Kate Lycett

UPDATE: The exhibition will now launch on Saturday 26th September.

Happy to announce a new solo exhibition at The Yorkshire Gallery in The Piece Hall, Halifax.

‘TOFFEE TOWN’

THE BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS OF HALIFAX

Saturday May 23rd – August 16th.

I’m an Offcumden you know. I don’t count myself as a Southerner as Suffolk, where I was born and lived til I was 19, is really out on a limb and isn’t connected to anywhere. But Northerners would probably count me a Southerner… I came North to York for University in 1995 and our tutor (Bruce Windle. Lovely man) took us to Bankfield Museum in Halifax. It was the first time I’d ever been to Halifax and I remember being blown away by the incredible Victorian Industrial architecture. There’s nothing like it in Suffolk; nothing like it in the Yorkshire I was experiencing in York come to that. We must have driven over the fly-over with the North Bridge and Dean Clough beneath us, and then dropped down to Bankfield and Akroydon.

Even since The Lost Houses exhibition at Bankfield I have even more of a fascination with these grand buildings, left over from a far more prosperous era. ‘Toffee Town’ was the nickname for Halifax because of the Macintosh factory and this exhibition is to be a celebration of Halifax’s beautiful buildings. I’ve just this morning completed this one of Akroydon – the model village built by Edward Akroyd. I think it’s every bit as lovely as Saltaire, but it’s not so well known.

I have several more paintings started now and I’ll post updates as they progress. I just wanted to announce the date! Which means I really really must crack on (a new one of Shibden Hall is under way on my desk…)