Trails of Discovery

Would you like to find out more about art, culture and history in your area? You can do this and share your knowledge with others by creating a Trail of Discovery.

Your subject might be an historic building, a garden, museum, place of worship, railway branch line, town or village, and you could be part of a small team or just work with a friend.

The trails encourage interest in an engaging way for people of all ages and can also be adapted for use by children with additional learning needs and people living with memory loss.

No experience is necessary to start a trail, just interest and enthusiasm!

To find our more, please contact Gordon Wright, Arts Society Kent Area Trails of Discovery Representative.

Project Spotlight: The Graham Sutherland Restoration

Our Heritage Volunteers do more than just preserve history; they build community ties. Recently, members Linda Cann and Sue Stephens worked alongside Gordon Wright (AS Kent Area Representative) on a special project to clean and restore the grave of artist Graham Sutherland in the Trottiscliffe churchyard.

Fulfilling a Final Wish

In collaborating with Sally Moss, a leading authority on the artist, the team discovered a deeply personal wish: Sutherland always hoped that primroses from Pembrokeshire would grow around his grave.

Sutherland had a profound connection to Pembrokeshire and was a frequent guest of Lord Hanning and Lady Marion Philipps at Picton Castle and his portraits of the Philipps family still hang in the Castle's Great Hall today.

Thanks to Roddy Milne, the Head Gardener at Picton Castle, a special delivery of primroses has been planted at the churchyard—connecting the landscapes that were so vital to his art with his final resting place.

Education

Beyond the physical restoration of the stone, the team have created some engaging new resources for the public including:

• A Sutherland Overview: Detailing his life, work, and local connection.
• The Churchill Portrait: A focused look at one of his most controversial and famous commissions.
  You can download these documents here.

Linda and Sue noted that they "greatly enjoyed being involved," highlighting that “Gordon's research and enthusiasm have been amazing!” and the project was a "great opportunity to meet people you'd otherwise never meet". If you would like to get involved in future heritage projects, we would love to have you!

Picture credit: Paul Britton:  L-R Sue Stephens, Linda Cann, Gordon Wright, Daphne Rowlands (Friends Of Trottiscliffe Church ), Sir Paul Britton (Vice President, National Churches Trust.)