The Birthday Events at Cherryburn

On Saturday and Sunday 9th and 10th of August 2003, as nearly as is known the birthday of Thomas Bewick, his birthplace at Cherryburn (now in the care of the National Trust) saw an extended celebration of the 250th anniversary of his birth. Over the two days several hundred visitors came through the gates of Cherryburn to participate. There was music, singing, dancing, story-telling, eating and drinking; with demonstrations, exhibitions, talks and discussions...

Left and below are a selection of photographs taken on the day.

Cherryburn celebrations

June Holmes, David Gardner-Medwin, & Iain Bain.

Some events were designed to augment the Bewick experience.

Here we see a book-binding demonstration, with some printing equipment in the background, part of the display in the museum. Almost all Bewick’s work was published in book form: most of it is still available for purchase, often in bindings which have suffered from two centuries of use, so needing repair or rebinding.

Cutting the cake

Iain Bain, the doyen of Bewick studies who has done much to retrieve the reputation of Bewick obscured by inaccurate popular publications, ceremoniously cuts the cake baked for the celebrations. This took place in the front room of the Cherryburn farmhouse (built next to the cottage later in the nineteenth century). On the wall behind can be seen the portrait of Bewick as a young man.

Bewicks walking sticks

Iain Bain holds Bewick’s walking sticks (from his own collection).

Hugh Dixon of the National Trust...

...reads the inscription to a visitor.

Detailed views of the sticks

Close up of one of Bewicks sticks showing the inscribed date of Dec 1795.

Detailed view of the headstock

The Bewick family house at Cherryburn

On the right, visitors in the garden of the farmhouse. Below, the birthplace cottage itself. Originally it was thatched, as can be seen in many Bewick vignettes.

Birthday plaque

"THOMAS BEWICK BORN HERE AUGUST 1753"

Inside Cherryburn

The kichen and living room of the Bewick family cottage at Cherryburn

 

 

Cherryburn National Trust

You will find friendly farmyard animals with a garden and picnic area for families

Cherryburn farmyard chickens

The view from Cherryburn

A view from the cottage across the Tyne valley, with visitors relaxing in the shade...

From here you can walk along the River Tyne and view the countryside and wildlife that inspired Bewick.

Headstone

In the courtyard is this tombstone of John and Jane Bewick, Thomas Bewick’s parents, and two of his sisters.

Headstone - close up

It has been retrieved in this cracked condition from its original location at Ovingham.