Caption reads:

“My Grandpa started as an apprentice ship builder in the dockyard but following an accident he had to find a new profession.

He trained as an accountant and moved up the social scale. These watercolours were his pride and joy showing the house he bought and representing how far he had come.”

Jyll Bradley

About the exhibition:

How do family stories shape us, and how can archives help tell those stories? When artist Jyll Bradley started planning her ‘Running and Returning’ exhibition with The Box she had no idea she would find records about her family in the collections. Although brought up in rural Kent, Bradley’s adoptive family have strong links with Plymouth and she spent many summers in the South West as a child. This series of display cases in our Active Archives gallery combines archival records with personal items and memories, as Bradley explores how her childhood experiences have influenced her identity and practice, and provides insights into some of her ancestors, including her grandfather Leonard Turpin Nicholls (1893-1984), who lived in Plymouth and was a Fire Warden during World War II when the city was heavily bombed.

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: The Box, Plymouth, Devon
Material: Watercolour
Artist: William Darton
Date: 1928

Image Details
Date: 18 September 2025
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Telephoto Camera 52mm ƒ/2.4
Focal Length: 52mm
Aperture: ƒ/2.4
Shutter Speed: 1/59s
ISO: 160
Licence: Image of a ‘The Box’ asset. This image cannot be licensed.

Caption reads:

“My Grandpa started as an apprentice ship builder in the dockyard but following an accident he had to find a new profession.

He trained as an accountant and moved up the social scale. These watercolours were his pride and joy showing the house he bought and representing how far he had come.”

Jyll Bradley

About the exhibition:

How do family stories shape us, and how can archives help tell those stories? When artist Jyll Bradley started planning her ‘Running and Returning’ exhibition with The Box she had no idea she would find records about her family in the collections. Although brought up in rural Kent, Bradley’s adoptive family have strong links with Plymouth and she spent many summers in the South West as a child. This series of display cases in our Active Archives gallery combines archival records with personal items and memories, as Bradley explores how her childhood experiences have influenced her identity and practice, and provides insights into some of her ancestors, including her grandfather Leonard Turpin Nicholls (1893-1984), who lived in Plymouth and was a Fire Warden during World War II when the city was heavily bombed.

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: The Box, Plymouth, Devon
Material: Watercolour
Artist: William Darton
Date: 1930

Image Details
Date: 18 September 2025
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Telephoto Camera 52mm ƒ/2.4
Focal Length: 52mm
Aperture: ƒ/2.4
Shutter Speed: 1/60s
ISO: 200
Licence: Image of a ‘The Box’ asset. This image cannot be licensed.