Heritage Open Day Cyanotype Workshop

We had so much fun last weekend running our family cyanotype workshop in collaboration with Southborough Library for Heritage Open Day weekend! We could not have asked for more prefect weather to expose our prints.

The cyanotype process was used by botanist Anna Atkins in the mid 19th century to document different plant specimens such as ferns and algae and as such, secured her place in history as the first female photographer and first person to create a photobook. Atkins grew up in Tonbridge at Ferox Hall with her scientist father, John George Children, at a time when Southborough was still part of the domain of Tonbridge Castle. Some of you may have noticed the blue plaque that commemorates the two on the outside of the building.

The process involves coating paper with a solution of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide to sensitise it to light. Then depending on the lighting conditions you can expose a print within 5-7 minutes (just as we did yesterday) and then simply rinse in water to develop and fix the print to reveal its beautiful blue appearance. This is where the term 'blueprint' originates from.

Our participants had lots of materials to choose from; flowers, foliage, feathers, beads, letters, lace and even a few negatives of archive postcards and photographs of Southborough to design their creations. It was the perfect activity to tie in with the Heritage Open Day's 2023 theme of 'Creativity Unwrapped', and amazing to think we were using the same process in the same Kent sunshine that Anna Atkins did over 150 years ago!

Thank you to everyone who attended the workshop and for making such wonderful prints. It was inspiring to hear so many of you to continued exploring the process in your own time. Here are some images of our photographers in action and just a snapshot of all the cyanotypes made over the course of the two sessions.

* If you like what we do, want to get involved in future events or wish to support us, please consider joining the Southborough Society. The Society is a registered charity and is run by volunteers. Membership is from just £12 a year and you will receive high quality quarterly newsletters, access to events and be supporting the work we do with archiving and researching our town's rich heritage amongst many other things. 

Architectural Scavenger Hunt

Our High Street exhibition opens today and we would like to encourage families over the next two weeks to have fun exploring the hidden details of the past and present of London Road with our Architectural Scavenger Hunt.

There will be a prize draw to win: gift vouchers from Arty Farty Retreat, Pets Fayre, Temper Temper Chocolate and a fine art giclée print of the Southborough High Street Map by illustrator, Elaine Gill (original work to be unveiled from tomorrow at Hardman & Hemming). A prize worth well over £100! So a very big thank you to our local businesses and Elaine Gill for generously supporting this competition. There will be additional prints for sale of Elaine’s map on her Etsy shop coming soon and for anyone looking to purchase the original watercolour map, Elaine has informed us there is space on the map for her to add an illustration of your own house!

For those keen to purchase prints of the illustrations by Southborough CofE Primary School pupils, we will be taking orders soon for calendars and prints-so watch this space!

You can pick up a sheet from either of the Premier Stores (on the Parade or opposite the Library) and also from The House Company and Pets Fayre, or you can download it here.

When you have completed the hunt, please return your sheets to the pink box at either Premier Store and keep your fingers crossed to be the winner!

With many thanks to all the local businesses who have supported our exhibition, without their assistance this would not have been possible.

High Street

As our contribution to the Heritage Open Day Weekend we are proud to be able to exhibit the wonderful work created by Southborough C of E Primary School. Their work will, appropriately, be on display in the shop front windows of The House Company on the Parade for both weekends (and up during the week if you are passing by).

To complement the illustrations, we will also be displaying archive images of the early 20th Century high street and a new work by illustrator Elaine Gill, in the window of Hardman and Hemming, bespoke tailors, along with images of shopfronts and advertisements from the same era in the window of Pets Fayre.

A sample of the displays for the ‘High Street’ exhibition.

We would like to thank Tracy (The House Company), Stuart & Stuart (Hardman & Hemming) and Sarah (Pet’s Fayre) for generously giving up their shopfronts and creative expertise for the display of the exhibition. We would also like to thank Woodwork, The Early Grey, Blooms, Henry Paul Funerals , Hardman & Hemming, Pet’s Fayre, Arty Farty Retreat and Elaine Gill for generously supporting us.

There will be an architectural scavenger hunt to encourage families to look more closely at the hidden details along London Road, all entries will be placed in a prize draw to win a high street themed prize.

More information about the scavenger hunt will be posted next week-so watch this space!

To download the Tunbridge Wells Open Days Booklet, click here. Or visit the website here.