Tollesbury

The Centre

The Congregational church and the village community centre

The Centre – originally built in 1850 as the Tollesbury Congregational Church – is a large building with a sizeable hall ideal for concerts, theatrical productions and private functions. Additional facilities include a schoolroom and two smaller rooms for group meetings, and a fully equipped kitchen.

When the congregation no longer needed the building, the community acquired it to ensure it stayed in village use. It has since been fitted with a professional stage and lighting rig, making it one of the better-equipped community venues on the Essex coast – used for theatre, cinema, yoga, concerts, talks and community meetings alike.

All events at The Centre are listed in the Tollesbury Parish Magazine, available throughout the village.

Jonathan Smith

Watercolour / Pastels

After an incredible career working on wildlife conservation projects around the world, including as Essex Wildlife Trust Warden of Tollesbury Wick Marshes, Jonathan Smith has finally found more time to pursue his passion for painting.

Inspired by the place he's called home for over 30 years, Jonathan creates beautiful watercolours that capture the magic of Tollesbury's big skies, sweeping estuary, sailing barges, smacks and classic yachts. His work reflects a deep love of the landscape and wildlife that has shaped his life.

Tollesbury Patch Together

Textiles

Formed in 2007, Tollesbury Patch Together is a group brimming with talent, creativity and skill – from award-winning embroiderers to experienced needlework teachers. It represents a wealth of traditional craft knowledge right here in Tollesbury, with skills that deserve to be shared, enjoyed and passed on.

At the Tollesbury Arts Trail the group will be chatting about what they do, showing their work and encouraging anyone who's curious to come and have a go. You don't need to be skilled – just interested! 🪡❤️

Gaynor Williams

Watercolour / Acrylic

Gaynor Williams creates watercolour and ink paintings inspired by her love of animals, nature and the places around her. 🐾🎨

Alongside her animal paintings, she has created a selection of pieces inspired by Tollesbury, capturing some of the character, scenery and charm of this very special place. Gaynor loves the freedom of working with watercolour and ink, creating pieces that are colourful, detailed and full of personality. ✨

Sue Mansworth

Gemstone & Beads Jewellery

Sue began upcycling old beads and jewellery during lockdown and has continued ever since. She loves the therapeutic process of taking unwanted or broken pieces and giving them a whole new life.

She now also incorporates beautiful new gemstones from trusted sources, creating unique and individual jewellery pieces.

Come along and discover how Sue turns old treasures into something new!

Frank Davies

Oil

From a young age Frank Davies was always drawing. As a child he could spend hours in his bedroom sketching aircraft, fascinated by the world of flight.

Although he dreamed of going to art college, life took him in a different direction. He completed an engineering apprenticeship with Siemens before moving to de Havilland, where his talent for drawing was spotted during a lunch break and led him into the design department as a draughtsman.

But art never left him. In his spare time he continued to draw and paint, experimenting with charcoal and different mediums before settling on oil painting as his favourite. He was a prolific artist, rarely without something on his easel, spending hours considering every detail — especially the mist, atmosphere and mood that became such an important part of his work. His love of Scotland and the countryside shines through in many of his later paintings, his work was exhibited at the Royal Academy, and he even became known for selling a painting within minutes of an exhibition opening.

Some of his work is being shared as part of the Tollesbury Arts Trail, with all money raised from the sale of his paintings donated to Tollesbury Sailing Club. ⛵🎨❤️

Bryce Gale

Aerial Photography

Bryce Gale is a self-taught aerial photographer based in Essex. He originally started flying drones as a hobby, fascinated by the aviation side of it, but before long fell in love with aerial photography and the unique perspectives it can capture that aren't possible from the ground.

His interest began around ten years ago with a small, inexpensive drone – incredibly basic, with a mind of its own half the time – but it sparked a fascination with seeing the world from above that has grown into the aerial photography of today. One of his biggest sources of inspiration is Google Earth; he can happily spend hours exploring compositions and hidden patterns across the county, and is particularly drawn to the Essex salt marshes, whose intricate, winding shapes create stunning natural artwork when viewed from above.

At the Trail, Bryce will be exhibiting a variety of framed prints featuring some of his favourite aerial photographs from across Essex, including several taken in and around Tollesbury, along with the first copies of his 2027 Aerial Essex Calendar.

Emma Freeman

Pencil

Emma Freeman loves to draw in her spare time and enjoys experimenting with different materials and surfaces. She works with coloured pencils and has recently discovered a love for pastels too.

Inspired by nature and wildlife, Emma particularly enjoys drawing horses and exploring different ways to bring her artwork to life.

Vicky Phillips

Gyotaku Fish Prints

Vicky Phillips's work is comprised of a variety of printmaking techniques, which she often likes to combine. She lives in a small village on the East Coast of Essex near Maldon, and all things watery remain an important influence in her work.

Her work of late has predominantly been 'Gyotaku', the Japanese art of fish printing – a process in which the printing 'plate' is often eaten after the print is taken. Vicky has developed and refined the process within her work, often combining Gyotaku with other types of printmaking.

Charlotte Todd

Mixed Media

Charlotte Todd is a watercolour and collage artist. Having lived in Tollesbury for many years, she has been inspired by the beautiful estuary and the village's unique buildings. She also loves all things fauna, and tries to capture and create from the wonderful world around her. 🌿

Candy Kirkland

Acrylic & Pencil

By day Candy Kirkland is a dog groomer, but she has been an animal and wildlife artist at heart for as long as she can remember. Inspired by a lifelong love of animals and the natural world, art has always been her passion and it shines through in every piece she creates.

Working in both pencil and acrylic, Candy captures the personality, beauty and spirit of her subjects, creating artwork full of warmth, life and character. She'll be exhibiting at the Congregational Church with a collection of original artwork, prints and greeting cards. You can also find Candy on Facebook under House of Creation – Candy Kirkland. ❤️

Debbie Sacker

Acrylic

Debbie Sacker has been drawing for as long as she can remember, inspired from childhood by her first paint box and two wonderful art teachers who encouraged her love of creativity.

Although art wasn't to become her career, Debbie never stopped creating. A chance invitation to join her village art club helped reignite her confidence, and she now enjoys painting and experimenting with a wide range of mediums. Acrylic is her favourite, with landscapes, seascapes, still life and – rather unexpectedly – owls featuring among her subjects. 🦉

Molly-Mae Onyett

Illustration

Molly-Mae Onyett works mainly in pen and watercolour, creating fun, lively pieces inspired by people, places, nature and all those little moments that make life interesting.

She loves capturing the character of cities, the beauty of the natural world and the stories hiding in everyday life. From custom portraits and quirky gifts to playful illustrations, there's always a bit of personality in her work. Lately she has been having fun experimenting with mixed media too — playing with line, texture, colour and imagery, and seeing where the creative chaos takes her.

Lawrie Flood

Acrylic & Oil

Lawrie Flood is a contemporary painter and self-taught artist based in Tollesbury, on the Essex coast. Originally from Exeter, Devon, he moved to the area in the late 1990s and has become an active part of the local arts community, as a member of the Colchester Art Society and founder of the Essex Saltmarsh Plein Air Group.

Lawrie has been drawing and painting from a young age, his love of art beginning when he was just eight years old – he fondly remembers visiting his local museum on his own in the late 1970s, sketching the animals and artefacts on display. Working across a variety of traditional mediums including oils, acrylics, watercolours and pencils, he particularly enjoys working in a loose style, always experimenting with new techniques, tools and creative challenges and embracing the unpredictable journey of seeing where the paint takes him.

Tom McGahan

Photography

Tom McGahan is a UK-based photographer who was raised by Irish parents in a culture where storytelling was at the heart of everyday life. His photography is deeply rooted in narrative, creating images that are both quietly powerful and emotionally resonant.

Working primarily with medium and large-format film, he uses natural light and a thoughtful, slow process to produce photographs that sit between documentary and fine art. His work has received international recognition, including awards from Feature Shoot, the Belfast Photo Festival and the British Journal of Photography, and has been exhibited in galleries across the UK, Australia and the United States, as well as featuring in the world's first photographic exhibition in space.

At this year's Tollesbury Arts Trail, Tom will be exhibiting I Am Always Here – a body of work created over ten years around the Blackwater Estuary. Photographed on medium and large-format film, the series is a meditation on landscape, memory and belonging, exploring the quiet, ever-changing relationship between a place and the people who return to it. The project has recently been self-published as a limited-edition monograph of just 200 copies.

Tollesbury Watercolour Group

Watercolour

The Tollesbury Watercolour Group is a friendly, welcoming bunch of artists who meet fortnightly to paint, share ideas and encourage one another. Inspired by the late Mike Lang, a much-loved local watercolour artist and teacher, the group continues the warm and supportive spirit he created.

With members ranging from complete beginners to professional artists, there's no experience required – just a love of painting and a willingness to have a go. This year's exhibition, Tollesbury Through Watercolour, celebrates the village through paintings inspired by its coastline, wildlife, historic buildings and everyday life. Come along, admire the work, chat to the artists and perhaps discover your own love of watercolour. Some original paintings will also be available to buy. 💙

Neville Tatham

Ceramics

Neville Tatham makes functional slipware pottery that is raw-fired to earthenware temperatures. The materials and techniques used remain visible, often with the warmth of the terracotta clay showing through the glaze or left bare, creating a textural contrast between the raw and glazed surfaces.

The pots are decorated using slip-trailed and incised decoration, then finished with a lead-based glaze. The application and thickness of the slip also determine a range of effects.

Richard Mixture

Oil

What if a painting could make you stop, breathe and just switch off for a moment? That's exactly what Richard Mixture hopes to create through his landscape paintings.

Based in Tiptree, Richard works in oil and watercolour, drawing inspiration from the British countryside and coastline and those quiet moments in nature that we often miss when life gets busy. His work is all about light, atmosphere and that calming feeling you get when you connect with nature. For Richard, painting isn't simply about creating a picture — it's about slowing down, escaping the pressures of everyday life and celebrating the positive impact creativity can have on our wellbeing.

Tollesbury Climate Partnership

Community group

Our next Tollesbury Climate Partnership Bring & Buy is all about Arts & Crafts!

Have you got paints, brushes, wool, fabric, craft kits, art supplies or other creative bits and pieces sitting unused at home? Bring them along and give them the chance to inspire someone else.

Or come along and have a browse – you might find just what you need for your next creative project!

A great way to reuse, share, save money and reduce waste – while supporting our local community. 🌍

Bridget Lovell

Watercolour

Bridget Lovell is happiest when she’s being creative – whether that’s painting, foraging, or upcycling.

Having retired over four years ago, Bridget’s watercolour journey is relatively new, and she’s still finding her style. Although, as others point out, her distinctive colour palette may already be giving her away!

Her love of creativity also ties in beautifully with her interest in home herbalism, which feeds her passion for foraging, experimenting and creating. A lovely mix of art, nature, and a little bit of magic!

Part of Tollesbury