Our project has been thriving for over 25 years and was created by our founder and owner, Isabel de Pelet, who remains heavily involved today.
We became a CIC (Community Interest Company) in January 2020 and a certified member of Social Enterprise UK in January 2021. Our team includes 7 local directors and a 14 strong Creative Committee of artists, craftworkers, and members of the local community.
Our goal is to provide opportunities for everyone, from residents to visitors, to explore creativity at all levels. We believe that creativity is key to personal development and well-being, which is why we offer a welcoming environment for all ages and experience levels to get involved in a range of artistic disciplines such as painting, sculpture, stone carving, textile design, printmaking, music and performance, ceramics, and associated crafts.
We support established artists by providing them with a space to experiment, new artists with the network, structure, and exposure to develop, and raw artists with the opportunity to grow. Our non-outcome based approach promotes a refreshing counterpoint to everyday life, and we believe that the process and journey of creating is just as important as the final outcome.
We invite you to become a part of our creative community by visiting our Get Involved area to learn more. Whether you’re an artist, crafter, or simply someone who loves to explore creativity, we have something for everyone.
Guggleton Farm Arts Project is situated in the yard outbuildings of the 16th century Guggleton Farm, in what was Guggleton Street, now known as Station Road in Stalbridge, Dorset.
Guggleton was purchased, converted and opened in December 1995 by Isabel de Pelet BEM, a well-known figure in Dorset circles and particularly known for her promotion of artists in Dorset, especially the young and up-and-coming. Isabel returned to her childhood love of art after her children had fled the nest. She took a foundation course at Yeovil College, requiring she take related A-levels and then went onto Bristol University of Wessex where she graduated with Honours (Art & Social Context). In December 2014, Isabel received a BEM for her services to the arts.
Guggleton’s principal gallery had been a carthorse stable and the smaller studios were lean-to-calf stalls. Whilst the buildings were converted by Isabel, she made sure that they, and the yard, were sympathetically modernised and still retain their recognisable features, so that locals could remember when/where the herd of cows came up Station Road for milking twice a day.
In 2019 Isabel stepped back from her day to day involvement and handed over, for a development stage, to Deanne Tremlett.
In 2020 the project became a CIC.
Over the last couple years the building that housed the milking parlour has been turned into a further, larger, gallery space; with scope to take works on a bigger scale.
