In 2015 I travelled to Cookham in Berkshire, primarily to visit the Stanley Spencer Gallery.
It just so happenes that the village is by the River Thames, part of the Thames Path. Did I need any more excuses to go?
It was a perfect day, hot and sunny. Getting there was fun though. There was some trouble on the railway and I had to get off the train at an earlier station. Staff normally lay on rail replacement buses which this happens. However, that day there were cars! I had to bundle in tha back of a car with two others and each of us was dropped at the station we going to. One of the strangeest experiences I have ever had. We also just missed being a crash, as a lorry shed its load! Thankfully, after that the day improved.
After visiting the Gallery (a long wished for visit that didn’t disappoint), I wandered along the Thames Path towards Bourne End. I didn’t quite get all the way, but I was within touching distance.
I recently found out that Stanley’s daughter Unity, died in 2017 and is buried at Holy Trinity Church, Cookham. Being the daughter of Stanley was difficult in her younger years. Like most artists (it seems) he wasn’t the easier man to live with. She led a distruptive life according to a book I read recently. However, according to her son John, Unity found being Stanley’s daughter later in life more of a pleasure. You can read more here.
Here are some pictures from that day.
My London+ 