Kettle’s Yard

A stone’s-throw from Cambridge city centre, you’ll find Kettle’s Yard. The former home of Jim & Helen Ede, it’s a haven of peace just a few steps from the hustle of punt-trip sellers, tourist shops and cafe’s around nearby Magdalene Bridge.

Jim had been a curator at the Tate Gallery in London during the 1920’s & 30’s and the couple were friends with many of the periods best remembered artists. In the late 1950’s they bought a terrace of unloved cottages in an unfashionable part of town with the vision of creating a home for both themselves and the significant collection of art they’d gathered. in 1954, Jim Ede wrote of his dream to make ‘a living place where works of art could be enjoyed… where young people could be at home unhampered by the greater austerity of the museum or public art gallery’

Now a part of the University of Cambridge, the house and its contents are much as the Ede’s left it, with artworks of staggering beauty displayed alongside antique glass and ceramics. Natural objects take equal prominence with the manmade, as if making the point that all we place value on can be art.

I was lucky enough to enjoy a private visit on a bright, sunny September day. Kindly organised by Shutterhub (of which I’m a member), an organisation who provide opportunities and support for creative photographers worldwide.

Capturing the unique atmosphere of Kettle’s Yard can be difficult in stills, so I turned to moving image for this short film (make sure to have the sound on).