‘Edgar Wood - A Painted Veil’ to be screened in Middleton

‘Edgar Wood- A Painted Veil’

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A screening of the documentary following the life and times of Middleton’s most famous son, renowned architect, Edgar Wood, is to take place at Long Street Methodist School on 15 March.

Created by The Heritage Film Group and directed by Anthony Dolan, ‘Edgar Wood- A Painted Veil’ is the only film record about the heritage and legacy of the internationally-renowned architect, portrayed by actor Gareth Mason.

Written by David Morris and Anthony Dolan, and produced by Linda Slattery and Leo Lagorio, the film looks at Edgar Wood’s story - and sheds some light on his elusive genius.

Wood was a founder of the Northern Arts Workers Guild and a key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, an architectural style which celebrated traditional forms of craftsmanship that people feared would be lost as a result of the industrial revolution.

Further screenings are also set to take place in London and Huddersfield.

• https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/113211/‘edgar-wood-–-a-painted-veil’-documentary-finishes-filming-in-italy
  
• https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/110161/filming-begins-on-edgar-wood-documentary

Born in Middleton in 1860, he became a revolutionary creative force who built a bridge between the great art movements of the Pre-Raphaelites and Modernism.

Wood designed the Grade-II listed Redcroft at 33 Rochdale Road in 1891, living there until 1916. He also lived at Briarcourt in Huddersfield, and permanently moved to Imperia in the north-west of Italy from 1922. It was here that he renewed his lifelong passion with painting.

In the first few years, he lived with the nuns in the monastery at Monte Calvario, building his own villa in 1926.

Wood spent most of the last 15 years of his life there before he died in 1935.

In November 2017, the green light was given to restore one of the most important historic buildings in Middleton which Wood designed: Long Street Methodist School.

• https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/114066/revamp-of-historic-long-street-methodist-school-gets-the-green-light

Completed in 1900, the Grade II* listed Sunday school is in the top 5% of important historic buildings in the country. Named as one of the UK’s ‘most vulnerable historic sites’ in 2014, Long Street Methodist School is also on Historic England's Heritage at risk register.

The extensive work will see the restoration of original features, such as the leaded windows, the stonework, canopies over the doors and the original stage in the school hall.

The £500,000 restoration will also help get the building ready for potential future use, with plans to modernise the kitchen and toilets and replace the central heating system as part of the job, which is expected to take around six months.

The design, which subsequently influenced 20th century architecture, was groundbreaking at the time because it featured the arts and crafts architectural style Wood was famous for, but also showcased the beginnings of art nouveau influences before the style became widely popular.

Other buildings and sites designed by Wood have already been given a makeover as part of the Middleton Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI). Amongst these are the old burial ground at St Leonard’s Church, Jubilee Library, the Staircase and Exedra in Jubilee Park, Wood’s former home Redcroft, and two grade-II properties on Rochdale Road, Middleton.

• https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/113254/staircase-and-exedra-in-jubilee-park-transformed
  
  
• https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/112922/heritage-properties-designed-by-edgar-wood-renovated-in-middleton
  
  
• http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/101749/edgar-wood-home-of-famous-middleton-architect-restored-to-its-former-glory

The projects have seen Rochdale Borough Council use a £1.9m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore a number of historic buildings in the Middleton Town Centre Conservation area, with a particular emphasis on Edgar Wood designed buildings.

The free screening of ‘Edgar Wood- A Painted Veil’ takes place at 7pm on Thursday 15 March – Long Street Methodist Church, Lever Street, Middleton, M24 5UE.

Further screenings are to be announced.

Watch the trailer below...