Jill Young - Precious Stones

Here is something for both history and art lovers: Pembrokeshire Standing Stones, by the late Jill Young.  It will satisfy those who are fascinated by the remarkable presence of ancient megaliths, a phenomenon that appears  throughout Britain and indeed northern Europe but  achieves concentration on the ‘outskirts’ of the richer, more productive and well settled lands.

In these wilder, marginal places, standing stones, singularly, in pairs, groups and circles survive in numbers and Pembrokeshire’s often rugged landscape is an outstanding example of such a place.

In 1981, Jill Young, a highly skilled artist, decided to identify and locate every standing stone then listed by the Royal Commission  on Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales.  She recorded each stone accurately in paint,  each one in oil and each a portrait of 6”x 8”. 

She had achieved this by 1983: a set of 53 paintings that record all these stones in their landscapes, conjuring the ‘spirit’ of place by close observation of its surroundings. When complete, this collection was put away and hardly saw the light of day again until, towards the end of her life she was persuaded to exhibit the paintings at Picton Castle in 2011, to much acclaim.  The exhibition resulted in the acquisition of the whole collection by the National Library of Wales.

Jill was in the process of producing a book to take these images to a wider public, when sadly, she died. That incomplete work has now been brought to fruition in this publication which reproduces all of those paintings, each with a commentary and with its location identified.

Jill Young’s research into the local histories, beliefs and legends surrounding these mysterious presences in the Pembrokeshire landscape, is included as part of the foreword and is a fitting and fascinating enhancement to the collection.

This beautifully produced book is now available to those whose intellect is stimulated by these monuments to pre-history. They will find that their interest is enriched by their admiration for the fine work of a talented painter.  

If you are interested in purchasing the book please click here.

Pembrokeshire Standing Stones by Jill Young.

Published by Gwasg Carreg Gwalch £18

ISBN 978-1-84524-205-3