On full view to the visitors is a wealth of beautiful objects created by artists influenced by C. R. Ashbee and his talented artisans of the Guild of Handicraft who came to our restful and honey-coloured town in 1902. The idyll was short-lived – most had to return to London – but those who stayed left a legacy which encouraged later artists to move here and continue to create beautiful handmade works of art.
Not on view – but equally important – is a wealth of archives which reveal information and stories about some of the artists, but also much about the residents of our town. Browsing through these boxes has proved to be an exciting and rewarding volunteering role for two eager researchers.
Court Barn’s archive rooms can hardly be described as spacious! Two tiny rooms for two rather tall people is a bit of a squash but the thrill of looking through boxes to gather fascinating information makes up for it. An old leather bag caught our attention which set us off on our first successful talk – about a gentleman called Fred Hart whom some of Chipping Campden’s residents will remember.
David Hart knew a great deal about his relative and was generous with more information and trusting us with his precious albums. Talking to residents who have good memories is rewarding, underlining how important it is to keep and maintain archives. We also paid a visit to Gloucester Record Office to mine their archives for more information. Their members of staff were friendly, helpful and we made several fascinating discoveries.
Having brought Fred into the limelight we were eager to mine our archives for further revelations – the more we dig, the more will be revealed. We are unearthing many photographs, letters, drawings, articles and objects, which are already inspiring us to research and produce more articles and illustrated talks.
People are very kind and eager to give us information. Archivists must able to distinguish between truth and flights of fancy, avoid prurient gossip, allow for spelling discrepancies and be confident that what they elicit is accurate. We will maintain these high standards in our research and continue with pleasure to provide more exciting stories about Court Barn’s small but brilliant collections.
