CELEBRATING the creative people of Teesdale, past and present, is the focus of a new exhibition at the Fitzhugh Library, in Middleton-in-Teesdale.
Volunteers Kath Maddison said: “The theme for heritage days this year is creativity and so we decided on Teesdale Creators because there are so many.”
The exhibition features photographs, books, original paintings and poetry from creative Teesdale residents as well as pamphlets and press cuttings from various amateur dramatic societies, such as Cotherstone Dramatic Club and the Mad Mads.
The starting point for sorting out material for the exhibition was wood carvings created by Eggleston-based sculptor Phil Townsend who recently had a retrospective at the reference library.
Ms Maddison added: “We decided to use Phil Townsend’s carvings of Richard Watson and Jacob Readshaw as a starting point as they were both local and creative, as is Phil.”
A focal point for the collection is a display about former Middleton-in-Teesdale’s Edward Gargate. He was not only an accomplished poet but a talented illustrator, even though he was paralysed at the age of 14 and confined to bed before his death aged only 23.
She said: “We have got all these things about Edward Gargate from the Teesdale Heritage Group, including copies of his poetry and paintings he produced.
“What we found when we were sorting out the information for the exhibition was the links between different people in Teesdale.”
Astronomer Jacob Readshaw, who had a photographic studio in the village, was the photographer who captured the image of Edward Gargate and his father John. Poet and lead miner Richard Watson wrote the eulogy poem for the young man.
The exhibition includes work by former Teesdale Mercury editor Jim McTaggart, who wrote about the poetic miner in his book, Around the Hollow Hills.
“It’s amazing all the connections,” Ms Maddison said. “The book was then turned into a play and performed by the Mad Mads.
“We have also included information about other amateur dramatic groups such as the Castle Players as well as information on flower festivals and brass and silver bands.
“There are some superb photographs and news clippings about Merrie England outdoor festival.
“Most of the photographs we have come from the Parkin Raine’s collection, so there is another creative dale person.”
Teesdale Creators exhibition opened daily for a week as part of Heritage Open Days. The exhibition is in place until the end of September. The libray is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 10.30am until 2.30pm.
n Heritage Open Day – What’s On: pages 12 and 21
