public 19 January to 4 May.

Alan says in his article “The thing I enjoy about old photographs is discovering the information hidden within them.” We know Alan, and always enjoy it when you share your discoveries with us!

Sarum Chronicle is on sale in the Museum shop at £8.95 and available to Volunteers at the usual discount.

THE PHOTO ARCHIVE by Volunteer Alan Clarke

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Museum, Photo archive, volunteer

Salisbury Museum image archive is now becoming really useful to people.  We have around a million images but the real strength is being able to find the images that people want.  Robert Key was interested in images that included him.  Within a few minutes we could show him around 300.  Another request was for haymaking in the Harnham meadows using horses.

The image above was quickly found.  It had been scanned years ago but it now had the following metadata within the jpeg file:

1920  Herbert Sloper holding lead horse.

John Wills second from right leaning on pitchfork

Large B&W negative 2187   Ref no 5113    73/1989

Haymaking with horses.  Cathedral in background.

Some of this information had been transcribed from the reverse of the print, some extra had been added by the volunteer doing the transcribing.  Once this information has been added to the image file, it can be digitally searched.  I am waiting for someone to ask, “Have you any photos of my farming relative Herbert Sloper and his friend John Wills?”

Some volunteers are scanning prints, some scanning negatives.  Others are adding metadata by looking at the images.  Another area not to be forgotten is adding to the image collection items from today.  What would be of interest to people in say 100 years’ time?  And importantly, what metadata should be added to the image file?  Already some of my friends only take High Definition videos, in that, if you want any stills, you can take them from the video.  I would expect that in 100 years’ time there will only be 3D videos with smell as well as sound etc.

I took the photograph below the other day as I thought it of interest.  Gravestones are often removed after 100 years; the land being wanted for a road, railway, houses or such.

Did you know that the green around the Cathedral was once a graveyard but all the gravestones were removed leaving us with those lovely green lawns?

What interested me was that I knew nothing about a pioneer metallurgist called Wilfred Hanby; born 15th October 1892, died 18th March 1990 in his 98^th year.  His gravestone looks rather neglected.  Probably because he had out-lived most of his friends.

Using Google, I found Wilfred Hanby married Stella Beatrice Hanby (born Booth).  Stella was born on April 23rd 1896.  They had one child.

I also found that he had written a 127 page book in 1920.

Metals in Aircraft Construction by Wilfred Hanby

PIBN   10531470

ISBN   978-1-333-65333-0

ISBN (Cloth)  978-0-332-51933-3

Published by The Standard Air Press Ltd.

It gives his qualifications as:

Member of the Institute of Metals; Associate Fellow of the Aeronautical Institute of Great Britain; Member of the Faraday Society; Associate of the Institution of Electrical Engineers; Member of the American Steel Treaters’ Society, etc., etc.

In his book there is a forward by L. BLIN DESBLEDS*.  I reproduce the forward here as at this time of 100 years since WW1 Armistice it seems so appropriate.

“In November, 1918, when the Armistice was signed, which brought to an end the European War, it became evident that many young men would require intensive technical training in order to complete the engineering education they had commenced, and which, at the Nation’s call they were, for the time being, forced to abandon.  At this juncture the Aeronautical Institute of Great Britain undertook the establishment of courses in Aeronautical Engineering specially designed to meet the needs of a number of them.  One of such courses—the fourth one—was held for the benefit of members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and, in connection with this course, Mr Wilfred Hanby, a recognized master of his subject, was good enough to give, in the summer of 1919, a series of lectures, on Aircraft Metals, which form the basis of the present volume.”

I have added all the above information to the gravestone image and it has entered the archives.  Maybe someone will use the archive in their research and complete the story of how a pioneer metallurgist, Wilfred Hanby, came to be buried in Salisbury’s London Road cemetery.

Alan Clarke

14 November 2018

• In 1926, L. Blin Desbleds submitted to the Imperial Conference a plan to link up the British Empire by air with a series of “floating island” airports. Look him up on Google! Thank you for such an interesting blog Alan.

 

WITCHES, WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC IN SALISBURY by Volunteer Alan Crooks

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Museum, Terry Pratchett, volunteer, Witchcraft

In addition to this being Hallowe’en week, I was further inspired to write this piece on seeing the Scold’s (or witch’s) Bridle being displayed in the foyer, as part of the ‘Wicked Wessex display (Fig 1). A bridle was placed over a suspected witch’s head so they were unable to speak, especially so they were unable to place a curse on anyone. The accompanying information says that Salisbury has two reported witch hangings, that of Anne Bodenham – ‘the Wiltshire witch’ – in 1653 and widow ‘Goody’ Orchard in 1658.

Fig. 1. Scold’s or Witch’s Bridle

This reminded me of the legend of the Handsel sisters, three Danish girls who arrived in Wilton in 1737, their arrival coinciding, unfortunately, with an outbreak of smallpox which killed 132 people in the town. The sisters were branded as witches, bludgeoned to death and buried in separate graves. Nowadays one can see three distinctive beech trees, which were either planted, or mysteriously appeared, over their graves on Broad Drive in Grovely Wood, the far-end one being on Grims Ditch, an Iron-Age boundary. Figure 2 shows one of these trees, festooned with clouties¹.

Fig.2 One of the ‘witch trees’ in Grovely Wood

Also of interest to me, in the current ‘Hoards’ exhibition, is a hollow flint stone containing gold coins (staters), part of the Westerham Hoard from Kent (Fig 3).

Fig. 3. Hollow flint nodule containing gold staters (Iron Age)

This reminded me of an artefact known as a geode or aetite.

Colleagues will be aware that I have been researching the ‘alchemist’ of St Thomas’ Church, Salisbury², and believe that there’s a sporting chance that, if he’s not apocryphal (as has been suggested to me by a respected academic historian) that this could have been the astrological physician, Simon Forman, who was born in Quidhampton in 1552. Forman left Salisbury in 1589 in order to practice medicine in London but little is known of his life in Salisbury beyond what he himself has written in his ‘Autobiography’ and ‘Diary’ (1564-1602). From these we know that he attended schools in Salisbury and Wilton and for several years was apprenticed to one Matthew Commins, a general dealer from whom Forman learned what J.K. Rowling described in the Harry Potter books as ‘herbology’. Among his other wares, Commins sold drugs and ingredients for compounding medicines.

Forman attended Oxford University as a ‘poor scholar’ and, on his return, worked as a school master in several schools. He lived in several places in Salisbury including a house in St Thomas’ churchyard, but it was while living in the parsonage of Fisherton Anger that he claimed to have discovered his ‘miraculous powers’ of being able to call up spirits, and thus acquired a reputation as a necromancer. He also began practicing medicine, physic and surgery and, in his Diary for 1581, wrote that he “cured the fellowe of Quidhampton of  the king’s evill”³,

 In his Diary Forman writes for 1583, “The 17th of December I had my ring mad with the egles stone.”.

An Italian scholar, priest, astrologer, Marsilo Ficino (1433-1499) wrote that the Eagle’s Stone is used to ease the pain of childbirth, and ascribes this ability to the astrological influence of the planet Venus and the Moon. Furthermore,   Occult Physick, (1660) notes of eagle stones,   “It is good to be worn for the Stone… Feavers and Plague. It doth also dissolve the knobs of the Kings Evil (i.e. scrofula), being bound to the place grieved”.

 Encyclopaedias inform us that eagle stones were nodules of iron oxide, called aetites, which rattled when shaken.

I contacted the Museum of Witchcraft at Boscastle to enquire whether they had an example of an Eagle Stone, especially one set in a ring as described by Simon Forman. They replied that they don’t but “we do have an object which we believe is an eagle stone as it rattles when moved and is a large seed or nut” (Fig 4.).

Fig. 4. Eagle Stone (Museum of Witchcraft, Boscastle)

The Museum of Witchcraft informed me of what one Cecil Williamson had to say about eagle stones:

“EAGLE STONES. Tradition has it that Eagles placed one or more of these stones (they are in fact a nut having an exceedingly tough outer skin protecting the inner fruit). When shaken the inner fruit can be heard to rattle against the hard outer shell in their nests. It was believed that the reason for the Eagles action lay in the fact, that without the Eagle Stone the eggs would not hatch. To obtain an Eagle Stone was no light undertaking consequently they were held in high esteem. In many places it was believed that if an expectant mother were to strap an Eagle Stone to her thigh, that it would help to give an easy delivery for her child.”

This is pertinent as  there was a predominance of women among the patients who consulted Simon Forman in his London practice, and about 12 percent of those in the appropriate age group consulted him over issues related to childbirth or to their reproductive systems,

During his time in Salisbury, Simon Forman was frequently in trouble with the law, his main bête noir being the JP, Giles Estcourt. On one occasion, in 1579, Forman was sent to gaol for 60 weeks, apparently on the grounds of practising magic or for some involvement with the occult. On another occasion the judges at the Lent Assizes bound him over to abstain from his quackery.

Certainly many of Forman’s activities and interests of the time would quite possibly come under the umbrella of ‘witchcraft’. Following the Terry Pratchett: HisWorld’ exhibition in this Museum last year, we are familiar with the teenage trainee witch, Tiffany Aching (Fig 5), being involved with issues such as childbirth and end-of-life care. For example, in Pratchett’s book, ‘I Shall Wear Midnight’ Tiffany is called upon to assist when a pregnant thirteen-year old miscarries after being assaulted by her violent, alcoholic father, Tiffany uses ‘hedge-magic’ to relieve the girl’s pain before burying the foetus.

Fig. 5. Tiffany Aching (Book cover of ‘The Shepherd’s Crown’, Paul Kidby)

 It is of interest to me, considering Forman’s interests and activities around the occult, that his punishments were not more serious than imprisonment. For example, contemporary with Simon Forman’s time in Salisbury, a canon, Leonard Bilson, was living in a house in The Close, now replaced by Arundell’s. In 1562 he was pilloried on charges of magic and sorcery is said to have been still in prison in 1571⁴.

 

 

Notes and References

 

1. Cloutie, A Prayer tie, Traditionally they were small pieces of cloth, tied around the affected area that were infused with the energy of something malign, such as a skin blemish (e.g. a wart), pain, or even an unwanted lover.
2. I wrote more extensively about ‘The Alchemist of St. Thomas’ Church in a blog dated 29^th August, 2017.
3. King’s Evil. Scrofula or a tuburculous swelling of the glands of the neck. Traditionally, since the time of Edward the Confessor (11^th Century), it was thought to be curable by the ‘Royal touch’.
4. Arundell’s. Salisbury Cathedral Close Preservation Society website.  accessed 30/10/2018.

 

Box Maker Has Had Enough!

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Museum, volunteer

Volunteer Mary Crane – Box Maker Extraordinaire…

has had enough (so she says – I bet she’ll be back!)

Thanks Mary!

 

THE DOWNTON BOROUGH MACE researched by Volunteer Alan Crooks

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Downton, Museum, volunteer

Visiting The White Horse inn at Downton recently, I was intrigued to see on the wall a photograph commemorating the Coronation of Her Majesty,  Queen Elizabeth II (Fig 1). I was intrigued on two counts. Firstly, the date of the coronation was given as 1952 whereas, as we all know, King George VI died in 1952, but the Queen was not crowned until the following year. I am sure that the legend to the photograph was just a careless mistake.

Fig. 1. Photograph in the bar of The White Horse, Downton

The second cause for intrigue was the statement that the mace is kept in Salisbury Museum, as I had never noticed it. A cursory poll of my colleagues indicated that neither had they, although eventually Tony Harris said he thought it was in storage.

Eventually, Alan Clarke tracked it down. It is in storage in the Museum, and Alan was able to provide me with some photographs (Figs 2-8).

Fig 2. The Downton Borough Mace

By way of definition, a ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high official in civic ceremonies, by a mace-bearer. It is intended to represent the official’s authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the original use of the mace as a weapon, intended to protect the King’s person. It was borne by a royal bodyguard known as the Sergeant-at-Arms.

The use of the mace as a civic device, still carried by a Sergeant-at-Arms, began around the middle of the 13^th Century.

As described in Fig.1, the Downton Borough mace was made by a London silversmith in 1713 and carries the Duncombe Coat of Arms (Fig. 3). It was given by the borough MPs.

Fig. 3. The Duncombe Coat of Arms on the flange of the mace head.

The Duncombes were one of four great famiies who came to dominate the Downton area, the others being the Eyres, the Pleydell-Bouveries and later, the Nelsons. Several members of the Nelson family are buried in the graveyard of nearby Standlynch Chapel.

Sir Charles Duncombe (1648-1711) was an English banker and politician who served as a Conservative Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London. He was Receiver of the Customs for both Charles II and James II, and made a fortune in banking. Even as a young man he was lending money, even to the King. These were often for large amounts; one loan was for£31,600 and another, £50,000, the equivalent of several million pounds at the start of the millennium! However, when James II fled to France in 1688, Duncombe refused him a loan of £1500 to aid his escape.

Later in life Duncombe was said to be worth £400,000 and died the richest commoner in England. He is thought to have owned three-quarters of the burgages* in Downton at the time of his death in 1711.

Charles Duncombe was elected MP in 1685 and represented Hedon and Yarmouth (Isle of Wight as well as Downton, being MP for Downton several times between 1695 and his death in 1711. He was knighted in 1699.

Sir Charles Duncombe was unmarried so his nephew Anthony inherited his Downton estates, at the age of 16. Anthony Duncombe was later ennobled as Lord Feversham, Baron of Downton.

Another Coat of Arms on the flange of the mace is that of the Eyre family (Fig. 4)

Fig 4. Eyre Coat of Arms

The Eyre Coat of Arms can also be seen on a funeral hatchment in St Thomas’ Church, Salisbury.

Other details from the mace head flange are shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Figures 5 and 6. Details from the mace flange

A further detail on the mace, which looks like a Royal Coat of Arms, bears the motto of the Order of the Garter, Honi soit qui mal y pense, (‘May he be shamed who thinks badly of it’) (Fig. 7).

Fig 7. Detail from the mace

I have not seen the mace personally to notice where this detail is situated but an entry in Wikipedia says that “Early in the 15^th Century the flanged end of the mace (the head of the war mace) was carried uppermost, with the small button bearing the royal arms in the base”.

Figure 8 shows the Downton Mace in procession down Minster Street, Salisbury

Fig. 8 Downton Mace in procession

*A burgage (in England and Scotland) is a tenure by which land or property in a town  was held in return for service or annual rent.

 

Salisbury Miscellany – talk by Volunteer Alan Clarke

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Museum, Salisbury, Stonehenge, volunteer

About fifty Volunteers recently enjoyed Alan Clarke’s ‘Salisbury Miscellany’ – a look at some of the museum’s photographic collection, one of our regular Collections in Focus talks.

Here are some of the photos he showed us, and a few which we didn’t see:

Alan started with this one of himself – the horse is about to be decapitated! Notice Alan’s expression!!

A favourite – the earliest known photo of Salisbury

Repairs to the spire, early 1950s. Where are the hard hats, hi-viz jackets, harnesses?

!!!!!!!!

An early photo of Stonehenge, with repairs to make….

Alan pointed out that, over the centuries, pretty much every stone must have had to be re-erected at some time.

How did they move those stones in the past? Interesting reconstruction here..

There have been endless efforts to work out how it was all done. This one is from the 1970s.

Thank you Alan!

Collections in Focus Lecture: A Salisbury Miscellany in Images

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Collections, Museum, volunteer, Volunteers

Volunteer Event

Wednesday 10 October 10.30 – noon

An old friend to these pages – Volunteer Alan Clarke –  will be using some of our archive photographs to tell us stories of old Salisbury. No need to book. Tea, coffee and cake included.

Here is a reminder of some of the gems he has offered us in recent times:

 

Discovery Tuesday!

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Art, Discovery Tuesdays, Museum, volunteer, Volunteers

Discovery Tuesdays have been a hit again this year. We have had everything from music to lanterns, and today it has been printing – with vegetables! Many youngsters might well say that dipping cauliflower in paint to create clouds on the page is the best thing to do with it!

Thank you to those who bring the children, to the incredibly creative people who put on the activities, and to you, the Volunteers, without whom the events could not happen!

Volunteer Catherine O’Sullivan cleans paint off aprons!

Here is a contented grandmother who said Discovery Tuesday meant her grand-daughter had a rest from her for the day!

Alex Hoare, helping the youngsters in this photo, has organised and led this activity. She is a very talented artist (with and without vegetables) and specialises in glass. Thank you Alex for spending the day with us.