NATURE IN ART - The First 2016 Outing of the South Midlands Area

My Whitley was re-united with a distant "cousin" when the South Midlands group met at Wallsworth Hall near Gloucester last weekend. Eight other club members (plus 2 of their friends) braved the freezing weather to start off the new club season in a very acceptable manner.

The distant "cousin" belonging to Ian Turland is a rather splendid ex AS Director's 18hp Station Coupe. It was too cold to spend much time examining the finer details and comparisons with my Whitley, however even a quick viewing brought out a few differences that do not appear to be listed in any literature I have come across.

Any thoughts of a formal classic art gallery were very soon dispelled at Wallsworth and replaced with the enjoyment of wandering around the various rooms and the gardens plus visiting the studio of "the artist in residence”. After an initial cup of coffee and an informal introductory talk about the history and objectives of the "Nature in Art Trust", which has been in existence for about 20 years, we were guided around the exhibits which ranged from a Roman mosaic of a young peacock, the Wildlife Photographer of the year entries (with the winner being a red fox attempting to eat an Arctic fox), numerous ceramics, wood carvings, tapestries and culminating in the many clever garden exhibits.

Wallsworth Hall is of Georgian origin built about 1753, as a wedding present for a new wife, with a few unusual features for houses of that period. The pillars either side of the front door have projecting blocks decorated with icicle patterns more usually found in grottos, whilst the ceiling of the entrance hall may look like standard plaster but is actually made of papier-mâché, which was added in the 19th century.

It was, of course, an AS meet so food and chat were high on the agenda. A light lunch plus catching up on events since our Christmas Lunch were enjoyed by all in a modern South-facing extension. Thereafter it was time to go our different ways looking forward to the next time!

Our thanks go to Ian Leighton-Boyce for all his efforts and arrangements that made the day a success.

Paul Coombs

Posted in Events on the 3rd March 2016 at 7:57pm.

Tags: South Midlands, Coupe