Pike Ward Project
Image: Pike Ward by Þórarinn B. Þorláksson with thanks to Þjóðminjasafn Íslands
In 2016 I discovered the lost photographic and archive collections of a Devon man, Pike Ward, who became a hugely important figure in Icelandic history during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. My research has led to a book based on his diaries and a series of events and exhibitions in the UK and Iceland. These included a major exhibition in 2019 at Þjóðminjasafn Íslands (the National Museum of Iceland) called Með Ísland í farteskinu. In 2021, I managed an international creative team to explore ways to adapt the story in audio, funded by Arts Council England with support from Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, Devon County Council, Teignmouth Town Council, Literature Works, the Icelandic Embassy in London, the UK Embassy in Reykjavík, Pike Ward Ltd and the South West Heritage Trust .
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You can find out more in a seven-minute film made for the exhibition here
I explore the subject in more depth for the BBC History Extra podcast here