The Ridgeway Contour Map Wall Art
“My husband and I saw an example of Holly's artwork in a local pub and fell in love with it immediately.
In summer 2019, my husband, three children and I moved into my childhood home, next to the Ridgeway in Wiltshire. It's a farm in a very remote area, surrounded and crossed by ancient landmarks and landscapes. The farm has been in my family since 1810, with my father (1925-2017) moving in after his grandparents in 1950. He married my mum in 1965 (she still lives onsite, in a converted barn) and my two siblings and I were all raised here. The area is full of family memories for me.
When we moved, my husband Alex took a six month sabbatical from his job and spent hours and hours walking the footpaths around and across the farm. He gained a far better knowledge of the area than I have ever had, despite living here pretty much all my life. So for his birthday, I commissioned Holly to create a map with the farm at its centre. We discussed different ways to show the farm itself, as well as the Wansdyke, an Anglo-Saxon defence ditch which passes through the farm, and the road which runs through its middle.
Holly was incredibly helpful and understood exactly what I wanted. We decided together on the borders of the map, and she used our traditional family names for local hills rather than the real titles. The road and Wansdyke are marked subtly but clearly, and the farmhouse is depicted with a silver ball.
I was so impressed by Holly's imagination and craftsmanship. She was great at communicating her ideas and exploring mine. She has created something beautiful and unique, with huge emotional significance for our family.”
Eleanor, 2020