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The soil improver in question is J. Arthur Bower’s, which was developed by Bower and his business partner, Miss Lily (Betty) Pedley (1895-1987), who together ran the South Brink Nurseries, Cromwell Road, Wisbech. Betty’s brother, Ralph, owned and ran Hodders watch repair and jewellers on Wisbech Market Place. Born in Halifax, Betty came to Wisbech in 1934 when she went into partnership with J.A. Bower. In her younger days she was a keen golfer; she was a founding member of the Wisbech Chrysanthemum Guild and the Wisbech Floral Guild.

The artist is Day Shuker (1899-1972) and she and Betty Pedley would have got to know one another through social events and groups in the town, particularly through their shared membership of Wisbech Art Club. Additionally, Day’s husband Alec would most likely have met Betty through his work for the Ministry of Food and the local fruit industry.

During this acquaintance members of the Pedley family acquired examples of Shuker’s paintings and these have passed down through the family. Of these, two oil paintings have recently been acquired by the Museum through the generosity of Betty’s great niece Jennie Padley, who is herself an artist.

The first is an agricultural scene, “Threshing”, which was exhibited at the United Society of Artists; the second, “The Pool”, illustrates Shuker’s varied painting styles.

 

 

Daisy Hodgetts was born in 1899 and spent much of her childhood years in London. At the age of fifteen she secured a four-year scholarship at the Chelsea School of Art. During her scholarship she would spend the summers fruit picking in Wisbech, and it was here that she met her future husband, Alec Shuker and they were married in 1919. The family were to have two children and resided at 116 North Brink, Wisbech.

Shuker did undertake some commercial work such as drawings for Weldon’s fashion magazines, and for book illustrations for such things as children’s painting books including one based on Rudyard Kipling’s “Just So” stories. However, much of her work as an artist was employed for the benefit of the local community.

Much of her artistic output was produced to support local societies such as the Wisbech Operatic and Dramatic Society and the Wisbech Players and this wider scope allowed her to design and make costumes, accessories and props.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many people, when studying old town guides and programmes for major events from the mid-20th century are unaware that on their covers feature more examples of Day Shuker’s work such as her lovely painting of the  stalls on Wisbech Market Place.

Exhibitions of her paintings were mostly held locally, although she did occasionally show in London; once three of her oils were hung at the Royal Academy and of these two were sold at the preview.

After Day Shuker’s death in 1972, the Wisbech Art Club presented a Memorial Exhibition in March 1973 to celebrate her work. Many pieces were sold to raise funds for local charities to which she was connected. Some of the monies raised were used to create the Day Shuker Award for local artists which run annually by the Wisbech Art Club.

 

At the sale the Friends of Wisbech Museum secured paintings and sketches which they donated to the Museum and so began our collection of Shuker’s work which has been added to over the years.