My most recent picture is a panegyric to the place I grew up, Lancaster, Lancashire, UK. Clearly, the core theme is a simple one of personal nostalgia. Although I have not lived in Lancaster since 1980, I retain an enormous fondness for the place and visit every few years.
However, this picture is also a story of faded social and political will. The aircraft which dominates the picture is a Handley Page Heyford, the last biplane bomber to be used by the Royal Air Force. The Heyford served in the 1930s at the height of appeasement, when sympathy for authoritarianism and isolation was at its height in Britain.
I thus see the Heyford as a symbol of a complacency we also see today. It was simply not up to the task ahead, and it was a blessing to its crew that it was never pitted against the Luftwaffe.
The Lancaster references are a mixture of positive and negative. Long-demolished pubs I used to drink in and the college where my late father worked are happy memories. But I also reference the role of local troops in colonial wars, the murders committed by Doctor Buck Ruxton in 1935, and Lancaster being one of the last places of respite for the doomed army of Bonnie Prince Charlie before their massacre at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
Lancaster is a city of charming 18th- and 19th-century sandstone buildings, with open, funny, resilient people. But sadly, like so much of the North, it is blighted by decades of London-centric policy from Westminster.
Artwork Details
Medium: Pen, Ink, and Watercolour on Paper
Dimensions: [Enter Dimensions Here, e.g., 150cm x 70cm]
Year: 2012
Take a closer look...
A STORY WOVEN INTO FABRIC
Ben Holgate’s work is created to be experienced, whether as a one-of-a-kind original drawing, a detailed fine art print, or as a statement of wearable commentary.
While original works and archival prints are available for collectors, we have partnered with LEDA – Limited Edition Designs & Apparel for a special collaboration. The ‘Heyford’ series brings Ben’s intricate illustrations to life as bold, collectible fashion. This partnership translates the potent narratives of Ben’s art from paper to fabric, turning historical memory and political critique into wearable pieces for those who share a passion for detail and dissent.
Explore the shop for prints and apparel, or contact the studio directly to inquire about owning an original.
Heyford
A story of Lancaster, complacency, and memory.
My most recent picture is a panegyric to the place I grew up, Lancaster, Lancashire, UK. Clearly, the core theme is a simple one of personal nostalgia. Although I have not lived in Lancaster since 1980, I retain an enormous fondness for the place and visit every few years.
However, this picture is also a story of faded social and political will. The aircraft which dominates the picture is a Handley Page Heyford, the last biplane bomber to be used by the Royal Air Force. The Heyford served in the 1930s at the height of appeasement, when sympathy for authoritarianism and isolation was at its height in Britain.
I thus see the Heyford as a symbol of a complacency we also see today. It was simply not up to the task ahead, and it was a blessing to its crew that it was never pitted against the Luftwaffe.
The Lancaster references are a mixture of positive and negative. Long-demolished pubs I used to drink in and the college where my late father worked are happy memories. But I also reference the role of local troops in colonial wars, the murders committed by Doctor Buck Ruxton in 1935, and Lancaster being one of the last places of respite for the doomed army of Bonnie Prince Charlie before their massacre at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
Lancaster is a city of charming 18th- and 19th-century sandstone buildings, with open, funny, resilient people. But sadly, like so much of the North, it is blighted by decades of London-centric policy from Westminster.
Artwork Details
Take a closer look...
A STORY WOVEN INTO FABRIC
Ben Holgate’s work is created to be experienced, whether as a one-of-a-kind original drawing, a detailed fine art print, or as a statement of wearable commentary.
While original works and archival prints are available for collectors, we have partnered with LEDA – Limited Edition Designs & Apparel for a special collaboration. The ‘Heyford’ series brings Ben’s intricate illustrations to life as bold, collectible fashion. This partnership translates the potent narratives of Ben’s art from paper to fabric, turning historical memory and political critique into wearable pieces for those who share a passion for detail and dissent.
Explore the shop for prints and apparel, or contact the studio directly to inquire about owning an original.