The archive team have been working hard on our Hope Bourne Collection in recent months – supporting author Sara Hudston with her new book , “A Life Outside – Hope Bourne on Exmoor”, that will be published by the Society this November. We are also getting ready for our exhibition of Hope’s life and work which opens on 2nd November at the Parish Rooms in Dulverton.
We have received a number of donations related to Hope over the last 6 months, including wonderful artwork, scrapbook items she collected and letters she wrote to friends. This material, like pieces of a jigsaw, is all adding to our knowledge and understanding of her life. Some items we receive may look small, but in telling Hope’s story they are all treasures.
If you have any documents, cards, paintings or letters relating to Hope, we would love to hear from you. We can offer you a safe home for items in our climate-controlled archive, or take a scanned copy and return the original to you.
The images above and below show some recent donations. The letters document her attempts to get a telephone line connected at Ferny Ball (a lifeline for someone living in such a remote location), and the wonderful pictures offer new insights into what inspired her.
Some of these new donations will feature in the autumn exhibition – maybe you have treasures to share with us too.
Lisa Eden, Archive Volunteer and Trustee
