The Angel, Cookham Churchyard

Up relatively early this morning for breakfast in Marlow and then on to the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham.  He is an wonderfully talented artist that we have grown to love and respect over the years.

Cookham was very important to Stanley Spencer.  He was born there and lived much of his life there - called it his "village in heaven".  He was well known for walking around the village with a pram with his canvases and painting paraphernalia, together with a sign saying that he was working on his paintings and asking villagers not to disturb him.  They did of course!  He died in 1959, the year he was knighted.

Many of his paintings are subjects based around the village and a lot of his portraits are of local people.  One painting is of an angel in Cookham Churchyard - http://www.kwantes.com/SSG%20website/collection/angel.html

This is the angel today.

If you are ever passing I would recommend a visit to the Gallery - http://www.stanleyspencer.org.uk/ - and the churchyard.