Chris Orr, England's Glory, 2023

'England's Glory' - Dedicated to all the Small Towns - A signed, 7 colour lithograph printed at Curwen Worton Hall and published jointly by the artist and CCA.

"I lived in a small town for 20 years — Buckingham, once the county town of Buckinghamshire. Then I skedaddled back to London. This print is however dedicated to all the small towns that I have encountered and believe themselves unique in their quirkiness and idiosyncrasy.

The immediate inspiration came last year on a visit to Bishop’s Castle in Shropshire where I discovered a wealth of odd stories. Not only was it one of the rottenest of Rotten boroughs in the 16th and 17th centuries returning numerous MPs from a tiny electorate, but it had the infamous Bishop’s Castle Railway 1865 to 1935, a byword for inefficiency and insolvency. However, what really caught my eye was Fosset’s Circus that used to overwinter in the town and in 1939 left behind an elephant which was walked daily down the Main Street for exercise. The elephant’s best friend was a donkey. Other circus left overs became part of the town.

Of other small towns that I am hinting at in my print are Montgomery, Thirsk, Petworth, Chipping Norton and of course Buckingham. All these places believe themselves unique, bastion’s of eccentricity and character. They hold strong memories in their buildings, customs and older inhabitants who like to recall what they term “the good old days”. Probably not so good for most folk.
But what is “England’s Glory”? Surely not the jingoistic image on the famous red and blue matchbox of HMS Devastation the battleship? Not the ebb and flow of sporting trophies, the triumphs in minor skirmishes, the struggling institutions, the weather? I suggest there is something glorious, deep in all of our memories and narratives of unique lives, loves, liberties and mistakes.The small English town is a refuge for these endangered elements.

I did a drawing of Bishop’s Castle on the spot which set my imagination running. Back in the studio I produced a number of variations, each one further away from the photographic reality and further towards a glorious colour construction of suggestions. In my picture you can find; the abandoned elephant and his donkey friend, the race course, the branch line, jugglers, HMS Devastation on a matchbox, cats, dogs, spiders, football, the general store, the village bus, tight rope walkers, the market etc etc."

- Chris Orr March 2023

Chris Orr

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Chris Orr

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