Today I visited Canterbury for the first time.

What a place!

From the cathedral to the art galleries to this truly amazing second hand book shop (Kings English – they sell books to raise money for the homeless – and I found an original Fontana cover Agatha Christie as well as several Dorothy L Sayers!) – it’s a place I already long to come back to!

While walking, I spotted the Sidney Cooper Gallery and noticed an old familiar face peering down at me.

Upon a closer look I read –

Mary Tourtel 1874 – 1948 Creator of Rupert Bear studied art here c 1891 – 1896

It has been many many years since Rupert shared his adventures with me, but the glee I felt at seeing my old friend can’t be overstated.

Mary Tourtel appears to have been quite a character (though I wish I didn’t now know that Rupert was created purely to defeat another newspaper in sales! 😂😂) and one day – in non-covid times – I shall come back and visit the museum and learn more about both of them.