Peak District - Ethel - Idyll - Fine Art Print
Title: Peak District - Ethel - Idyll
Range: Idyll Range
Size: 25.4cm, 50.9cm and 100cm Square ( 25.4cm not numbered )
Series: Idyll Range Designs
Print: Full colour UV resistant archival inks. Fine Art Giclée digital print.
Limited Edition: 125, signed by the artist.
Supplied: unframed.
Date: 2025
Artist: Si Homfray
A tribute to Ethel Haythornthwaite, environmental campaigner, activist and poet. (1894-1986).
Ethel was pioneer of the countryside movement that went on to become our beloved Peak District. Her tireless campaigning ensured a greenbelt around Sheffield and her activities led to the formation of the Peak District National Park in 1951.
This work sees her looking over everything Peak District, lovingly remembered in her long form poem - The Pride of the Peak.
Ethel - Created for the Stoney Middleton Well Dressing 2025
This tribute to Ethel Haythornthwaite (1894-1986), environmental campaigner, activist and poet was designed by local artist, Si Homfray of Park Designs and painstakingly recreated by the local community in Stoney Middleton - 1600 hours of work.
The well dressing tells a story of how important the Peak District was for Ethel – and how the park is for all of us.
Ethel was pioneer of the countryside movement that went on to become our beloved Peak District. Her tireless campaigning ensured a greenbelt around Sheffield and led to the formation of the Peak District National Park in 1951.
In designing the piece, Si took a great deal of inspiration, not just from Ethel’s life but also from Helen Mort’s book, ‘Ethel’. This beautifully written biography, and the moving and heartfelt introduction from Fiona Reynolds, former head of the National Trust, eloquently explains the importance of Ethel’s work, now more than ever.
About the artist
Si Homfray’s art is inspired by National Parks, wellbeing and the natural world. From his ‘Park Designs’ Hathersage Gallery, Si is a prolific producer of graphic art. He is particularly known for his Idyll Range, cheerfully optimistic pen drawings and his instantly recognisable Contour Range, vibrant interpretations of the contour lines on a map.
Green spaces are integral to Si’s art. Like Ethel, he’s passionate about the role National Parks play in essential decompression, outdoor activities and mental health.
This work sees Ethel looking over everything Peak District, lovingly remembered in her long form poem, ‘The Pride of the Peak’.
Central to the work is the sheer beauty of the Peak District National Park. Si envisioned Ethel sat on her beloved horse on Bamford Edge overlooking everything we love so dearly today, the moorland, the crags, the reservoirs (although Ladybower reservoir wouldn’t have been there in Ethel’s day), the wildlife and the heather.