Whitchurch to celebrate work of 19th Century illustrator

Randolph Caldecott moved to Whitchurch, Shropshire, after leaving school

The life and works of 19th Century illustrator Randolph Caldecott is being celebrated in his hometown.

The one-day festival in Whitchurch, Shropshire, will feature a number of works by the artist who is said to have inspired the likes of Beatrix Potter.

Workshops and competitions are also featured in Saturday's free event, which was due to take place in 2020, but cancelled due to the pandemic.

Born in Chester in 1846, he moved to Whitchurch to work as a bank clerk.

However, Caldecott rose to prominence as an illustrator of children's books, as well as humorous drawings of hunting and cartoons from the Houses of Parliament.

One of his oil paintings, together with two other prints from his books, still hang in Beatrix Potter's house, festival organisers said.

Randolph Caldecott grew up in Cheshire and Shropshire and the countryside featured in a lot of his art

Norma Raynes, Chair of the committee organising the festival said: "Whitchurch was home to this world-renowned illustrator, yet so many people aren't aware of his wonderful work and we want to change that with the launch of our brand-new festival.

"Caldecott inspired all of us to not only follow our dreams but to understand that giving up is never an option."

Saturday's event will involve locations around the town and US author Leonard Marcus is flying in from New York to give a talk about Caldecott's work.

Randolph Caldecott was a well-known illustrator of children's books