Sheep Art Trail Suffolk - House of Gharats

Neishaa Gharat celebrates the spirit of Suffolk & Norfolk on the Sheep Art Trail in the market town of Eye.

Neishaa Gharat the eclectic founder-designer of House Of Gharats was invited to create two designs for the Eye Sheep Art Trail, to raise awareness and fundraise for the Blossom Charity based in Suffolk. Keeping with House of Gharats’ love of creating an artful life she embarked on this journey with her curiously creative mind. She designs with purpose and gives a voice to her subject. Engagement is key to her design outcome. She believes design is her superpower with which she can change the world.

Collaborating with The Blossom Charity

The story began when Neishaa Gharat, Founder-Designer of House of Gharats and Bridget McIntyre, Founder of The Blossom Charity, met and shared the stage at the Global Thinkers Forum, Athena40 event in London. The event was hosted by the Evening Standard, on International Women’s Day 2019. Neishaa Gharat describes her first interaction with Bridget McIntyre as “inspiration at first sight”. The Blossom Charity is based in Suffolk and aims to inspire and increase confidence in women and young people in East Anglia through coaching, mentoring, makeovers and style consultancy.

Creating Prosper Ewe and Knotty Ewe, for the Sheep Art Trail in the picturesque market town of Eye in Suffolk

Prosper Ewe! is wishing prosperity for Suffolk

The Prosper Ewe! was inspired by the prosperity that wool trade brought to Suffolk and Norfolk in the 15th century. Neishaa is not only keen to be influenced by the prosperity of the past but wanted to explore the present and the future prosperity of Suffolk through its vibrant, culture, communities and businesses. The story of this sheep sculpture interweaves the prosperity and vibrant culture of Suffolk, once brought by the wool trade to its present and future businesses. This sculpture will inspire the people of Suffolk to engage and add to the design through an interactive workshop at Eye Library and online engagement.

Knotty Ewe, is knotting stories and memories

The Knotty Ewe was inspired by the 250-year history and stories of Jarrold, an independent family-run department store that was found in Woodbridge, Suffolk and is now based in Norwich, Norfolk. Knotty Ewe sculpture will inspire the people of Suffolk & Norfolk to share & knot their memories of the fabled Jarrold department stores on to the sheep, through an interactive scarf styling & memory sharing workshop and online engagement.

Neishaa’s wonderful team at House Of Gharats shared her enthusiasm and flocked to bring her vision to life whilst enjoying wonderful team spirit

Prosper Ewe!

Sponsoring the collaboration – Pretam Gharat, Cosmetic and Implant Dentist

Dentistry is both an Art and Science. This collaboration is sponsored by Pretam Gharat @Harley Street, cosmetic and implant dentist based in London. His philosophy is to create a centre for excellence, where only the very highest standards in modern dentistry are provided to his patients. He strives to provide the most advanced treatments, delivering beautiful and natural smiles with a highly trained and caring team around him.

Pretam Gharat aka @thestylishdentist revels in being the subject of many photographers during fashion weeks, attempting to capture his sartorial way of dressing.

Neishaa Gharat was inspired by the importance of placemaking; Linking it to the prosperity of Suffolk and its people

There are many ways to describe placemaking, the way we see it is a way to connect many different elements of a community. We believe that individual places are inherently connected as well as people that are living, working, doing business, visiting and travelling locally. The highlight of placemaking is understanding whether the public has an agency to instigate placemaking or take stewardship role in private spaces as they might in public spaces.

One interesting view into placemaking is to gather a wide range of viewpoints from the public into placemaking, this helps to understand what is already great about a place, creates more interesting places, taps into funding and investment opportunities, empowers communities and fosters civic pride.

Inspired by Suffolk

This passage was written by Visit Suffolk truly encapsulates our love and inspirations found in the landscapes of Suffolk

“In a county as old and varied as this, there are hundreds of Suffolk stories to be told. Come and discover the tales that can be found in iconic landscapes such as the fields and fens of West Suffolk, the long stretch of coastline in the east, the lush Waveney Valley on the northern border and beautiful Constable Country in the south. Read the stories that have risen over Suffolk’s long history and the tales of some of the most famous people in history. And come right up to date with everything that is going on in the modern-day.

Suffolk is the place where you can find a house in the clouds, the balancing barn, a giant scallop on a beach, and the stretch of turf where champions run. And don’t forget the Suffolk mysteries – unnerving tales of ghostly bells beneath the sea, devil dogs stalking the darkened countryside, unearthly craft in the sky and the many haunted houses in Suffolk where ghostly residents wander restlessly. What will you find when you discover Suffolk.”

Prosper Ewe! Interweaving the past, present and the future prosperity of Suffolk.

History of the wool trade

Past

Dawn of Wool : Wool as a raw material is available since the domestication of sheep.
12th Century : Wool was the most important asset in European trade – England major exporter of raw wool -peasants deal with travelling wool merchants.
1133: The Worshipful Company of Weavers is formed.
1133: Wool becomes the principal source of wealth in Medieval England – Anyone who owned land would raise sheep – Landowners developed direct links with cloth manufacturers abroad.
1337 – 1453: Hundred Year War – King Henry III & King Edward I heavily taxed wool to pay for the wars – Flemish weavers fleeing the war and French rule to settle in Norfolk and Suffolk – Switch to raw wool exportation to weaved wool cloth
1450 – 1530: Weaved wool trade becomes stronger & richer – Lords, abbots & bishops start to count wealth in terms of sheep. In addition, Suffolk nobility used their influence to acquire freedom of tolls for local cloth merchants. This enabled cloth merchants to freely trade around the country and inevitably increased their wealth.
Birth of the Wool Towns: construction of beautiful churches and houses to display wealth – Ipswich is the main port of trade to Antwerp and Genoa – Flemish and Italian merchants frequent English market.
Birth of the Wool Towns: THE CHURCH OF ST PETER & ST PAUL · EYE It dates from the 15th century when East Anglia was at the height of its prosperity from the wool trade. It was built by wealthy merchants and landowners.
Birth of the Wool Towns: IPSWICH: The main port of trade to Antwerp and Genoa, bringing prosperity across the waters.
Birth of the Wool Towns: Nearly every house in the so-called ‘wool towns and villages’ were either trading or making wool cloth. As their wealth increased, so did the size of their houses. In fact, merchants built fine houses and grand guildhalls.
Mid 16th C: King Henry VIII’s war on the continent debilitates trade.
The 1570s – 1590s: Men are ordered by law to wear woollen caps to church every Sunday to support the wool industry
17th C: Only 20% of Suffolk’s population is employed in textiles compared to 90% at its peak.
18th C: Wool weaving starts to decline in favour of silk.
1785: Huguenot silk weaving comes to Sudbury from Spitalfields, in London – the English “silk road” between London and Suffolk is established.
First Industrial Revolution: The wool weaving industry is automated and moved up north – Final crash of the wool industry in Suffolk as they could not compete with mechanised loom factories.
Preserving towns and villages: One of the most remarkable legacies of the wool towns and villages is that it took centuries for these settlements to recover from the industry’s crash. Therefore, for years, residents could not afford to rebuild or modernise the buildings, thus preserving the towns in their medieval state.
Weaver, Dyer or Fuller: The wool trade has left a legacy after the industry crash in Suffolk. There are many local surnames linked with the industry, for example, Weaver, Dyer or Fuller, the chances are your ancestors were in the business. In addition, expressions like ‘on tenterhooks’ ‘pulling the wool over someone’s eyes’ or ‘dyed in the wool’ also originate from the wool trade.

Present

Suffolk stays strong in crop farming and animal production – The agricultural industry composes 2.8% of its GVA – Sugar beet and malt production are some of the most important
Suffolk’s local strength for the Live Sciences rely on food and health research, plant science, microbiology, animal health, ornithology and pharmaceutical research
Manufacture of food products is the largest sub-sector – 50% of the jobs concentrated in the production and processing of poultry meat – Beer manufacturing employs over 2000 people
Suffolk’s construction sector is mainly related to buildings and infrastructure and specialised activities of the energy sector
Suffolk and Norwich host almost 70% of the UK’s offshore wind capacity – The three main wind farms are Sheringham Shoal, Seroby Sands & Greater Gabbard
The digital economy in Suffolk is focused on computer programming and consulting and telecommunications – Telecommunications is the second-largest digital sub-sector, concentrated in Adastral Park where the main BT research facilities are based
As of 2018, 5 Suffolk SMEs were listed in the top 100 firms with the fastest-growing international sales
In Transport: the George Baker Group ranked 8th nationally with 172% growth over two years in its international growth to take it to £7m.
In Manufacturing: Rockford Electrical, ranked 9th
In Digital: Online electronics retailer, The Pi Hut, ranked 21st with 108% growth and £4.3m worth of international sales.
In Manufacturing: Superyacht Tenders & Toys of Ipswich, 45th
In Publishing: The printing services firm, Denny Bros, ranked 71st with 46% growth and £1.6m of international sales.
Suffolk Chamber of Commerce: Promoting and supporting Suffolk as a great place to do business within a regional, national and indeed an international context.
Eat Suffolk Food & Drink Awards 2019 (see winners in Present & Future)
Suffolk Distillery: Premium gin, lovingly handcrafted in Suffolk with a blend of exotic and locally sourced natural botanicals.
Oscar-nominated film director Mike Leigh will be launching Film Feast Suffolk’s 2019 programme

East Anglian Daily Times: British local newspaper for Suffolk and Essex, based in Ipswich. Published daily, from Monday to Saturday.
Suffolk 2050: plan to map the future of the county.

Future: Suffolk 2050

How will Suffolk progress as a county in the future? We learnt from The State of Suffolk 2019 report which includes data from across the county. Iit anticipates areas which are likely to be key concerns in the future.

Rethink their infrastructure to ensure the long term viability of Suffolk. To solve some of these issues, Suffolk has said this “ we need bold and brave solutions to meet the huge challenges facing us as a county.”, “We need to solve the problems created by an ageing population; of rapidly increasing demand for SEND [special educational needs and disabilities] provision; we need to create high skills, high wage jobs fit for the future” and “In the first instance much more must be done to develop and support Suffolk’s wonderful assets like our famous food and drink produce, a world-leading energy sector and popular tourist destinations.” The county aims to solve these issues by 2050.

Prosper Ewe! is housed in the brand new Eye Library

Library manager Julie Shepherd said: “Everyone’s very excited about our new library including staff and our regular customers. Hopefully, everyone will come along and take a look at the new library and what we have to offer, particularly anyone who may not have visited the library for a while, everyone is always welcome.”

Architectural designer Katherine Williams said: “The use of colour showcases a modern, vibrant facility to form a focal point for Eye, rejuvenating Cross Street by making use of a site occupied by an unattractive, dilapidated office building. The vaulted ceiling in the internal library area creates a light and inviting space which offers itself to becoming flexible as a resource centre to the benefit of Eye and the wider community.”

Tony Brown, chair of Suffolk Libraries said: “It’s hugely positive to be able to open a new library. It’s been a great team effort to deliver a modern facility that will provide a better library environment and experience for everyone in the local community.”

The modern design of the new library, which was designed and overseen by Concertus Design & Property Consultants, offers a striking new addition to Cross Street.

Knotty Ewe

Under the wool

The Knotty Ewe! design is focused on the premise of memory-making & sharing. Neishaa Gharat wanted to design a sheep that collects and knots the memories of generations of families who have visited and worked at the fabled Jarrold department store founded in Woodbridge, Suffolk in 1770. This brings us to the name of the sheep sculpture, Knotty Ewe. ‘Knotty’ describes both the fun and the interactive aspect of the sheep sculpture. Neishaa Gharat seeks weird and wonderful stories that are linked with Jarrold over the last 250 years, for example, many people have special memories of Jarrold – from dropping pennies into the fountain that used to be in the third floor restaurant, to meeting celebrities such as Stephen Fry and Tanya Burr at a book signing.

These stories are shared through a workshop and online engagement. Each piece of the story will be knotted to the sheep, hence the ‘Knotty Ewe’. Interestingly, ‘Knotty’ is a signature pun that we use at House of Gharats, to describe our 50 knotty ways to tie a scarf from head to toe and beyond.

Stories are ingrained into the DNA of House of Gharats and our Founder-Designer, Neishaa Gharat. She has set herself on a mission to change the world one scarf at a time. Her hunger to hear rich and underrepresented stories and share them with the world has set her on a journey to design her scarves as story-tellers that can be passed down through generations.

Knotting memories and stories

In the words of Jarrold “For us, it’s not just the products that count, but the stories behind the brands, the stories of the people who create the products. It is also about offering you excellent customer service, which is why we have experts across all our departments who can help you find the items to fall in love with.”

In line with Jarrold’s view of the value of stories, we at House of Gharats equally value stories. Rich stories play a vital part in all our design processes for our products & collaborations. Stories are energy that flows through our brand, they continue to inspire us.

Neishaa believes memories are as important as our existence

We at House of Gharats believe that reminiscing on memories is as effective in bringing you backwards in time as it brings you forward. When we spend time remembering our past experiences, observations, emotions, we then revoke our identity which ultimately shapes our future thoughts and actions.

Put it this way, have you ever done a big cleaning around your house and then stumbled upon an old storage box and in the spirit of procrastination, you spend a few hours going through that box? I’m sure a lot of you can relate to this as it’s hard to resist glancing at memories through photographs, videos, letters and birthday cards. We believe reminiscing can be one of life’s true, unpredictable and thrilling delights. It can show you how far you have come in life and how much you have or haven’t changed. Therefore, to understand the future and present, you need to go back in time.

History of Jarrold

It all began 250 years ago, in the year 1770, in Woolbridge, Suffolk, by John Jarrold. The company then moved to Norwich in 1823 under the leadership of John Jarrold II and has developed to be, probably, the largest and longest-standing privately owned business in the city.

The involvement of the founding family continues with three members of the seventh generation of the Jarrold family working within the company. From its roots as a grocer and draper, for many years its core businesses were printing, retailing and publishing, with a growing interest in the development of its property assets from the 1990s onwards. Since 2005 the business has concentrated on its retail activities and the development of its property assets whilst growing its business services activities through its training and facilities management operations.

Since its creation, it has been beloved and has been an integral part of the community – sharing fond memories of Jarrold and looking after the wellbeing of the county through its support of charity work in the community.

Jarrold Today, in their own words

The Jarrold Group is a privately owned business based in the historic St James Mill near to the centre of Norwich.

The main Jarrold store on London Street is regarded as the region’s favourite independent department store and is one of the most renowned landmarks in Norfolk. Jarrold also has several other stores around Norwich and Norfolk and has been a part of Norfolk life for over 250 years.

For a unique shopping experience, we have carefully sourced and curated a selection of products that aim to offer you something different. From fashion and food to books and beauty, our buyers handpick every product, often from local artisans and producers and brands that are exclusive to us, to give you shopping experience with a difference.

For us, it’s not just the products that count, but the stories behind the brands, the stories of the people who create the products. It is also about offering you excellent customer service, which is why we have experts across all our departments who can help you find the items to fall in love with.

It’s a recipe that we have used since we opened our doors in 1770 and as an independent family-run department store we welcome you to shop, eat and relax with us as our friend, after all, at Jarrold the shopping experience is Exclusive. Experienced. For Everybody.

Knotty Ewe is housed in Dream On Suffolk

Dream On Suffolk is a Community Interest Company. Through this structire they offer services to women who would like to come to dream on but do not have the funds to do so. They stock a fantastic range of clothing to buy at the studio. Conscious style lovers can browse, experiment with new styles and buy in a relaxed and friendly environment.

The Eye Sheep Art Trail

Between 18th July and 6th September, the market town of Eye is home to a flock of very unusual sheep! 24 beautifully painted sheep can be found at various locations around the town, just waiting to be admired for their colourful fleeces! These sheep celebrate Eye’s historic connection with the wool trade and have been installed by The Blossom Charity, who is based in the town, share a bit of summertime fun with the local community and raise awareness of what they do.

You can follow the sheep art trail, by picking up a map from several locations in the town (including Dream on, the Eye Library, Homestart, East of England and Central England Co-ops) or by visiting the sheep trail website. Don’t forget to share your experience and photos of what you found on social media, using the hashtag #eyesheeparttrail

The Charity Sheep Auction

On 12th September The Blossom Charity will host an auction of art, to sell each of the sheep from the art trail to raise money for the charity.

This event, kindly sponsored by Imaginative Traveller, is to be held at 7 pm, at Kenton Hall in Suffolk. The auction promises to be a fun and interesting event, with a chance to meet some of the sponsors and artists at a drinks reception before the serious business of selling off the unique sheep art to the highest bidder! Anyone interested in acquiring a beautifully painted sheep as a piece of art for their business, their home or garden, or just as a talking point are very welcome to attend and seal the deal, also telephone bids will be accepted. The sheep to be auctioned can be viewed at www.eyesheeparttrail.co.uk and this website includes details of how you can buy a ticket to attend the charity auction.

Key Dates

18th July – Trail launches: 7 pm, Scout HQ, Wellington Road, Eye, IP23 7HF

18th July to 6th September – Trail held throughout Eye

12th September – charity auction: 7 pm Kenton Hall IP14 6JU