A DESCENDENT of famed landscape artist John Constable was in Gillingham to help unveil a new information board detailing his relationship with the town.

Mayor of Gillingham, Cllr Barry von Clemens, was joined by Sasha Constable to reveal the board, provided by Gillingham Town Council.

During the 1800s, the great English landscape painter visited Gillingham twice, staying with his friend, the vicar John Fisher.

It was during these visits he made sketches around the town and completed two works in
oils – The Bridge at Gillingham, which is housed in the Tate Gallery, London and Parham’s Mill, housed at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

The new information board – near the spot The Bridge at Gillingham was painted – details those links, as well as a guide to locations favoured by the artist.

“I would like to thank the Gillingham Local History Society and Gillingham Museum – in particular Dr John Porter – for researching the history of John Constable’s visits,” Cllr von Clemens said.

“I would also like to thank Jane Franklin the designer, councillors past and present, and staff members for seeing the project through to completion.

“The town council is proud to be able to share part of our town’s history with residents and visitors.”

A group at the unveiling, in Gillingham

Gillingham is commemorating the bicentenary of Constable’s visits with a series of special events:

Tuesday, September 12:

Gillingham Library hosts a live-streamed talk by a specialist from the Tate Gallery on The Bridge at Gillingham, at 5.30pm. Admission is free.

Gillingham Museum (which shares the building with the library) will be open before and after the talk for visitors to view the enhanced Constable exhibit. Admission is free.

Tuesday, September 19:

John Constable, his last visit to Gillingham – an illustrated talk by Sam Woodcock at 7.30pm at the Methodist Church Hall, High Street, Gillingham. Free to Gillingham Local History Society members, or £3 for non-members.

Throughout September:

Gillingham Museum’s Constable exhibit will be enhanced with additional material, with postcards of his Gillingham paintings for sale. Gillingham Library will show a Constable timeline, with paintings inspired by Constable and books he might well have known.