Ipswich family history brought to life

2012 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ipswich legend Margaret Catchpole and this new display will tell her story. In addition it will show visitors something of the life of the well-known Ipswich family, the Cobbolds.

The exhibition is being provided by the Cobbold Family History Trust. Keeper Anthony Cobbold said: "The display which includes hundreds of illustrations will be interesting to followers of the Margaret Catchpole story and students of local history, particularly those attracted by the Cobbold family's involvement in the brewery and Ipswich Town FC.

"Also featured is Felix Thornley Cobbold, who gave Christchurch Mansion to the Borough and whose centenary was celebrated in 2009. We are pleased to be providing this display and are grateful to the Borough Council for agreeing to house it in the Reg Driver Visitor Centre."

The display will be on view for two years, following the inauguration on the weekend of 8th - 10th April. During the inauguration weekend the Trust will be showing all of Richard Cobbold's original watercolour illustrations for the Margaret Catchpole story, together with two albums of Regency scissor-cut paper Valentines made nearly 200 years ago by Richard's mother, Elizabeth. Anthony Cobbold will be on hand throughout.

The weekend will also feature a special paper-cutting demonstration by a talented mother and daughter team, Lois Cordelia and Erika Bülow-Osborne. Lois, the highly regarded Suffolk artist, will demonstrate paper-cutting by scalpel while her mother, Erika shows 'Scherenschnitt', the traditional German scissor-cutting technique favoured by Elizabeth Cobbold.

Pictured: The Reg Driver Visitor Centre in Christchurch Park