Kettle’s Yard is a remarkable place in a quiet corner of Cambridge, overlooking St Peter’s Church. It is a beautiful house filled with beautiful objects, once the home of H.S. (Jim) Ede and his wife, Helen. Here their collection of twentieth century British and European art is displayed alongside found and natural objects, ceramics, glass, textiles and furniture.
In 1973 the house was left by Jim to the University of Cambridge. Kettle’s Yard still closely reflects Jim Ede’s original vision to this date. The house is still open and the high-quality music program established by Ede has continued to develop to include chamber concerts, contemporary music and student recitals.
The loan collection, through which Ede enabled students to borrow pictures to hang in their own rooms, extended the principle of art as part of everyday experience throughout the University and continues to be available to students.
The new spaces that Jamie Fobert and his team designed opened on 10 February 2018. Their light and volume, together with carefully chosen materials, create close conversations between the old and new spaces. As Jim Ede suggested in a letter of 1964: “Do come in as often as you like – the place is only alive when used.”
I had a magical visit with my mum, we sat in all the different chairs and soaked it all in – I highly recommend a visit!
