Hertfordshire Arts

the truth is it is home to about 300 pieces of public art spread across the county.

Mostly dating back to last century, these local treasures emerged with the development of the Garden Cities and New Towns as well as the regeneration of many urban areas.

Many of these well-kept secrets can be found in Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead and Watford, but the more discerning eye will also be able to spot certain works of art in rural villages and smaller towns.

Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth are two of the most famous artists and sculptors whose work can be seen in Hertfordshire. Moore, born in 1896, hailed from Castleford in West Yorkshire but later moved to Hampstead where he helped set up the Henry Moore Foundation based in Perry Green in 1977.

Hepworth, a friend of Moore, also grew up in West Yorkshire but her second marriage to the painter Ben Nicholson was in Hampstead Registrar Office. Her work can be seen in Kenwood House, where coincidentally, Notting Hill, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, was partly filmed.

However, Hertfordshire artists are also well represented, including Diane Maclean, who currently lives in St Albans. She is a renowned sculptor and environmental artist and received a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from the University of Hertfordshire.

One of her most renowned sculptures, Mountains, is a giant walk-through stainless steel creation that is over 17 metres long and measures six metres high. It used to be displayed at the Natural History Museum in 2005, but has now found its permanent home at the University of Hertfordshire.

Another home-grown talent, John Farnham, grew up literally next door to the great Henry Moore in Perry Green and his flair for sculptures was undoubtedly influenced by his talented neighbour. He became Moore's full-time assistant in 1965 and now specialises in bronze, steel and stone works of art while working as a special advisor to the Henry Moore Foundation in Perry Green.

Classic literature also features Hertfordshire in a number of masterpieces. The genius Oscar Wilde used the county as the location of main protagonist, Jack Worthing's home in The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's final and most popular play.

Another literary great, Jane Austen, set her most famous work, Pride and Prejudice, primarily in Hertfordshire. Topographical experts believe that the town of Meriton featured in the novel is actually either Hertford or Hemel Hempstead. And Brocket Hall, in Welwyn Garden City, was actually used as the Netherfield ballroom in the BBC's much-loved series adaption starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle screened in 1995.

Also, Howard's End, the residence and title of E.M Forster's classic tale about class struggle, was inspired by Rooks Nest House, just outside Stevenage which was Forster's childhood home from 1883 to 1893. In the novel, written in 1910, Forster paints an idyllic picture of Hertfordshire when it describes it as 'England at its quietest'.

A mere 99 years later, Hertfordshire is unknowingly one of England's cultural and artistic hubs!

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