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The David Parr House: A Secret Arts & Crafts World

• 28 June 2023 10.30am - 5.00pm
• David Parr House, 184/186 Gwydir Street Cambridge CB1 2LW
• Exclusive to EAAF Members - if you're not a member and would like to attend this event Join Now.

Event Sold Out! Please email us to join the waiting list info@eastangliaartfund.org.uk

This full day in Cambridge is an exclusive opportunity to visit the extraordinary David Parr House, with a talk by the Conservator Mary Kempski (formerly of the Hamilton Kerr Institute), followed by lunch and a walking tour to some of the Arts and Crafts interiors created by the Cambridge firm F R Leach and Sons.

In 1886, 186 Gwydir Street was bought by David Parr, a working-class Victorian decorative artist who worked for the Cambridge firm of artworkmen, F R Leach & Sons. David Parr learnt his many skills there, painting houses and churches with designs created by some of the best architects and designers in the country, including George Frederick Bodley, William Morris and Charles Eamer Kempe.

Over 40 years, David Parr decorated his own terraced home in the style of the grand interiors he worked on every day. His house became a pattern book of the work of late 19^th century masters, including William Morris, perfectly crafted and painted with care. In 1912, David Parr inscribed ‘If you do anything, do it well’ in his house, and his patterned, hand-painted walls are a testament to that maxim and to the values of the Arts & Crafts movement in general.

We meet at the David Parr House, Cambridge, where we will divide in to two groups and come back together for lunch in the middle of the day. One group will tour the house while the other takes a walking tour of other notable Arts & Crafts interiors by F R Leach and Sons.

Tickets are £55 per person and include refreshments on arrival and lunch. We will need to make our own way to and from Cambridge by train or car. Please note that we will be walking and on our feet for much of the day - if you have mobility concerns, please contact us so that we can meet your needs on the day. Event hosted by Andrew Moore.

10.30am	Meet at the David Parr House, divide in to groups: Conservation talk and tour of David Parr House / walking tour of Arts & Crafts Interiors
12.30pm	Come back together for lunch at the David Parr House
2.00pm	Tours resume, with the groups swapping over for: Conservation talk and tour of David Parr House / walking tour of Arts & Crafts Interiors
5.00pm	Event closes

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