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Acclaimed war artist unveils restored collection of Crimean War prints in the Great Park | The internationally-acclaimed, modern-day war artist Arabella Dorman, was amongst guests at the unveiling of a recently restored, historic collection of Crimean War prints at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park, on 17th October.

The rare collection of prints is of watercolours by William Simpson (1823-99), depicting vivid scenes from the Crimean War of 1853-56. It was gifted by Queen Mary in 1947, the year the educational foundation was established at Cumberland Lodge.

Thanks to the generosity of the late Sir Ronald Hobson KCVO and the Hobson Charitable Trust, the collection has been restored to mark the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, who is Patron of Cumberland Lodge.

The restoration work was carried out by local restorer Malcolm Leach, who owns the Manley Gallery on Eton High Street and is Treasurer of the Eton Community Association. Malcolm attended the unveiling with his wife Katie.

The Chief Executive of the charity at Cumberland Lodge, Canon Dr Edmund Newell, said, ‘We are immensely grateful to Sir Ronald and Lady Hobson for their generous support of this much-needed project. It is wonderful to see the collection all back together at the Lodge, and we would also like to extend our grateful thanks to Malcolm Leach for restoring them so meticulously and bringing them back to their former glory.

‘We look forward to welcoming many more people to see the collection in the future, as part of our regular tours and open days, and other public events. They will also be on display for the thousands of students and guests who visit us every year, for conferences, study retreats, meetings and special events’.

William Simpson originally dedicated his Crimean War series to Queen Victoria, and he went on to enjoy Royal patronage for the rest of his life.

The writer and former foreign correspondent Edna Fernandes, also attended the unveiling ceremony.

Afterwards, special guests joined members of the public for an evening Conversation with Arabella Dorman, chaired by Edmund Newell, to find out more about her life and work, and her first-hand experiences of working in war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan, with refugees and people affected by war in Palestine, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

A video of Arabella’s moving account is available to watch on the Cumberland Lodge website at cumberlandlodge.ac.uk.

 

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Born in Glasgow in 1823, William Simpson’s early life was one of poverty, but he was to become one of the leading specialist artists of the age, his sketches of various conflicts being published regularly in the illustrated London News. Although he had prepared sketches of the Battle of the Alma from the accounts of others, it was not until 1854 that he actually went to the Crimea, at the behest of the London art firm Colnaghi’s, to make contemporaneous sketches. These were sent back to the lithographers Day & Son in London, who created the prints that now hang at Cumberland Lodge. 

Founded in 1947, with the support of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Cumberland Lodge is a charity that empowers people, through dialogue and debate, to tackle the causes and effects of social division.

We convene multi-sector conferences, seminars and panel debates that engage people of all ages, backgrounds and perspectives in candid conversations, to challenge silo thinking and build networks with the power to drive positive change.

By commissioning rigorous, interdisciplinary research to guide our conversations, and refining key themes of discussion into practical, policy-focused recommendations, we incubate fresh ideas that promote progress towards more peaceful, open and inclusive societies. We will shortly be launching our 2019-20 conference series, ‘Inclusion & Opportunity’.

Meanwhile, our educational programmes help to nurture future leaders and change-makers. These include: subsidised study retreats and bursaries for university students; scholarships and personal development opportunities for doctoral students; conferences and retreats to support international students from all over the world; and thought-provoking workshops for school-aged children. We equip and inspire students and young people with the skills and experience to work towards social progress in their lives and careers.

We also run a regular series of public events for the local community, including Cumberland Conversations with guest speakers from public life, themed tours, fundraising dinners, film screenings, art exhibition open mornings, garden parties and literary retreats.

The Great Park 
Windsor 
Berkshire SL4 2HP 
cumberlandlodge.ac.uk 
01784 432316