England's Glory by Chris Orr MBE RA
Product details
- Title
- England's Glory
- Artist
- Chris Orr MBE RA (i)
- Medium
- Lithograph (i)
- Numbered
- 12/50
- Size (WxH)
- 86 x 72cm
- Framed
- No
- Ref. No
- 24578
I lived in a small town for 20 years — Buckingham, once the county town of Buckinghamshire.
Then I skedaddled back to London. This print is however dedicated to all the small towns that I
have encountered and believe themselves unique in their quirkiness and idiosyncrasy.
The immediate inspiration came last year on a visit to Bishop’s Castle in Shropshire where I
discovered a wealth of odd stories. Not only was it one of the rottenest of Rotten boroughs in the
16th and 17th centuries returning numerous MPs from a tiny electorate, but it had the infamous
Bishop’s Castle Railway 1865 to 1935, a byword for inefficiency and insolvency. However, what
really caught my eye was Fosset’s Circus that used to overwinter in the town and in 1939 left
behind an elephant which was walked daily down the Main Street for exercise. The elephant’s best
friend was a donkey. Other circus left overs became part of the town.
Of other small towns that I am hinting at in my print are Montgomery, Thirsk, Petworth, Chipping
Norton, Budliegh Salterton and of course Buckingham. All these places believe themselves unique,
bastion’s of eccentricity and character. They hold strong memories in their buildings, customs and
older inhabitants who like to recall what they term “the good old days”. Probably not so good for
most folk.
But what is “England’s Glory”? Surely not the jingoistic image on the famous red and blue
matchbox of HMS Devastation the battleship? Not the ebb and flow of sporting trophies, the
triumphs in minor skirmishes, the struggling institutions, the weather? I suggest there is something
glorious, deep in all of our memories and narratives of unique lives, loves, liberties and
mistakes.The small English town is a refuge for these endangered elements.
I did a drawing of Bishop’s Castle on the spot which set my imagination running. Back in the studio
I produced a number of variations, each one further away from the photographic reality and further
towards a glorious colour construction of suggestions. In my picture you can find; the abandoned
elephant and his donkey friend, the race course, the branch line, jugglers, HMS Devastation on a
matchbox, cats, dogs, spiders, football, the general store, the village bus, tight rope walkers, the
market etc etc.
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