This morning , after our routine supermarket visit, my wife and I decided that we would drop in to the village of Thornton, on the western edge of Bradford. We fancied a coffee in the South Square Centre, and this provided an opportunity for her to see the current exhibition by the Unit 9 group (of which I am a member.) It was rather gratifying that she observed how much more professional things are looking these days. I always find it instructive to hear unsolicited remarks about institutions and activities with which I’m associated.
I also wanted to pop into the nearby Apothecary Gallery. Some of my work is included in the Christmas exhibition there, and as I was down with the dreadful covid at the time of the opening evening I had’t had the opportunity to look at the display. It was a rewarding visit for several reasons. There is an impressive range of work there by several local artists, in a variety of media, and I really felt quite flattered to have been included in it. There is a nice balance between the professionalism with which the work is arranged there, and a sense of welcoming informality. It was good also to have the opportunity to chat with the proprietor of this new venture, Patrick Whitehead, and to get to know him a little better. I’m looking forward to the solo exhibition I’ve been promised there during next year.
The curious title of the gallery has an interesting origin. The house in which it is located was, back in the nineteenth century, the shop of the local “apothecary”, which was the title used in those days to refer to what today would be the “pharmacist”. As Patrick had managed to sell one of my pictures the visit was appropriately a tonic!
It is always fun speculating about the past. In the same street the famous Bronte family lived, before their removal to the nearby (and far more famous) village of Haworth. I wonder if Branwell Bronte was in the habit of obtaining his supply of laudanum from this particular apothecary?