Angela Gould brings Cornwall to Warrington

I had a wonderful chat with Angela Gould about her exhibition From the Sea View, and it’s one of those stories that really stays with you.

Angela has taken childhood memories of Cornwall, a difficult period during the pandemic and a lifelong connection to family and place, and turned them into something quietly extraordinary.

What makes Angela’s story so striking is that she has no formal art background. She told me she began sewing during lockdown simply as a way of coping, and over time that creative outlet became a five-year stitched recreation of the Cornish coast, made entirely from memory.

A coast stitched from memory

Angela explained that the work grew out of the childhood holidays she spent in Downderry and along the southeast Cornwall coast, where her family went year after year.

Rather than working from photographs, she stitched from what she already knew and felt, creating a piece that is as much about emotion as it is about landscape.

That’s really what lies at the heart of From the Sea View. It is not just a view of the sea, but a record of love, loss, hope and connection, and a reminder of the comfort that memory can bring at difficult times. Angela told me the title comes from the pub in Downderry called the Sea View, which sat in her mind as she worked.

Recognition beyond expectations

Angela’s work has already gained national recognition after being selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2024, which she described as surreal and unexpected. For someone who describes herself so modestly, that achievement is all the more impressive.

She also spoke to me about her Warrington roots, and how meaningful it is for her first solo exhibition to be taking place in her hometown.

That sense of home clearly matters to her, and it gives the exhibition a lovely personal connection that visitors seem to respond to straight away.

What visitors will see

The exhibition features 10 hand-sewn cross-stitch seascapes, all made by Angela and all rooted in memory rather than direct observation.

They’re shown in a calm, spotlighted gallery space at Warrington Museum, with benches provided so people can sit, look and take their time with the work.

Angela told me she enjoys being in the gallery chatting to visitors, and that has become one of the nicest parts of the whole experience.

People have been sharing their own memories of Cornwall, family holidays and seaside places of their own, which shows just how powerfully the work resonates.

Why it connects

What I found especially lovely about speaking to Angela was how clearly she sees the exhibition as something shared, not just something personal. For her, the pieces are about family, belonging and the kind of memories that stay with us long after the moment has passed.

That’s why From the Sea View works so well. It’s gentle, reflective and deeply human, and it offers visitors a chance to pause and reconnect with their own stories too.

In a world that often moves too fast, Angela’s stitched seascapes invite us to slow down and simply look.

See it in Warrington

From the Sea View is on display at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery until 31 May 2026, and it’s free to visit.

Angela’s website also gives a little more background on the project and her work.

It’s a beautiful example of how creativity can emerge from the most unexpected place, and how something made for personal comfort can end up meaning so much to so many other people.