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H.S. Ede (1895–1990) was a conundrum. Named 'Harold Stanley', known as a child as 'Stan' ('Stig' or 'Stiglet' to his family), he was called 'Jim' by his future wife and the name stuck. Except, that is, in published writings. (To Ben Nicholson he joked, 'I haven't read the article, 'cos I wasn't very interested in what Mr H.S. Ede had to say about you, & didn't feel that he knew as much as Jim.') 1 Ede was generous yet frugal, visionary yet possessing an eagle eye for detail, diffident yet, once resolved, persistent to the end. A self-styled 'friend to artists', he bought works he loved and gave money, shelter, and a good word when needed. He undertook gruelling lecture tours to fund charitable causes. And throughout a peripatetic existence – living in Wales, England, Morocco, the United States, France and Scotland – he constructed environments in which art and beautiful objects were placed in harmony. Most famously, at Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, he created from former slum cottages a space filled with light, glass and ceramics, plants and pebbles, paintings and sculpture, where every day during university termtime he hosted an open house, gently and generously sharing his knowledge with anyone who cared to visit. Kettle's Yard, now part of the University of Cambridge, is testament to his pioneering belief in art as a way of life. Yet it is only one part of a compelling story that bears retelling. BEGINNINGS Born to Methodist parents, Ede grew up in a Victorian house in Penarth, south of Cardiff. As a boy he was already sensitive to his surroundings. He loved wildflowers and collecting shells, and preferred, aged twelve, to spend hard-saved pocket money on a Queen Anne desk rather than a bicycle. In 1909, he was sent to school in Caen, France. Making friends with a family who owned a townhouse and chateau, he was entranced by the elegance of silver, fine china and polished wood. There, he learnt French. Before returning home, he stayed in Paris with his Aunt Maud, an artist, and her American husband, Frederick 'Tim' Mortimer Clapp, who was studying art history. With them, he visited the Louvre and saw murals by Puvis de Chavannes. A S PA C E T O L I V E I N H.S. Ede, Kettle's Yard, and the experience of modern British art BY J U D I T H L E G ROV E 1 Ede, letter to Ben Nicholson, Tuesday [c.1928], Tate Archive, TGA 8717/1/2/846. 5