This Friday 6 November marks what would have been the birthday of Ronald Blythe, one of Britain's most celebrated writers of place, landscape, and rural life.

Best known for his landmark book, Akenfield, Blythe spent more than fifty years living at Bottengoms, the historic farmhouse on the Essex-Suffolk border that became both his home and a source of inspiration. Today, his legacy continues through his writing and the many ways Bottengoms continues to inspire creativity after he left it to Essex Wildlife Trust.

The current exhibition, The House of Art and Nature, celebrates that enduring connection between people, place, and the natural world. Featuring drawings of Bottengoms by artist Cy Baker, alongside works created through the Inspired by Nature workshop by local creatives, Line-ee Brown and Vijay Rao. To mark Ronald's birthday, we are also be releasing the full video recording of the exhibition opening event and panel discussion that reflected on the history of Bottengoms, the role of creativity in connecting people with nature, and the continuing relevance of Ronald's vision today.

To allow more people the opportunity to visit, the exhibition has now been extended until 22 November at Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Centre.

Whether through literature, art, nature or conversation, Ronald Blythe's influence continues to be felt far beyond Bottengoms. This exhibition is a reminder that the places we care about, and the stories we tell about them, can continue to inspire long after we are gone.