Upcoming talk – Friday 24th April 2026 at 7.30pm Avonway Community Centre, Fordingbridge SP61JF
Sven Berlin : Portraying the Romany Spirit
The Artist and Author Sven Berlin Author, journalist and expert in New Forest history Sonia Aarons-Green, will be giving a talk about the painter, sculptor and writer Sven Berlin. Sonia Aarons-Green knew Sven Berlin and published his definitive biography “Timeless Man” in 2016. She will explore the connections of Sven Berlin to the world of New Forest Gypsies and the Romany way of life. His interest in Romany culture was a passion he shared with his friend and Fordingbridge resident the artist Augustus John.Berlin arrived in the New Forest in 1953 in a Gypsy wagon and was granted a rare opportunity to record the last days of the Romany people in the New Forest when he lived at Home Farm in Emery Down. He made numerous paintings and drawings of the Romany people and also wrote a book “Dromengro” which is Romany for “Man of the Road”. Jon Ingham, Chairman of the Friends of Fordingbridge Museum, said, “Most people know about Augustus John but not so much about his friend Sven Berlin. He was initially a member of the St Ives artist community and later lived in the New Forest for many years. Sven deserves to be better known and this talk will do much to inform people about his life and work”
The talk begins at 7.30 pm and tickets cost £10 and are available from Fordingbridge Museum, www.ticketsource.com/fordingbridge-museum or Tina at Timothy’s in Fordingbridge High Street.
Light refreshments will be served and there will be a bar.
Event review
Fordingbridge Museum’s 25th Anniversary Celebrations held on 1st-3rd August 2025 were a great success.
The celebrations to mark the twenty fifth anniversary of Fordingbridge Museum, held in August, were hailed as a remarkable success. Museum Chair Peggy Jackson said, “We are amazed and delighted about how well the weekend went. We are enormously grateful to all our volunteers, some of whom were helping us for the first time.”
Councillor Phil Woods who attended the launch of the weekend’s events said, “I think it is in everybody’s DNA that at some time in their life they contemplate their own family history. This event stimulated me to think about my own family and how museums like this one all over the country play such an important role in finding out who we think we are.”
The weekend included punting, duck and raft racing on the river. Maypole and Morris dancing and rustic sports such as tug of war, welly wanging, splat the rat and giant Jenga attracted large and enthusiastic audiences. Old films showing life in Fordingbridge in the 50s and 60s were extremely popular as were some audio recordings of the memories of elderly residents. Visitors were fascinated by displays of old photographs and maps showing Fordingbridge and the surrounding area.
Peggy Jackson went on to say, “There has been a tremendous input into the weekend from local companies and organisations as well as from the town council. We also had a large number of visitors to the event many of whom made a point of expressing their gratitude to us for putting on such an enjoyable and informative experience. We really feel that this event marks a new relationship between the museum and Fordingbridge and the surrounding area.”
A legacy of the event will be a series of green plaques placed on historic buildings around the town. The first of these was unveiled on the museum building by Phil Harding.