< Previous30 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYARTISTIC LINCOLNSHIRE The desire to create was manifest froman early age, inspiring Dara to study fortwo years as an art teacher after finishingschool. She studied at Dupnitsa TrainingCollege and, after gaining her teachingqualifications, she returned to Dobrich tobegin her career as a full time teacherand artist. For the next 35 years, Dara nurturedher own talent alongside budding youngartists, creating a continuous circle ofinspiration. During this time she was alsobringing up two daughters as well asworking in an assortment ofkindergardens to make ends meet. To sayshe was dedicated is an understatement.Dara’s work ethic would make thehardiest of artists tremble. Proof that hard work is the greatelevator of art, Dara has had a number ofexhibitions throughout Bulgaria and, as aresult, has sold paintings all over theworld. Along with an artist friend, sheFrom Bulgariawith loveFor Bulgarian born artist DaraDyakova, life has been a constantdiscovery into the arts. Born in1959 in Dobrich, she has spentmost of her life working in theBalkan nation, as both a teacherand an artist, and now she’sexhibiting for the first time inEngland, right here in Lincolnshire.also started a private studio in Dobrichunder the title ‘Stella and Dara’.Returning to the world of academia, Daragained her Bachelor’s Degree andMaster’s in fine art which she achievedwith flying colours. Having immersed herself in a variety ofstyles and media, Dara has built up aformidable portfolio and competences.One aspect was the Baltic style whichinvolves painting on silk with hot wax.These pieces proved hugely successful inRussia. Another area of expertise isceramics and pottery. Her recent workhas become an amalgamation of stylesand technique, though the use of colourand materials remains a constant throughline. Decoupage – pasting cut-outs to anobject and then covering them withvarnish or lacquer – also plays a part inher compositions. Her work has often been described asabstract, and it certainly is that, but also30-31_Layout 1 20/06/2017 11:00 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY31whimsical. Dara desires her paintings to bringhappiness and positivity to any who look atthem. It’s hard not to be moved by the brightcolours, soft shades and gentle lines. To thiswriter, her images evoke the hauntingportraits of Gustav Klimt and his womencaptured in a textured surrealism of brightcolours and patterns. Dara will be exhibiting for the first time inEngland come August, where over forty of herworks will go on display at the CaistorHeritage Centre. The exhibition will runthroughout the month under the theme of‘Whismy’. There’ll also be a meet the artistevent on August 5th. To see more of Dara’s works, visitwww.saatchiart.com/daradyakova.ARTISTIC LINCOLNSHIRE Dara will beexhibiting her workat Caistor HeritageCentre throughoutAugust30-31_Layout 1 20/06/2017 11:01 Page 232 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYARTISTIC LINCOLNSHIRE This is the case for Russian born artist,Alex Jawdokimov - who, during WorldWar Two, was interned in aconcentration camp with his mother.Following their liberation by Russianforces, Alex was then placed in a gulag –a forced labour camp. Eventually,though, they were released and movedto the UK in 1947 where they settled inSomerset for a time. Alex now happilylives in Gloucestershire.Having already mastered fourlanguages, it wasn’t a stretch for Alex toBeauty unboundIt’s true of art that it is dutybound to reflect the horrorsof our past and thedarkness that dwells justbeneath the surface. But artis also a means to escape, totranscend the binary of thebody, flee from torment andleave something beautiful inits wake. acclimate to the English tongue. Fromthere, he began training at theSomerset College of Art and went on tohave several creative successesincluding working as an illustrator anddesigner, a dancer, a musician and evenan actor. In fact, he has been in filmsalongside Sean Connery and MichaelCain and rubbed shoulders withaccomplished directors John Sturgesand Ken Russell. He was in the war filmThe Eagle Has Landed, where heplayed, ironically, a German officerAfternoon GlowBluebell WoodsHattan32-33_Layout 1 20/06/2017 11:03 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY33THE LITTLE REDGALLERYLove art? Then we’d love to meet you, please call in for a cup of tea and a chat.The Little Red Gallery are feeling ‘Love’ with a fantastic range of pieces and perfect gift ideas.8 Bailgate Lincoln LN1 3AE01522 5891348 St Mary’s Hill, Stamford, PE9 2DPart@thelittleredgallery.co.ukwww.thelittleredgallery.co.ukduring World War Two. Despite getting on in years, no one issure just old Alex is. Even he himselfstruggles to remember given his earlyhistory. The best approximation is his lateeighties or early nineties. Due to his age,Alex has slowed down of late, meaninghis pieces are arriving a lot less often. Foranyone interested in an original, it wouldbe better to commission a piece. Despitethat, the Little Red Gallery currently has aLondon scene and chicken imageARTISTIC LINCOLNSHIRE available in Lincoln. Having honed his craft over a numberof years, Alex has forged his own path asan accomplished artist. Indeed, he hasbuilt up a strong reputation around theracetracks of Europe for his charminghorse racing pictures. In contrast, healso produces beautifully detailedromantic and stark cityscapes. Thoughrecently, Alex seems quite taken with hisrendering of the Russian Birch Trees.These are some of the most iridescentand striking images you might see ofbirches. Here Alex takes his memories ofRussia - and surrounds those stark blackand white trees in the most beautiful ofcolours. He uses layers of gold, rosegold and silver leaf to give the paintinga shimmery quality and allows the workto really come to life as the lightchanges on it. To see more of Alex’s work, visitwww.jawdokimov.co.uk.Storm SkyFrankelDruid's WayAnak PekauBirchwood32-33_Layout 1 20/06/2017 11:03 Page 234 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYbeaten trackEn-route to Harby we traverse thenearby Old Wood, which was purchasedby the Woodland Trust in 1995 and is aparticularly important habitat forbutterflies. The area and is even“guarded” by the “Old Man of theWoods”, a sculpture placed in a centralclearing.There’s history a plenty in this part ofthe county including a late Victorianchurch, a statue of Queen Eleanor ofCastile who, as legend has it, was Queento Edward I and despite an arrangedmarriage at the tender age of ninebecame one of the great romances of thetime. The couple became inseparable andin 1270 she even accompanied him onthe Eighth Holy Land crusade. Sadly, she was taken ill and as hercondition worsened they lodged in theHarby manor house of Richarde deWeston where she died on 27thNovember. After embalming at StCatherine’s nunnery in Lincoln her viscerawere buried at Lincoln and the distraughtEdward followed her body to Westminsterfor burial. Their nightly stopping placesbeing royally selected as sites for thefamous Eleanor Crosses, the first at Lincolnand the last at Charing Cross. There is aninformation board near Harby church.Back to present day, our tour passesthrough Doddington, Lincolnshire’sgrandest Elizabethan brick house andvirtually unchanged since being built in1593 for the Bishop of Lincoln’s Recorder.And, there’s the picturesque St Peter’schurch dates from 1770. There’s an old railway as we approachHarby which opened in 1896 andbecame the Lancashire, Derbyshire andEast Coast Railway. In Skellingthorpe, the village heritagecentre and RAF memorial is also worth alook as it was home to several famoussquadrons including: 50 Sqn, 455 Sqn(RAAF), 61 Sqn, 619 Sqn and 463 Sqn.During the first 1,000 bomber raids inMay 1942 F/O Leslie Manser wasawarded a posthumous VC whilst flying aManchester bomber from RAFSkellingthorpe. The Leslie Manser PrimarySchool on Kingsdown Road was namedafter the VC winner who was based atRAF Skellingthorpe. THE ROUTE.From the carpark exit weturn left and first right following LowerChurch Road to where an alley by the oldschool accesses the churchyard. We join afootpath at the back of the church toOff theWe love getting off the beaten track in Lincolnshire as it’s a great way to get closer to natureand learn a few things about our county. It’s also a great opportunity for this somewhatdesk-bound jockey to get some much needed fresh air in his lungs.This month we visit Skellingthorpe and Doddington via Harby a village closely associated withthe death of Queen Eleanor.34-35_Layout 1 20/06/2017 11:05 Page 1keep forward at a road before turningright along Woodbank (signed for OldWood).At a bend we walk ahead onto abridleway within the woods. Thisbecomes a footpath and afterapproximately a mile, exits at afootbridge. Then we bear slightly rightacross an arable field towards a footpathsign and continue on a grass track to afarm. Bearing left outside the fence wethen turn right where the farmer’s helpfulsigns guide you over another arable fieldto a road.The path continues in the fieldopposite into the meadow beyond.Keeping left by the hedge and at thecorner we go left to skirt a quarry, thenveer left again on a track beside electricitycables. By the first pylon we go half rightto the field corner and cross the oldrailway. The grassy track on the far side(Clay Lane) leads into Harby; keepingforward we go through the village to thechurch, at the southern end.We return to take the signed bridlewayon the right just before the village centre.Passing a barn to a waymark we then goleft, soon re-entering Lincolnshire. A gatea track leads to the top right hand cornerof a large field and enters a wide greenlane, where a few yards ahead, a 3-wayfootpath sign near a pylon pointsdiagonally right over an arable field.Heading to the corner of Strunch Woods,we go through the hedge and bear leftbeside them to a corner, then cross thestile in front of us. We now take a halfright across Doddington Park for 300yards passing a waymark and veering leftonto a farm road near an old sawmill.Turning left we pass through thefarmyard to a road. Keeping left for theHall and the church.Opposite, the church cross into KennelLane and at its end keeping forward, withviews to Lincoln, beside woods,eventually passing a lake. Immediatelybeyond that, at a footpath sign we go leftto meet the aforementioned railway againand turn right. From a road bridge we goleft into Skellingthorpe which ratherhandily leads to the Plough Inn;alternatively you could keepstraight and head back to thecarpark.FACTFILESTART: Skellingthorpe village carpark. [GR926716]DISTANCE: 8 miles • 13 kilometresOS MAPS: Landranger 121 (Lincoln) • Explorers 271 and 272REFRESHMENTS: Skellingthorpe - The Plough • Harby – Bottle & Glass • Doddington Hall - shop and café34-35_Layout 1 20/06/2017 11:05 Page 236 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYBOSTONIt’s odd to think that Boston was once one ofthe most powerful towns in the UK. Today, it’s ashopping destination which only hints at thehistory and culture it once contained, but if yougo back hundreds of years, it was a place sopowerful that a major US city was named after it. Once upon a time, the town was a majorexport hub, second only to London itself in theamount of trade it handled each year. As thewool trade that Boston so heavily relied onbegan to die down however, the town founditself left behind by some of its larger cousins,but that only means it has retained much of itsrustic charm – instead of becoming a sprawlingmetropolis like many larger cities. Showing thatpollsters of the day could be just as flawed asthey are now, many believed Boston wouldbecome a second London – a sprawling city filledwith over a million people.39 ÁBoston is a location with lots tooffer, if only you look. There’s areason it remains a clear visitorattraction, and destination fortourists coming to Lincolnshire. Deceptiveappeal36-41_Layout 1 20/06/2017 11:42 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY37BOSTON© Shutterstock / Oscar Johns 36-41_Layout 1 20/06/2017 11:42 Page 238 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYOffers on all Stoves, Fires & SurroundsFor the best deals, visit or call:Boston01205 310 327Boston Heating, Church Road, Boston PE21 0LGwww.bostonheating.co.ukFireplaces & Multifuel ServicesMultifuel & woodburning stoves from just £299Valor and Dimplex centre with fire surroundsEnjoy a warm and welcomingenvironment in BostonFirst class restaurant, serving quality foodAre you are looking to put on a private function in theBoston area? You can take advantage of our superbprivate function facilities to make your wedding, birthday,funeral or other special event a memorable experience.Locally Sourced Good Quality FoodFamily & Pet FriendlyBricklayers ArmsWainfleet Road, Old Leake, BostonTel: 01205 870 657www.bricklayersarmsboston.co.ukSundaycarvery £6.95& midweekonly £5.50Unit 18A, Redstone Industrial Estate, Spalding Road, Boston PE21 8ALwww.switch-electrical.netTelephone:01205 359333Switch Electrical Wholesale Limitedis an excitingelectrical distributor. We know what our customerswant. “...fast, friendly, reliable service at competitiveprices.” We can supply anything electrical. Wedistribute cable, wiring accessories, trunking-systems,lamps, lighting, heating, ventilation & much more...TTea Room & Coffee Shop Specialising in Classic Afternoon Teas Tel: 01790 755555 (Shop) Tel: 01754 820369 (Enquiries) Mobile: 07468 581694 44 High Street, Spilsby (at the rear of the Lower High Street Car Park) SPILSBY’S HIDDEN GEM ! GOODBARNS YARDT: 01205 355717 | W: www.goodbarnsyard.co.uk8 Wormgate | Boston | Lincs | PE21 6NP•Homecooked food•Snacks andlight bites•Cask ales•Outdoor seating•Family friendly atmosphereBeer garden in a scenic setting by theRiver WithamFormerly known as the Wormgate, Goodbarns Yard is located inthe most historic part of Boston. It is fronted by a medievalcobbled street, which runs northwards away from 'The BostonStump', parallel to the River Witham. The pub boasts arguably themost popular beer garden in Boston with paved, grassed andcovered decking areas (which is heated for your comfort) andmakes for superb scenic outdoor eating2 meals for £11 - Mon-Fri: 12-6Menu limitations apply36-41_Layout 1 20/06/2017 11:42 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY39BOSTONThe Port of Boston benefits from direct access to the Victoria GroupTransport Fleet as well as many other haulage sub-contractors, to enabledistribution of customer product to complete the supply chain solution.Port of Boston | Boston | Lincolnshire | PE21 6BNTel: 01205 365571 | email: info@portofboston.co.ukwww.victoriagroup.co.ukNowadays the town isn’t quiteso powerful, but that doesn’tmake it any less of a spot forshopping and tourism withinLincolnshire. Beyond this, Bostonmanages to maintain many of itslinks to the past and is quick tocelebrate its cultural heritage. The Town continually celebratesits history in the award-winningGuildhall Museum. Built in the1390’s, it is a testament to thewealth and power of Boston backin this time. One of the favouriteattractions is the restoredbanqueting hall and kitchen soyou can see how townsfolkentertained in years gone by. They dinedin some style then – and you can still dothat in Boston’s excellent venues today. The huge tower of St Botolph’s Church(or the Boston Stump, as the locals aremore likely to call it) dominates the town,and it continues to bring people together.It celebrated its seven hundredthanniversary not so long ago and thesuccess demonstrated how iconic andcherished it remains. Equally iconic is theMaud Foster Mill – one of the few stillworking and producing flour.It’s estimated that around half ofBoston’s population is employed in theagriculture industry – so if any town iswell equipped to highlight the best ofLincolnshire produce, you’d suggest itwas probably this one.This foodie heritage continues with itsever popular markets. Fresh food startedbeing sold in the town’s market placearound a thousand years ago and thetradition continues – in exactly the samelocation – to this day. Boston plays hostto several of the top growers andsuppliers in Lincolnshire, and some oftheir most loyal and enthusiasticcustomers are the chefs and ownersbehind some of the town’s top eatingplaces. They also frequent the array ofindependent traders that can found alongthe length of Boston’s High Street.The biweekly Boston Market, whichtakes place every Saturday andWednesday in Market Place. A throwbackto the medieval era, this event can seeover 120 stalls offering a wide range ofproducts and goods, from fresh localproduce to crafts and gifts. © Lincolnshire Wildlife Park 41 Á© Lincolnshire Wildlife Park 36-41_Layout 1 20/06/2017 11:42 Page 4Next >