On Saturday (27th May 2023), more than seven hours after we had closed our doors following a lovely couple of days, the windows at the front of the Alex were smashed repeatedly by a hammer (20+ whacks!). So the front of the Alex looks sad and strange at the moment. We are mournng the windows that have been decorated for special occasions, showed off displays and offered a glimpse of the wonders we have inside. Its now a police case - thankfully there were some brave witnesses and also camera footage. We expect to get the windows replaced swiftly, but we did not want to board up and cancel imminent events. So the windows will still be bearing these visible scars if you visit for 1st June First Thursday, or for the next couple of weekends. As the notice out front says, both Chris and Steve are fine, the art and garden are still lovely, we are open as usual. Please do not defer your visit because of the state of the windows. To do so would damage our little enterprise twice.
If visiting meanwhile, you might (without touching!) want to take a little while to appreciate the art in this destruction. Photographer friend John (John Thompson Imagery) has been here taking photos. He now plans an exhibiton in the future showing us what he sees when he looks at and through this broken glass. Its obviously a big set back (especially unwelcome as we gear up to our biggest event in the year later in June). Meanwhile, these pictures remind that we can sometimes find beauty through art even in difficult circumstances. (These are some of John's early shots, but he is planning more, and more elaborate ones, to come).
Thanking everyone for their concern and promising that this will only be a short hitch. We have some wonderful plans for June and July as you will see.