One so often hears Birmingham put down for its lack of culture that it is refreshing to be able to post something positive. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is part of the University Campus and houses a surprisingly rich collection of painting and sculpture in a building which itself is of interest.

Founded in 1932 by Dame Martha Constance Hattie Barber in memory of her husband, Sir William Henry. Housed in a Grade II listed Art Deco building designed by Robert Atkinson, it was officially opened by Queen Mary in 1939. The Institute has a concert hall/theatre with a programme of concerts throughout the year and is notable for it’s beautifully craftsmen-finished interior.

Described by the Observer as “one of the finest small galleries in Europe” the collection includes Monet, Manet, and Magritte; Renoir, Rubens, Rossetti and Rodin; Degas, Delacroix and van Dyck — not to mention Botticelli, Poussin, Turner, Gainsborough, Gauguin, van Gogh, Picasso, Hodgkin… and stages touring exhibitions with many of the national galleries.

Call in before 24th June you will see “Pugin, Durer and the Gothic” and pick up a Pugin Bicentenary trail leaflet and follow a walking tour of Birmingham’s High Victorian Gothic Architecture.

If you are travelling by train, get off at University – close to the Botanic Gardens too. A lovely day out suggests itself……

Birmingham – more culture than is generally acknowledged!

Peasant Woman Digging by Van Gogh – part of the collection at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts

Printmaker and Textile Designer, Kate Farley, who will be showing at Tinsmiths next Summer, popped in to the shop recently to whet our appetite.  She brought with some of her latest printed books and bags all based growing and using food from the “plot”.  Kate, who lectures in printed textiles  at Birmingham University, will be working on designs for the exhibition which will include limited edition prints as well as textile designs.

At first glance her prints appear to use colour and forms in a fairly abstract manner, but on closer inspection imagery often draws on horticulture in an oblique way and has a charm of the familiar. We are really looking forward to working with her cloth in the showroom for curtains and cushions. If you would like to receive an invitation for this June exhibition or any in our annual programme, just e-mail us with your postal address.

For our ‘St judes at Tinsmiths’ exhibition, Ed Kluz has produced this enigmatic collage ‘Hope End’. Ed’s work is often related to architecture & of late Ed has become fascinated with lost houses & their stories. ‘Hope End’, the site of which is a couple of miles outside of Ledbury has a particularly interesting & romantic history.

John Claudius Loudon would appear to be the mind behind the marvel, a polymath whose interests included botany and whose work included designs for cemeteries and gardens. Loudon completed his remodeling of the Old Queen Ann house between in 1815.

In 1809 the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning moved to Hope End with her family. It is often said this residence was what inspired so many of her works, including the wonderful ‘Aurora Leigh’

‘Green the land is where my daily steps

In jocund childhood played,

Dimpled close with hill and valley,

Dappled very close with shade’

-An extract from ‘The Last Bower’

Published in 1844

The Loudon version of the main house was mostly demolished in 1873 and a new house was built on a different part of the estate. It would seem there have been as many as 5 homes built on the site all called Hope End, over the years.  Most recently Hope End House has been  popular as a smart bed and breakfast.

When you come to visit us at Tinsmiths, consider including a visit to nearby Hellens (as featured in this weekend’s telegraph colour supplement). Hellens is one of Herefordshire’s treasures, an ancient “lived-in” private house that has been valiantly fighting the ravages of time without loosing its charm and becoming “pickled”. From monastic dwelling to finery of Georgian life the house has some stories to tell and a variety of architectural styles as well. Visit it from Easter Sunday to September mid-week on Wednesday and Thursday or Sunday, Bank Holidays and Monday afternoons.

This is just the day, as it is about to snow, to talk about UK Wool. Wool is such a great fibre with very useful qualities; hard-wearing as an upholstery cloth, light and warm to wear. Natural wools are lovely in themselves and dyed fibres work well to give soft, mottled colours that are easier on the eye than fibres that take dye uniformly.

In the past wool has been an expensive alternative to linen or cotton, but, as prices have risen for these imported fibres, our home-grown wools are becoming a realistic option once again. Lengths of checked (I don’t think they qualify as tartans in the strict sense) and plains are leaving Tinsmiths to become curtains and to grace furniture, whilst others are perfect for clothing – see made to measure jacket (by Kate Hickson, Tinsmiths’ Shop Manager) below.

Our Woollen cloth section is set to follow Tinsmiths’ “Blanket and Throw” shop and swell in the forthcoming months, so look our for new woollen fabrics on the roll – UK farmed, spun, dyed and woven – wool is really worth a thought.

Above: top left: Moss Herringbone, top right: Wexford Berry, bottom left: Blanket by Wallace and Sewell, bottom right: Blankets by Sarah Tyssen.

Above: Woollen Jacket made by Kate Hickson