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Mr Hart’s Famous Scrapbook
Sketches by Harold Murray
1945-1952
Edward R. Hart was Head Virger at the Cathedral from 1934 to 1956. He oversaw the day-to-day running of the Cathedral during one of the most tumultuous periods in its history. On 4th May 1942 a single bomb caused extensive damage and destroyed St James Chapel. Renovations began shortly after the war and the new chapel opened in 1951. For much of this time, Hart compiled an album of amusing anecdotes and sketches, drawn by his friend, Harold Murray, a local artist and cartoonist. This so-called ‘Famous Scrapbook’ offers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of Cathedral life with Hart at its centre - a much-loved and generous man who rallied the Cathedral community in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Harold Murray worked variously in pencil, pen and ink, pastel and watercolour. His cartoons are vibrant and spontaneous, the casual musings of an acute observer with a quick sense of humour. Murray probably attended Cathedral services, sketchbook in hand, and gleaned ideas from conversations with friends. Under the satire lies a deep affection for the Cathedral and for the people who served it, from the dean to the organist and even Tom, the Cathedral’s famous one-eyed cat.
Murray’s post-war sketches of Exeter are laced with nostalgia. He sketched its buildings, churches, monuments and gardens, the football ground and cricket pitch, the quiet Cathedral and bustling streets. Not all survived post-war redevelopment. As town planners took the difficult decision to pull down war-damaged buildings, the ghost of Richard Hooker (whose statue sits on the Green) could be heard whispering, ‘This is not my dear old Exeter’.