Thirty Rye art and history lovers drove to Salisbury in Wiltshire last month to visit the home of former Conservative Prime Minister Ted Heath. The trip was arranged by Gill and Paddy Harvey who are whizz kids in organizing wonderful outings to interesting places for the Friends of the Rye Art Gallery as well as providing fascinating talks for them.
It was a treasure trove, including a wonderful exhibition of Heath’s art collection – Nash, Lowry, Piper, Sargent and many many more – in addition to the finely crafted models of the boats he sailed and raced in. A very eclectic choice of books lined his office (above) as did many different items of glass and china.
Most impressive was the beautiful and colourful wallpaper in the landing going up two floors relating a fable – an amazing work of Chinese cultural art.
We were very lucky as it stopped raining when it was time to stroll through the garden, which was magnificent with its blazing autumn colours and we, of course, visited the nearby cathedral and some of us went to Evensong which was magic. In the evening, we sampled the good food and wine in the various restaurants and enjoyed getting to know each other better.
Photo: Heidi Foster