Now that nights are drawing in, why not discover more about art and local history with these live, interactive, online talks at Emery Walker’s House?
October 26th at 7pm William Simmonds, Arts & Crafts Puppets and Carvings
Sculptor William Simmonds played a particularly vital role in the Arts and Crafts movement between the two world wars when he emerged as a master of woodcarving, known for his exquisite oak, pine, ebony and ivory carvings of wild and domestic creatures. He earned his living by making puppets and became Europe’s most renowned puppet master. His wife Eve, a well-known embroiderer in her own right, made the puppets' costumes and accompanied the puppet shows on the spinet, playing early music and pieces by Cecil Sharp and Vaughan Williams. Simmonds’s artistic circle included Emery Walker, potters Alfred and Louise Powell, the architects Ernest Gimson, and the Barnsley brothers, to name just a few, all of whose work is in evidence at Emery Walker’s House, 7 Hammersmith Terrace, now open for guided tours, limited to just 6 visitors on Thursdays and Saturdays.
This talk will be given by Jessica Douglas-Home, author of William Simmonds: The Silent Heart of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Jessica trained at Chelsea School of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art as a painter, etcher and theatre designer. She has had one-man shows in London, Washington and Brussels, and has also designed productions for the National Theatre and other West End theatres.
November 17th at 7pm Ernest Gimson and Friends: Life and Letters
Plasterwork attributed to Gimson at Emery Walker's House
Ernest Gimson's career as an architect and designer is documented in a variety of sources, arguably, the most vivid being the letters he wrote to family and friends. This talk will outline Gimson's life and work through the medium of his correspondence with, among others, Katharine Adams, Ernest Barnsley, Sydney Cockerell, J. Paul Cooper, W. R. Lethaby, William and May Morris, and Philip Webb.
Annette Carruthers is co-author with Mary Greensted and Barley Roscoe of Ernest Gimson: Arts & Crafts Designer and Architect, published by Yale University Press in 2019. She and Barley are currently working on Gimson's letters.
These live, interactive talks are part of a programme of monthly events via Zoom organised by Emery Walker’s House Trust. Entry is by donation. Please prebook via Emerywalker.org.uk.
