What do you think?
Rate this book
Artists of Great Bardfield: 'Great Bardfield Shows Beautfiul Things'
Published January 1, 2017
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Janet Dyson
2 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 17, 2026
I happened upon a bookshop in Great Bardfield whilst visiting with my friends for a weekend in the countryside earlier this year and wanted to learn more about the local area. This book was perfect and doing exactly that and I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the chapter on the contributions of the women artists. I even got to meet the author herself, wonderful!
July 13, 2018
On my recent trip to the village of Great Bardfield, Essex, I visited the ‘Between the Lines’ bookshop and purchased this book. As an aside, if you are visiting Great Bardfield because of your interest in Eric Bawden, Eric Ravilious and the other artists associated with Great Bardfield during the 1930s-60s, do make sure you visit this charming bookshop. I picked up this book and the guide ‘A walk around Great Bardfield’ when I was there.
The village of Great Bardfield would appeal to any English village enthusiast - it is surrounded by lovely Essex countryside, and it has an unusually large number of picturesque houses for its size - but its artistic history gives it a unique appeal.
This book includes a large number of paintings, prints and photographs, which does help contextualise the artistic history of the village. Unlike other ‘Great Bardfield’ texts I’ve read, interviews with the local citizens - and the children of some of the artists - have been included. Thus, the emphasis is more equally shared between the artists and the village in which they lived for those several productive mid-century decades.
I have a feeling that the journalist (from the Bolton Evening News, published 27th July 1955) might have made this up, but it’s too funny to not repeat:
First villager: Lot o’ peculiar folk knockin’ about.
Second villager: Aye, an’ a lot o’ peculiar pictures at this exhibition.
First villager: One I seed looked a bit mucky to me. It weren’t like what it said at all.
Second villager: It ain’t meant to be. It’s Art, that is.
The village of Great Bardfield would appeal to any English village enthusiast - it is surrounded by lovely Essex countryside, and it has an unusually large number of picturesque houses for its size - but its artistic history gives it a unique appeal.
This book includes a large number of paintings, prints and photographs, which does help contextualise the artistic history of the village. Unlike other ‘Great Bardfield’ texts I’ve read, interviews with the local citizens - and the children of some of the artists - have been included. Thus, the emphasis is more equally shared between the artists and the village in which they lived for those several productive mid-century decades.
I have a feeling that the journalist (from the Bolton Evening News, published 27th July 1955) might have made this up, but it’s too funny to not repeat:
First villager: Lot o’ peculiar folk knockin’ about.
Second villager: Aye, an’ a lot o’ peculiar pictures at this exhibition.
First villager: One I seed looked a bit mucky to me. It weren’t like what it said at all.
Second villager: It ain’t meant to be. It’s Art, that is.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews