‘The Little Gallery’ opened in The Parade earlier this morning – 16 February. It is part of Winsor Birch, a ‘Fine Art and Sculpture Company’ and Grant Ford’s increasing group of galleries and venues where the public can see some carefully selected exquisite, challenging and attractive art – and curated exhibitions – and become customers.
But ‘The Little Gallery‘ is his first venue in Marlborough for customers to see the works he curates by artists he represents, and adds to the already growing recognition of The Parade being the cultural heart of Marlborough.
Marlborough based Grant is a well-known and highly regarded international fine art specialist, trusted advisor, curator and representative of prestigious art collections. A regular expert appearing on the BBC’s ‘Antique Roadshow’, Grant’s particular speciality is 19th & 20th Century British, Irish & European Art but beyond that his expertise and experience is broadly based.
Thirty years very senior experience at Sotheby’s before launching out on his own, ‘The Little Gallery’ is Grant Ford’s first retail venture in Marlborough, although he’s based very close to the new gallery in The Parade. His Winsor Birch group of outlets include the Sculpture Garden in Carden, Cheshire and the recently opened collection at The Vineyard Hotel, just on the Marlborough side of Newbury.
Grant describes his vision and aims for Winsor Birch: “I created Winsor Birch to make our selling shows relaxing and easily accessible to everyone. They are an open door to the commercial art world, without the pressures of high-end art establishments. We want to inspire and help collectors and share our extensive experience and knowledge. We display sculpture in stunning garden settings surrounded by beautiful countryside as well as fine art hanging in modern and traditional interiors.”
He added: “We stage art and sculpture exhibitions and events throughout the year. Our shows are carefully curated and set in locations which enhance collectors’ and visitors’ experience of the art and provide stimulating environments offering the opportunity to visit, learn and enjoy.”
“The difficulty with this gallery” stated one of the early visitors to ‘The Little Gallery’ this morning, “is that having viewed that (one of the works on display) how can I escape without buying it?”
‘The Little Gallery’ is at 1-2 The Parade, between Pino’s restaurant and DIY Rainbows. For enquiries contact: enquiries@winsorbirch.com.
Noel Barrett-Morton, last Councillor to have been elected to the Town Council to step down after neary thirteen years
