00:00So we're here at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, a fantastic exhibition by artist Bob Rhodes
00:05and the curator is here as well. Hello. Hello. What's your name? So I'm Kyla Hislob, the acting
00:12head of interpretation here at IGMT and I was the lead curator for this exhibition.
00:18Tell us a little bit about the exhibition then and Bob Rhodes. It's a very unique style of
00:24painting. You were telling me it's acrylics and there's a reason for that isn't there?
00:27Yep, so Bob Rhodes, he was born in Sheffield and then later based out of Wolverhampton but
00:34in 1978 he moved to Ironbridge and the landscape here is what inspired all of his works from
00:41that point onward. And yes, they're all acrylics. He actually didn't paint in oil because the
00:47chemicals in them supposedly irritated his sinuses and they're all quite large scale works, so
00:54very bold and impressive.
00:55So is Bob Rhodes still with us or has he passed on?
01:00No, sadly he passed away in 2017 but he bequeathed about 70 of his works to the Trust here and
01:06we're really privileged to be able to put on an exhibition and display so many pieces.
01:11Well, we recognise this, the wonderful Ironbridge here, basting beautiful light. Just take us
01:17through to another couple of his pictures then. So if we head round this way, the River Severn features in a lot of his paintings.
01:28Lincoln Hill, he really captured all the major landmarks in Ironbridge and Coldbrookdale in his pieces.
01:35And his attention to detail is incredible. So every tile is painted, every window, there's just incredible detail in all the paintings. We've got the wharfage and Ironbridge captured in some of these images as well and even at the back of what was the Severn Warehouse is now the Museum of the Gorge. So one of our museum sites is captured here in this painting.
02:01Of course, of course. What an interesting angle as well with all those different rooftops and the different textures. Was he was he kind of well known in the art world itself and well exhibited?
02:13So originally, I should say early in his career, he did exhibit his works and did try and sell some of his paintings. And but the kind of reality was he didn't enjoy that aspect of it. He enjoyed painting for, you know,
02:31the artwork itself and just doing it. And so no, later on, these works here were not designed to be kind of exhibited and sold. He painted for the love of painting.
02:42Yeah, I know. So fantastic that these are now in the gallery's collection. And I understand the exhibition here has been extended and originally it was going to do to finish in November, but it's going to continue to the start of next year now.
02:54And yeah, that's correct. The response we've had from local visitors and from people internationally as well has been incredible. And because the exhibition only opened in July, we thought it's, you know, to sort of properly honour Bob, we should have a longer run. And it means that more people can come and see his amazing paintings.
03:15As if one great exhibition isn't enough, it's two for the price of one. We've got a lovely exhibition about the life of Captain Matthew Webb. This exhibition won't continue till early next year. Is it finishing November this one?
03:27It is, but the hope is to move some of these panels down to the Museum of the Gorge so that it can be enjoyed for a little bit longer.
03:33So just take us in then. Who was Captain Matthew Webb?
03:37So he's best known as being the man who first successfully swam the channel unaided.
03:43And so this was in 1875. So it's 150th anniversary of that feat.
03:48But what many people don't know is that he was actually a local man.
03:51He was born in nearby Dawley and then he grew up in Coldbrookdale and he actually learnt to swim in the River Severn.
03:58Oh, wow. I knew he was originally from Dawley. They've got a memorial there to him. I didn't know he grew up in Coldbrookdale, though, actually. That's interesting.
04:07Yeah. So that kind of early experience he had living right by the riverside is one of the things that inspired him to, well, he had a life at sea.
04:18He was in the Merchant Navy. And then during his time away abroad, he became a stronger swimmer.
04:27His experience swimming in the kind of fast currents of the River Severn.
04:31Yeah, I was going to say that really stood him in good stead for that challenge.
04:34Exactly. It meant he had experience when it came to swimming in oceans and later on trying to cross the channel.
04:39He already had that kind of training and experience behind him.
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