DAYS
5
TOUR CODE
GRBB-27
COST
£2265
DAYS
5
TOUR CODE
GRBB-27
COST
£2265
Step into the world of mid-century art and design across East Anglia: from the delightful Fry Art Gallery in Saffron Walden to the model village of Silver End, and the Prints & Drawings Room of the Fitzwilliam Museum to the village of Great Bardfield, once a hive for creative minds including Ravilious and Bawden.
Overview
From 1930 to the early 1970s, the Essex village of Great Bardfield was home to a number of artists whose output has received growing recognition in recent years – most notably Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden. Their work spanned painting, illustration and design, and they used traditional imagery and techniques with a modern inflection. In recent years, the details of their lives and connections have come close to displacing the Bloomsbury Group as a subject of curiosity.
This tour adopts Cambridge as a base for exploring the sites, collections and private houses associated with the Great Bardfield artists, their contacts and the parallel movements of their time. Within Cambridge we will visit the Prints & Drawings Room at the Fitzwilliam Museum to view archival items by the likes of Edward Calvert, Samuel Palmer, Paul Nash and others whose output interlinks with work by the Great Bardfield artists.
A highlight of our tour will be a visit to Saffron Walden’s Fry Art Gallery, which has done more than any other institution to showcase this network of artists, to explore their displays and view unique scrapbooks by Ravilious and Bawden. We will also enjoy a walking tour of Great Bardfield in the company of artist Chloë Cheese, who grew up in the village and remembers visiting the studios of Bawden and printmaker Michael Rothenstein.
An excursion to Braintree will offer an opportunity to visit the Town Hall, Braintree Museum and Howard Hall Masonic Centre, where we will enjoy a special guest lecture from Mary Schoeser, a leading authority in the field of textiles, in the building’s Art Deco surroundings. Mary is Honorary President of the UK Textile Society, and will bring a selection of textile samples to illustrate her lecture.
Our tour continues with a visit to Silver End, the garden village built between the wars, partly in a Modern style, by the Crittal family who were supporters of the Great Bardfield movement. We also look forward to taking in the principal collection of Bawden’s graphic work at The Higgins Bedford, and to visiting The Manor in the delightful village of Hemingford Grey, former home of Lucy Boston and the inspiration for her Green Knowe stories.
In addition, we hope to include a visit to the Centre for Children’s Book Studies at Anglia Ruskin University, for a special archival session with Professor Martin Salisbury, the Centre’s Director, subject to final confirmation.
Tour Director
Alan Powers
Architectural historian Alan Powers is a leading authority on mid-century art and design.
This tour will be led by Alan Powers, PhD. Alan studied at the University of Cambridge and is one of the UK’s leading architectural historians. A former Chairman of the 20th Century Society, he has published widely on all aspects of 20th century architecture and design. He was Professor at the University of Greenwich School, and has lectured at New York University in London. His publications include Modern: The Modern Movement in Britain, Bauhaus Goes West and Eric Ravilious: Artist and Designer.
– ACE customer on the 2025 Great Bardfield and Beyond: Mid-Century Art & Design in East Anglia tour led by Alan Powers
Our Accommodation
We will stay at the four-star University Arms Hotel in Cambridge, a stylish establishment with a rich history, which has served as a hotel since 1830. The property is ideally situated in the heart of the city close to the expansive greenery of Parker’s Piece.
Itinerary
Day 1
Tour assembles 1330 at the University Arms Hotel, Cambridge, for four nights. Afternoon visit to the Prints & Drawings Room at the Fitzwilliam Museum (works by Edward Calvert, Samuel Palmer and Paul Nash). Welcome and introductory talk.
Day 2
Morning excursion to Silver End Village (nationally important village of 1920s ‘Modern Movement’ architecture) for walking tour and visit to the Heritage Centre. Continue to Braintree for guest lecture from Mary Schoeser (Honorary President of the UK Textile Society) at Howard Hall Masonic Centre and visits to Braintree Museum and the Town Hall (important murals). Free evening in Cambridge.
Day 3
Morning excursion to Saffron Walden for visit to the Fry Art Gallery. Afternoon: walking tour of Great Bardfield (visiting Bawden Room and viewing sites related to the artists). Free evening in Cambridge.
Day 4
Morning visit to The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum, Bedford (focusing on Bawden). Afternoon: The Manor, Hemingford Grey (former home of Lucy Boston and inspiration for her Green Knowe stories).
Day 5
Morning lecture on the Curwen Press followed by archival session at the Centre for Children’s Book Studies, Anglia Ruskin University (subject to confirmation). Tour disperses in Cambridge approx 1200.
Frequently Asked Questions
To read our full list of frequently asked questions please visit our general FAQs here.
What is the maximum group size of this tour?
What is the deposit cost for this tour?
What tour staff will be on this tour?
Am I fit enough to travel on this tour?
Fitness Requirements
The majority of ACE Cultural Tours are active in nature. To make the most of our time in a destination and provide excellent value for money, they are busy – there are often several visits included each day. As such, our tours require a certain minimum level of physical and mental fitness, mobility and stamina.
Many visits will involve navigating several steps, uneven ground, steep ascents and descents, and could involve embarking and disembarking aircraft, coaches, trains and cruise vessels. Plenty of walking, punctuated by lengthy periods of standing, is the norm. Some tours may involve long coach journeys.
It is essential that all customers are sufficiently fit and able enough to fully participate. Furthermore, every tour comprises a group of guests. We cannot allow the entire group to be negatively impacted by one participant, either holding up the pace we reasonably need to maintain or disproportionately requiring the attention and support of the tour staff.
We carefully consider the intensity, fitness and other requirements of each itinerary and describe them on the tour pages of our brochures and website. Please study these descriptions closely. When you call to book, we will reiterate those requirements and ask you to confirm that all group members are indeed fit enough and otherwise able to meet the criteria. It is your responsibility to answer fully and honestly. If it transpires that you are not able to keep pace with the tour and/or it reasonably appears you are negatively impacting (or are reasonably likely to negatively impact) the enjoyment of the rest of the group (including their ability to complete all scheduled visits), we may ask you to sit out certain days/visits, take a taxi at your own expense (if available in the location), or even, if we consider there is no other reasonable alternative, ask you to leave the tour and make your own way home.
This tour will involve a moderate amount of walking around Cambridge, Great Bardfield and Silver End, including over uneven, cobbled and potentially slippery ground. Cambridge can be busy with bicycles, and some streets have wide gulleys running between the pavement and the road, so care must be taken. Participants should be prepared for navigating steep or uneven stairs, and hidden steps at some visits. At The Manor in Hemingford Grey, the top staircase does not have a bannister – however, participants can easily opt out of this part of the visit. Our tour has a full itinerary to take in a wealth of visits across the region, with coach journeys of up to 1.5 hours (without stops). A good level of fitness, mobility and stamina is therefore required, and participants should meet ACE’s fitness criteria as per our Booking Terms & Conditions.
As a minimum, participants should be able to successfully complete the following self- assessment tests:
- Walk for one hour at a reasonable pace and without needing to take a break to rest
- Climb at least two flights of stairs at a reasonable pace
- Stand unaided for at least 30 minutes
- Stand up and sit down ten times in one minute
- Carry or otherwise move your own luggage
Please ensure you have read and understand our full fitness requirements as described in our terms and conditions.
UK Government Travel Advice
For additional travel information from the UK government please consult the following pages.
Cost Details
Great Bardfield and Beyond: Mid-Century Art & Design in East Anglia
May 4 - 8, 2027
Included: accommodation based on sharing a classic twin or double bedded room, four breakfasts, one lunch, two dinners with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities & all taxes.
Not Included: travel insurance, cosy double room for single use supplement £395.
More like this
Sussex Modernism: Artists & Writers on the Downs
August, 2027
with Suzanne Fagence Cooper
Our tour is centred around the creatives who came to Sussex a century ago for artistic inspiration, exploring the various houses and gardens in which their ideas and lifestyles were formed.
Alvar Aalto: Helsinki and Beyond
10th July–17th July 2027
with Joshua White
Our tour immerses travellers in the magnificent creations of architect and designer Alvar Aalto, as well as the broader context of Finnish art and architecture. As we journey around Finland, we will explore the rich array of Aalto's work and the serene landscape that deeply inspired him.
Get in Touch
Our sales team are available to help Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm. You can contact us by phone or email or by completing an enquiry form below.
To receive our latest tour details and news, request our most recent brochure or join our email newsletter, use the buttons below.
+44(0)1223 841055
sales@aceculturaltours.co.uk
