Florence Mare: A Record of Yardley

Florence Mare: A Record of Yardley is showing at the Visitor Centre at Blakesley Hall in Yardley, and it's a lovely bit of local history to wander through. It's an exhibition of watercolours by Florence Mare, a Yardley artist whose work gives us a rare look at the neighbourhood as it was back in the 1930s. If you've spent any time around Blakesley Hall or Old Yardley Village, you'll know how much the area has changed over the years; these paintings capture the countryside, the footpaths and the village scenes before later development transformed the landscape.

There's a good story behind the paintings, too. Florence Mare (1875–1970) was born in North Wales and moved to Yardley in 1920 with her husband and two children, settling in a bungalow on Stoney Lane. She led a life that was pretty unusual for her time: she was among the first female students at the London School of Economics, and later worked as personal secretary to the Marquis of Salisbury — a role that left her described as formidable, intelligent and keen on feminism. She didn't even start painting until she was 55, using her daughter's school paints, and was soon encouraged by a tutor at the Birmingham School of Art. Beyond the easel, she supported charitable causes, particularly the Brick League, which raised funds for Birmingham Children's Hospital.

The exhibition is held at Blakesley Hall itself, a Tudor timber-framed house built in 1590 by Richard Smalbroke, who came from one of Birmingham's leading merchant families. It opened on 3 July 2026 and runs Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm, though it's closed on Wednesday 28 October, Friday 30 October and Saturday 31 October. Entry is free, and the Visitor Centre is on Blakesley Road, Yardley, Birmingham B25 8RN.