★July-September 2022
A magnificent ‘Suffolk Sakura’ event took place at the White House Farm in Great Glemham, Suffolk, in July- September 2022.
The owner of the farm, Jason Gathorne-Hardy, organized exhibitions of beautiful cherry blossom paintings by a Suffolk artist Emma Green, and stunning sakura silk scarves by Jenny Nutbeem, a natural-dye artist.
Both were inspired by Collingwood Ingram’s love of cherry blossoms. The farm has about 60 cherry trees and Emma has been painting them as they came into blossom in the past two years. Jenny has dyed silk scarves with the flowers and leaves of these cherry trees.
Jason is a descendent of the first Earl of Cranbrook, who built the former residence of ‘Cherry’ Ingram in Kent at the end of the 19th century. Two cherry trees in the residence garden, most likely planted by the Earl, ignited Ingram’s love of cherries and led him to create the world’s largest cherry garden in the 1930s and 40s.
Jason is also a cherry lover and has planted the cherry trees at the farm over the past 10 years. After discovering the family link with ‘Cherry’ Ingram, he decided to expand this serendipitous connection. He gave Emma a ‘Cherry’ Ingram blossom residency in which she started painting the blossoms. Jenny followed the cherry path by collecting the blossoms and barks, then dyed the silk scarves with them.
A special Japan-themed opening ceremony was held on 9-10 July, with a specutacular Taiko drumming concert by the world-renowned Taiko drummer Joji Hirota and his London Taiko Drummers. The concert was sold out.
The exhibitions continued for nearly two months.
The event was inspired by the life of Collingwood ‘Cherry’ Ingram
