Hope Bourne, a nature writer and artist who lived frugally on Exmoor, is the subject of a new exhibition at the Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury. The exhibition, titled 'A Life Outside: Hope Bourne on Exmoor', highlights her forward-thinking views on the environment, recycling, and rewilding.
Bourne, who died in 2010 aged 91, spent decades recording the landscape, wildlife, and rural traditions of Exmoor. Co-curator Sara Hudston described her as 'one of the 20th century’s greatest nature writers, whose work has been unjustly overlooked.' Bourne's ecological awareness and rejection of materialism are increasingly relevant today.
Bourne lived a frugal existence, reusing envelopes and shopping lists for her artwork. She was concerned with saving water as early as the 1970s, partly because she had to carry water from a hillside spring to her caravan. She also advocated for rewilding, calling it 'the impossible dream' and suggesting the reintroduction of brown bears, wolves, and lynx.
Another of Bourne's interests was the right to roam. She believed people should have free access to Exmoor on foot or horseback, and that camping should be allowed as long as it did not harm wildlife. Hudston noted that while many saw Bourne as an eccentric, she was creating the life she needed to produce her work.
The exhibition includes Bourne's paraffin lamp, Roberts radio, compass, binoculars, and Swiss Army knife, as well as her landscape sketches, personal journals, and published works. It runs from 27 September to 10 January 2026, and is created in partnership with the Exmoor Society.
