By Isle of Wight Observer
By A & S Whitewood
On Saturday, Dimbola Museum & Galleries in Freshwater Bay marked the 30th anniversary of its original opening, with a day of celebrations.
Koo Stark wielded the scissors in 1994, but, on this occasion, it was Vice-President, Julia Cameron, who cut the ribbon, a descendant of photographer Julia Margaret Cameron (JMC), to whom Dimbola is dedicated.
Museum director, Dr Brian Hinton, also chairman of the JMC Trust, thanked everyone who had supported Dimbola over the years, especially the staff and volunteers. Following a struggle to save the building, things were looking up by 1994, and now, 30 years later, Dimbola is a popular visitor attraction, as well a special place for locals to visit.
Deputy Lord-Lieutenant, Gill Kennett, remembered the struggle to save the house and told guests how members of her family were instrumental in carrying out renovation work on the building.
In the Dimbola garden, a statue was unveiled by Canadian, Timothy Schmalz, of the ‘Lady of Shalott’, a character by poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Cllr Emma Cox, chairman of Freshwater Parish Council, spoke about the project to bring the statue to Freshwater, which was started by her predecessor, Cllr Daniel James.
Celebrations continued throughout the day. You can browse the IW Observer gallery at iw.observer/dimbola30 or use the QR code to access it.
Isle of Wight Observer