Date/Time
Date(s) - 2nd Sep 2026
19:15-20:45
Location
St Luke's Hall
Categories
This is an evening meeting starting at 7:15pm.
2026 marks the centenary of the death two of the Cotswolds’ greatest Arts and Crafts architects, the brothers Ernest and Sidney Barnsley. They moved, with their friend Ernest Gimson, to Gloucestershire in the 1890s, and all three stayed here for all their lives. They originally hailed from Birmingham, but both left to study in London, where they met the friends who would become the architects of the Movement. This talk follows their life stories, including travels abroad as young men, Ernest heading to France and Italy, and Sidney to Greece and Turkey. After they settled in the Cotswolds they worked as architects and furniture makers, and the talk will look at their buildings, from Ernest’s Rodmarton Manor to Sidney’s Painswick almhouses, and their craft work, particularly Sidney’s furniture. We’ll also explore their lives in Sapperton, who they socialised with, and what they did for fun! We’ll also explore their legacies, through work by Sidney’s children, Grace and Edward, and Ernest’s son-in-law, Norman Jewson – and beyond.
Kirsty Hartsiotis was the curator of the decorative and fine art at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum, Cheltenham from 2008 to 2023. She is currently a curator at Swindon Museums, where she also worked prior to 2008. She’s curated many exhibitions, including Beneath the Surface: A Century of Studio Ceramics in Britain, A Very British Art Revolution and Ernest Gimson: Observation, Imagination & Making. She’s also an Accredited Arts Society lecturer, and a freelance researcher, currently researching the work of Arts and Crafts designers in churches in the South West. She’s also been an oral storyteller for over 20 years, and has published a number of collections of stories. She is a regular columnist for Cotswold Life, was the newsletter editor for Society of Decorative Art Collections from 2009 to 2023, and writes for diverse other publications on art history and folklore.
Location: St Luke’s Hall, St Luke’s Place, Cheltenham GL53 7HP
Cost per person FoTW members £11, non-members £13
Non-members welcome.
If you have any questions about the event or booking please phone Alison on 01242 519413 or Sue Reeves on 01242 675497 or email events@friendsofthewilson.org.uk.
Please book using one of the following options:
- On-line bookings with a debit or credit card can be made using the form below.
- Bank transfer – please email events@friendsofthewilson.org.uk to let us know you have sent your transfer so that we can send you a booking confirmation. Bank transfers should be made to Friends of The Wilson Sort Code 30-91-87 Account 00005816. The reference must include your surname plus as much of the event title as will fit, for example SMITH BARNSLEY
- Cheque – please make cheques payable to Friends of The Wilson and send with a SAE or clearly written email address to Mrs Alison Pascoe, 77 Naunton Lane, Cheltenham, GL53 7AZ.
Places are not confirmed until payment is received.
Terms & Conditions: You are undertaking this event at your own risk.
If you have any problems with our booking system please email events@friendsofthewilson.org.uk and we will be happy to help.