The South West Heritage Trust is holding a celebratory exhibition honouring the life and work of Glastonbury-based artist Harry Brockway (1958–2024).
Bringing together a significant selection of his wood engravings, woodcuts and wooden sculpture, the exhibition offers an in-depth look at the creativity and craftsmanship that shaped his distinguished artistic career. Ways with Wood opens at Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury, Somerset, May 23 to September 2. 
Harry Brockway was an exceptionally skilled printmaker, sculptor, illustrator and stone carver. Alongside making independent prints, he created wood-engraved illustrations for an impressive range of major and independent publishers, from Penguin to The Folio Society. His work appears in editions of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and in texts by Philip Pullman, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mark Twain and W. B. Yeats, among others.
In addition to his wood carving, Brockway worked as a self‑employed stone carver and monumental mason, contributing to restoration projects across the UK, including Wells Cathedral. His diverse portfolio extended from stonework for The National Trust and memorials for The Lettering Trust, to commemorative coins for The Royal Mint and T-shirts for sustainable fashion brand Finisterre.
Florence West, Harry’s eldest daughter, said: “An inextricable part of Dad was his creativity and his dedication to the artwork that he produced. He was passionate, meticulous and exceedingly humble about his remarkable skill as an artist.”
South West Heritage Trust Exhibitions Manager Mel Coussens said: “This exhibition pays tribute to the remarkable skill, imagination and deep commitment to craft that defined Brockway’s creative life. His legacy continues to influence contemporary wood engraving and woodworking, inspiring artists, makers and illustrators today.”
Born in 1958, in Newport, South Wales, Brockway studied sculpture at Kingston Polytechnic and The Royal Academy Schools in London, later training as a stonemason at Weymouth College. He was an active member of The Society of Wood Engravers and The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. He worked from a small studio at the bottom of his garden where he continued to develop his practice in wood engraving, letter cutting, sculpture and design. Every day he downed-tools to take his daily walk up Glastonbury Tor.
In addition to the exhibition, Somerset Rural Life Museum will host a series of related events, including an afternoon talk, wood engraving workshop, walk around Glastonbury Tor and creative drop-in activities for children in May Half Term and the summer holidays.
For more information visit Srlm.org.uk
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