North Herts Museum is featuring a brand-new exhibition: "'No worldly good to worry about'; the art of William Ratcliffe," running from 4 October – 30 November 2025. 

This is the museum's first ever exhibition dedicated to William Ratcliffe (1870 – 1955), a Garden City artist and founding member of the progressive 'Camden Town Group' - comprised of sixteen, young contemporary artists who painted realist scenes of everyday life and landscape in a range of Post-Impressionist styles.

The show will feature more than fifty works – including oils, watercolours, prints and drawings - drawn from the museum's collection. North Herts Museum holds the largest collection of Ratcliffe's work in the country, largely due to his residence in Letchworth Garden City and the subsequent donation of his works to the former Letchworth Museum.

The exhibition also includes three rare oils by fellow Camden Town artist Spencer Gore (1878–1914), a colleague of Ratcliffe's who produced some of his most significant works during a stay in Letchworth in 1912.

Over the last thirty years the North Hertfordshire Museum Service has added to the collection with the help of generous national and local grant-aid, particularly the Art Fund, the Arts Council England/ V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and the Hertfordshire Heritage Fund.

Ratcliffe pursued his art with an unwavering devotion. Though he rarely sold his paintings during his lifetime, he was largely content to live on almost nothing. His only solo exhibition was at the former Letchworth Museum in 1954, the year before his death. As a close friend wrote later, 'William was lucky in a way. He had no worldly goods to worry about. He was able to be single-minded and concentrate on his work entirely.' 

Cllr Tamsin Thomas, Executive Member for Enterprise at North Herts Council, said: "It is a privilege to share the story of William Ratcliffe, a North Hertfordshire talent who is an often-overlooked figure of the Camden Town Group. This exhibition not only celebrates his work but also highlights the museum's strong connection to his legacy."

The exhibition is a chance to rediscover the wide range of Ratcliffe's modest output, from his delicate drawings and watercolours to his colourful oils and striking woodcuts.

advertisement

 A fully illustrated book with over 100 of Ratcliffe's colour illustrations, written by North Herts Museum's very own art historian, Ros Allwood, will be available to purchase on sale for £10. A selection of exhibition-related merchandise will also be on sale in the museum shop.

North Herts Museum is located on Brand Street, Hitchin SG5 1JE, and open Tuesday to Saturday, 10.30am to 4.30pm, and Sundays, 11am to 3pm. Admission to the museum is free. The museum has a fantastic café with a range of drinks, savoury and sweet snacks, and light meals.

For more information check out @northhertsmuseum on Facebook and Instagram, visit the North Herts Museum website or call 01462 474554.