Overlooking the river Avon on the edge of Shakespeare’s Stratford, it is a place of surprising treasures, which reflect the tastes and memories of the Lucy family.
The exceptionally well preserved working spaces, the laundry, brewhouse and kitchen, give a taste of past activity, while the stables still hold the family carriage collection.
In the parkland, Jacob sheep and fallow deer roam across the landscape designed by 'Capability' Brown, while the formal parterre and shady woodland garden that Mary Elizabeth loved so dearly are a haven for pollinators.
'The Library of Memories' is a brand-new display situated in the upstairs room of the House and open to the public from March 2025. It showcases the writing of Mary Elizabeth Lucy, who lived at Charlecote Park in the Victorian era, and draws on themes of making and sharing memories. We seek to inspire visitors to share their memories with us, and with each other, and find new ways to relate to Charlecote’s past residents. The display focuses on a book from the library written by Mary Elizabeth Lucy, Grandmamma's Chapter of Accidents, that has not previously been displayed.
The Fry Public Art Gallery was opened in 1987 and houses an impressive number of paintings, prints, illustrations, wallpapers and decorative designs by artists of the 20th century and the present day who have local connections and have made a significant contribution to their field. There is an emphasis on those who for a variety of reasons settled in Great Bardfield between the early thirties of the last century and the death in 1983 of John Aldridge RA who had lived in the village for fifty years.
The Great Bardfield artists were a community of artists who lived and worked in and around the village of Great Bardfield in Essex from the 1930s to the 1970s. The community included artists like Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious, Charlotte Bawden, and Tirzah Garwood, among others. Their work often depicted the local countryside and village life, and the Fry Art Gallery was established to showcase their artistic contributions.
The Gallery is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and is delighted to have as guest curator of the exhibition in the main gallery Ella Ravilious, with a celebration of art and design depicting or made for the domestic space ‘Finding a Home at the Fry’. In the Gibson Room they are presenting an opportunity to view and buy a selection of works by Richard Bawden from the later period of his life in Hadleigh, Suffolk. ‘Richard Bawden: the Hadleigh Years’: runs from Saturday 26th July to Sunday 26th October 2025.
A statue of the Great Bardfield artists by Ian Wolter has recently been placed outside the Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden, Essex. The statue serves as a welcoming feature for visitors to the gallery, which houses a collection of art by these artists.
The Gallery is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and is delighted to have as guest curator of the exhibition in the main gallery Ella Ravilious, with a celebration of art and design depicting or made for the domestic space ‘Finding a Home at the Fry’. In the Gibson Room they are presenting an opportunity to view and buy a selection of works by Richard Bawden from the later period of his life in Hadleigh, Suffolk. ‘Richard Bawden: the Hadleigh Years’: runs from Saturday 26th July to Sunday 26th October 2025.
A statue of the Great Bardfield artists by Ian Wolter has recently been placed outside the Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden, Essex. The statue serves as a welcoming feature for visitors to the gallery, which houses a collection of art by these artists.
Other sculptures to be found nearby include:
- The 'Children of Calais' by Ian Wolter, which is a life-sized sculpture of six children in poses echoing 'The Burghers of Calais' by Auguste Rodin but dressed in contemporary clothing. One of the figures holds a life jacket in place of the city key held in Rodin’s original. The piece is designed to provoke debate about the inhumanity of our response to the children caught up in the current refugee crisis.
- 'Mary' by Tessa Hawkes. This sculpture at St Mary's Saffron Walden portrays Mary as a young and vulnerable woman, receiving the news from the angel Gabriel that she is to be the mother of Jesus, God's Son. The artist originally intended to portray Mary at a very early stage in the annunciation of a young girl completely bewildered but the eventual sculpture is of a later stage in the annunciation, one of acceptance whilst still a little bewildered.
The Fire Theft - Heaven.
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