Spring is in the air at the Devon Rural Archive this month with a new exhibition on show entitled ‘Savery not Swete’.

The event features the previously unseen early nineteenth century watercolours of amateur artist John Savery of Modbury; and on Monday, March 27, the DRA opens its doors for its eighth annual Picture Day from 11am to 3pm.

The new exhibition is an appreciation of the little-known watercolour sketches of John Savery, who was born at Shilstone in April 1747. Savery, a lawyer, often travelled in Devon, East Cornwall and Somerset between 1809 and 1818 and carried with him a small sketchbook in which he painted the buildings and landscapes he encountered as he visited his family and friends.

Like those of his contemporary, the Reverend John Swete - 1752-1821- of Traine in Modbury, the scenes Savery painted offer a unique view of Devon and its neighbouring counties before the arrival of railways and mass transport and are therefore are of historical as well as aesthetic interest.

“John Savery’s sketchbook, containing over 100 of his watercolours, was acquired by Lucy and Sebastian Fenwick of Shilstone in 2004 and they have kindly allowed the DRA to reproduce and display the images for the enjoyment of visitors,” said Abi Gray, resident archaeologist at the DRA.

“Each picture was accompanied by a handwritten description of the view by the artist and our team has scanned and reproduced the images exactly as they appear in the book, without any editing, so they are true to the original.”

In addition, Picture Day, on March 27, is a great opportunity for members of the public to bring along their old photographs and postcards of Devon’s buildings and landscapes for scanning into the DRA Image Bank.

“Each year we receive an amazing array of images that people have discovered hidden away in attics or cupboards” explained Abi. “In 2016 we were delighted to receive several hundred images from across the county following our appeal, which are all now freely available to view at the DRA during our opening hours. We would love to have many more this year to add to our collection.”

By keeping a record of these scenes, the DRA aims to preserve Devon’s heritage for future generations to study and enjoy. It is interested in both historic and modern images to add to the collection and the DRA team will be on hand throughout the day to scan your pictures so you don’t have to part with the originals.

The day will also be a great opportunity for visitors to explore the Archive’s collections and take a look at the latest exhibition, which is now on display. Both events are free of charge and refreshments will be available.

The Devon Rural Archive is located at Shilstone, near Modbury PL21 0TW and is open on Mondays - excluding bank holidays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am to 3pm. Please visit www.devonruralarchive.com for further information.