Touch of paradise comes to Harleston
Artwork spelling PARADISE has been installed at The Swan Hotel in Harleston by owner Robin Twigge. - Credit: Eastern Daily Press © 2015
Harleston has always been seen as a nice place to live but now it could be called a Norfolk paradise.
In the summer Waveney and Blyth Arts commissioned eight artists groups to create and decorate one of the letters of the word paradise.
These made up a treasure hunt where families were encouraged to visit all eight locations in the Waveney Valley, including DesignMakers@21 in Diss and The Old Kings Head in Brockdish.
Robin Twigge, owner of The Swan Hotel in Harleston, liked the letters so much that he decided to purchase them.
Mr Twigge, trustee of the River Waveney Trust, said: 'It was a great project and when I saw all the letters together I fell in love with them.
'They look really fantastic and I wanted other people to be able to enjoy them too, so I approached Waveney and Blyth Arts to make an offer.
'I am thrilled that they agreed. I love this area and truly feel that it is paradise – I think a lot of people agree with me.'
Most Read
- 1 'Metal monstrosities' - Opposition to new East Anglia power line grows
- 2 'Like a Halloween scene' - huge caterpillar webs engulf hedges
- 3 As seen on TV: The Norfolk guest house with a spa...in a bank vault!
- 4 WATCH: Inside ex-Aviva office being bought for millions by councils
- 5 Road cleared after severe delays in Diss following vehicle breakdown
- 6 Street food, live music and fireworks planned for Diss Jubilee celebrations
- 7 Obituary: Man behind Norfolk's life-after-death experiment dies aged 78
- 8 Rare 19th century painting discovered in Norfolk home could fetch £50k
- 9 Man admits arsons which killed 50 pigs and caused £680k of damage
- 10 Travel: Stay on the UK's first floating glamping pod...in Beccles
DragonMarkers@21, Harleston and Waveney Arts Trail and Eye Arts Guild were among the groups who created the letters which are hanging pride of place in the hotel.
Mr Twigge said: 'They have fitted perfectly into the space in the front lounge which will be known from now on as the Paradise Suite.'
A celebration evening was held to officially reveal the letters and artists, key supporters and paradise venue hosts attended the event.
'We will have a sign up to explain about the letters and how they came about,' added Mr Twigge. 'And we will also be selling colour postcards of the paradise letters in four different local landscape settings, reed beds, heathland, tidal river and the water meadows near Needham, so everyone can take a bit of paradise home with them.'
Simon Raven, from Waveney and Blyth Arts and who was behind the project, said the prospect of separating the letters was sad.
He added: 'So for Robin to offer to put them on permanent display in Harleston was a fantastic outcome.'
