As many readers know, I love a blue plaque - and Cirencester, where I now live, has dozens of them. Recently, one plaque in particular caught my eye as I ambled about town. It claims that a man who studied here is "credited with saving more lives than any person in history." That’s a bold claim, and I wanted to find out more.
BOOK REVIEWS
‘Geomotional’ is a remarkable and beautifully illustrated exploration of – as the sub-title says – ‘Geometric art, past and present’. The book, which has us journey through images, words, poetry and song, and gives account of a ‘performance-installation’, is compiled by Mary Elizabeth Lange, who is prolific in her writings on Indigenous art and story, and various intersections with heritage.
BLUE PLAQUES
Built in 1906, this began as the home of a pioneering couple from Germany, Adolf and Elsa Wilhelmi, and is among the oldest surviving structures in Sandton. As part of the original farm Driefontein, it is a good example of an early 20th Century Highveld farmhouse. Elsa Wilhelmi farmed in the area for many years, supplying fresh produce to Johannesburg and surrounding areas.