Bruce Barkley
Bruce Barkley, in Light and Shade
One of the exhibitions in the Fron Community Centre on 23rd November will be of the late Bruce Barkley’s prints, some of which were featured in his ‘in Light and Shade’ publication. Bruce was an artist-in-residence with the Wrexham Leader Newspaper and local celebrity well known for his beautiful drawings of local landmarks, villages, towns and scenes of the waterways. Bruce and his family were from Froncysyllte, with a family tree dating back to the 1700s. The prints are courtesy of June Smith, Angela Lawrenson and Hilary Edwards, Bruce’s daughters and niece.
John Bruce Barkley – Our Dad
Born in Froncysyllte 1914
Died 1968
Our Father John Bruce Barkley was born in April 1914 in Froncysyllte. He was a child quite nervous boy. He joined the St. David’s Church choir as a teenager but loved roaming around the countryside and sketching. When he was 15 he used to win the Special Prize with Uncle Jeff with the Wrexham Leader, for his drawing. The sum of £28.60, which was a lot of money in those days, as they weren’t all that well off. His Mother, my Nan, used to make scones for my dad to take down to the canal on Gate Road to sell.
Our Father loved the Fron. He met our mum who also lived in Fron. She was born in the Chip Shop where her grandmother owned. After they married in the St Giles Parish Church, Wrexham in 1937 they moved to Wrexham with my Nan. His father was killed in the pit when my Dad was two. I remember him telling me his Dad went to Chicago with a friend on the Lusitania before he married my Nan. His name was Moses Barckley. His Father was Jonathan Barkley. He was my Dad’s Grandad who was a Deacon in the Chapel in Trevor.
I remember as a child coming downstairs and he would be on his easel on the kitchen table doing pastels. He was asked by someone to go to Fleet Street, to work in London but he was a homebird and didn’t want to leave. He was still living in Fron and used to cycle to Wrexham every day through the Bont. Halfway up was an old lady who he called to see on his way to the Wrexham Leader who used to give him a glass of milk and biscuits.
He was lucky enough to be able to get into the College of art on Regent Street, as a teenager where he really flourished. Then onto the Wrexham Leader Newspaper. Where he was made artist and advertising Manager. Where he used to canvas the Wrexham Shops e.g Mayfair Fashion, Bushfields, Wellums, TV Shop and lots more.
Displayed here is a collection of our Father’s artwork depicting landmarks around Wrexham County Borough, some are of our family and our community. I hope they bring as much joy as they bring to our family.