Sunday 26 August 2012

Peasant Art Trail, Heritage Weekend 2012 - More info

I have had a few enquiries about the length and terrain of the walk on the 9th September 2012, and the easiest way to describe it is to show a map of the route.

We start off at St Christopher's Church, Haslemere's magnificent Arts and Crafts church where Frankie Gaiter will give a brief overview of the main points of interest, including the Vineyard Poplin which I have blogged on previously, made by the St Edmundsbury Weavers.

We then leave to walk across to Kings Road.  This is a reasonably short walk as you can see from the Google map below (with the scale in the left hand bottom corner), but we go across a railway footbridge that is a bit of a climb.  As we leave Kings Road and go into Foundry Lane we begin to go up a reasonably steep slope.  As we leave Foundry Lane to go up a footpath and steps to Longdene Road we go up a very steep slope, which would leave any non-Olympians breathless!  It's unlikely we will be walking very quickly at this point.

As you can see we 'finish' at Longdene Road, which is not where we started.  So to return to a car etc. the steps can be retraced back to St Christopher's Church, or alternatively you could continue down the more gentle slope of Longdene Road, which ends opposite Haslemere train station and turn left onto the B2131 which is called 'Weyhill' in the map below.

Haslemere Peasant Art Trail route
9th September 2012


I choose not to post current day photographs of the Peasant Arts houses on my blog as they are people's private homes.  However below is a little map of the houses referred to in my blog which we will be loitering outside on the walk.  Those in white are buildings designed by Francis Troup.

Haslemere Peasant Arts buildings

Thursday 23 August 2012

Peasant Art Trail, Haslemere Heritage Weekend, 9th Sept 2012

In conjunction with the forthcoming Heritage Open Days, I will be leading a Peasant Art Trail on Sunday 9th September at 2.30pm.  The walk is listed in the Haslemere Heritage Open Days leaflet.

The walk will be around Haslemere's Arts and Crafts buildings located on the Kings Road, Foundry Lane and Longdene Road, all of which are closely linked with the works of the Peasant Arts movement that I detail on this blog.  The trail will begin in St Christophers Church, that I have also written on in this blog, which is a fine example of the Arts and Crafts movement.  The trail will be a repeat of the two Peasant Arts Walks that I ran in May 2012 for the Haslemere Society.

Haslemere Heritage Weekend 9th September 2012
Peasant Art Trail details


Fingers crossed I have some people to take on my trail!

Borough loses noted craftsmen, a gifted personality

I keep on returning to Arthur Romney Green.  After discovering that his workshop still exists in Haslemere, and that it is next door to my house(!) I have found some additional articles on Arthur Romney Green.  His obituary from Christchurch Times (3 March 1945) gives a good overview of his life, and the title of the article "Borough loses noted craftsmen, a gifted personality" conveys a great respect for his talents:

"A GREAT loss has been sustained by his friends in the artistic world, and the Borough generally, by the death, following a cycle accident, of a sailor, poet and craftsman, Mr. Arthur Romney Green, of 3, Bridge Street.


Arthur Romney Green,
Christchurch Times, 3 March 1945


"Mr. Green had lived at Christchurch for the past 25 years, and had been noted for the exhibitions of his work in furniture design at the Bournemouth Arts Club shows.  He also lectured on crafts to the Literature and Art Society.  To a visitor passing down Bridge Street, the name of A. Romney Green, woodworker and designer, displayed above his little shop, conveyed little or nothing.  Yet few could fail to be attracted by the examples of carpentry conspicuous within.

"It was there that Mr. Green lived and modelled from walnut, pine, cedar and other woods for many years.  Graduated from Cambridgewith mathematical honours, he had since distinguished himself in the annals of carpentery and his work is recognised all over the country.  A Batchelor of Arts, Mr. Green had for some years carried on teaching in South Africa.  Quite recently he broadcast from the B.B.C. on the lighter side of his  profession.  It was his second broadcast within six months: his first transmission in May attracted a hundred letters.  His furniture, which he made himself, is all designed geometrically and worked out with mathematical accuracy, which he considered enhanced its beauty.  His combined workshop and residence is a veritable storehouse of every conceivable piece of furniture of a quality which indicates the touch of a master  craftsman.  Adorning his walls and strewn amongst finished models, are illustrations and pictures connected with his profession.
Arthur Romney Green c. 1920s (in the dark jacket on the doorstep)
from Elkin, Susan, Life to the Lees, Cromwell Press, 1998

"Mr. Green had every reason to be proud of his handiwork.  Examples had been exhibited with the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, and through the medium of the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Education, in international exhibitions at Paris. Milan and St. Louis.  A strange but interesting aspect of his career was that despite the wide spread popularity of his work he had never travelled a great deal. The quality of his work  was so recognised that prospective buyers willingly came to him and not he to them.  His many clients since the last war included several Peers.

"One of the most beautiful examples of his creative art was a lectern modelled in yew and chestnut for the war memorial of St Georges School, Hartington.  Undertakings had also been received from Charterhouse School.  Examples of his fine work can be seen locally.  The lectern and oak wood work of the Lady Chapel of the Priory Church was carried out by Mr. Green and his staff.  He also made furniture for the late Eric Gill, sculptor and scribe, with whom he had been associated in some of his work.

"His business was not entirely immune from the effects of war.  Despite the fact that as a small working master he had experienced an acute staff shortage, the standard of his work still maintained its high level. It was his firm belief that the authorities should do all they could to foster the formation of these small workshops after the war in order to develop that creative impulse so prevalent in British people.

"A native of Strand-on-the-Green, Middlesex, he leaves one surviving daughter, his wife having died two years ago.  His brother, a well-known architect, Mr. W. Curtis Green, R.A., whose designs included those for the Dorchester Hotel, London.

"Another of Mr. Green's interests was financial reform, in connection with which he had corresponded with Lord Keynes and contributed to the “New English Weekly.

"The interment took place at the Christchurch Cemetery on Saturday, February 24th. the service being conducted by the Rev. Woodhams.  The family mourner was the brother of Mr. Green, Mr. Curtis Green.  Also present were: Mrs. Leslie Goodwin, Mrs. Garle, Mr. Julian Taylor, Mr. A. Scott and Mr. and Mrs. F.D. Lane."

Friday 3 August 2012

Weaving and Rambling


I have recently acquired an old guidebook to Haslemere, The Rambler's Guide to Haslemere, Hindhead and District, and I was interested to see the advert on the opening front leaf of the book for the Haslemere Weaving Industry.  There is no publication date, but it is probably c. 1928, judging from the statement that "this industry, established over 30 years" and the reference to "the late Mrs Maude E. King" later in the book.

Haslemere Weaving Industry advert from
The Rambler's Guide to Haslemere, Hindhead and District
Under a section titled 'Industry' the guidebook reads "The idea of keeping alive traditional handicrafts in the vital industries and bringing art into the service, not only of luxury, but of every-day life has inspired various activities and workers in Haslemere for more than a generation.  It still persists in various ways,notably in the Hand-weaving Industries of the Peasant Arts Society in King's Road and of the Inval Weavers.  The former, founded in 1895 by the late Mrs Maude E. King, specializes in linen and cotton textiles; the latter are famed for their woollen materials, especially dress fabrics; but each can show a wide range and variety of beautiful weavings, which visitors can always see being woven and worked up".

Haslemere map from
The Rambler's Guide to Haslemere, Hindhead and District
with the Weaving Industry labelled as number 10
from
The Rambler's Guide to Haslemere, Hindhead and District





Haslemere adverts from
The Rambler's Guide to Haslemere, Hindhead and District

Electricity advert from
The Rambler's Guide to Haslemere, Hindhead and District






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