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What is ReCollection: Kettle's Yard Oral History Archive?
A cross-generational oral history archive that reflects how people think and feel about Kettle’s Yard. This website offers a selection of extracts from interviews with people of all ages, some of whom have known Kettle's Yard for decades, some of whom were visiting for the first time.
Kettle's Yard was the private home of Jim and Helen Ede, who lived there from 1957-1973. Kettle's Yard maintains Jim’s vision of the house as a ‘way of life’. His collection of paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures is arranged amongst ceramics, glassware and natural objects, creating a retreat from the busy hustle of our everyday lives. The house and its contents were gifted to the University of Cambridge in 1966 and have since been expanded several times to include a temporary exhibition gallery.
Tell me more…
Kettle's Yard marked its 50th anniversary in 2007. Over this half-century and more, thousands of people have visited the house and gallery - students, families, artists, friends and volunteers – many of whom remember the Edes. We wanted to capture these visitors’ memories and stories. We also wanted to look ahead, creating an archive that will be an invaluable resource today as well as when Kettle's Yard celebrates its centenary in 2057.
The oral history project ran from January 2008 to January 2010. We worked with a team of 15 volunteers, taking in-depth interviews with 42 people who know Kettle's Yard well. We also ran practical art workshops with two primary school classes and a group of four-year-olds and their parents from a local Children’s Centre, many of whom had never visited before. We have recorded over 100 hours of interviews.
The in-depth interviews capture the oral testimony of those with a long-standing relationship with Kettle's Yard. We have interviewed both of Jim and Helen’s daughters, Elisabeth Swan and Mary Adams, as well as many of the previous curators, two of whom had ‘lived in’ after the Edes moved to Edinburgh. We have also interviewed artists who have exhibited there, musicians who have performed there, supporters who were crucial in the transition of Kettle’s Yard from private home to University of Cambridge collection and many friends and visitors who feel a strong connection with the house. We wanted to reveal the daily life and enduring influence of Kettle's Yard, collecting memories that span decades.
As a counterpoint to the historical nature of the in-depth interviews, we wanted to capture a snapshot of Kettle's Yard today. In February and March 2009, 10 children and their parents from The Fields Children’s Centre in Cambridge visited Kettle's Yard for two practical art workshops. Artist Filipa Pereira-Stubbs introduced the group to the house through a series of drawing activities and oral history volunteers recorded the children’s first responses.
In June 2009, Class 4 and Class 5 from St John’s CE Primary School, Huntingdon, worked with Filipa to make mini-dioramas of their own ideal spaces, taking inspiration from the Kettle's Yard house. We collected interviews with all 54 children. We completed that part of the project with an exhibition in the school hall, curated and installed by the children.
We are extremely grateful to everyone who has contributed to our project, especially our team of volunteers. Without their generosity in time and spirit, this archive would not have been possible.
ReCollection: Kettle's Yard Oral History Archive Project was funded by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Cambridgeshire County Council. Seed-funding for our pilot project was generously provided by Renaissance East of England Community Learning and Outreach Fund, administered through the University of Cambridge Museums Development Officer.
