shed his worldly possessions and as he needs less space to live in shrink to smaller houses until he has no more than will comfortably fit him for his death.” The official hand-over date was 30 November 1966, when the University assumed responsibility for the building and the collection, Ede continuing as resident with the title of ‘honorary curator’. Initially the change-over made little difference to the daily routine. But it soon became apparent that the house urgently needed an extension. This was deemed necessary to provide additional space for the growing collection and to meet Ede’s wish that music should have an important role in Kettle’s Yard’s life, as well as to accommodate temporary exhibitions. A voluminous correspondent, he spent much of the later 1960s writing letters to individuals whom he thought would help fund the project. The extension, designed by architects Sir Leslie Martin and David Owers, was opened on 5 May 1970 with a concert given by Jacqueline du Pré and Daniel Barenboim. An extraordinarily bright and airy piece of architecture, it represents a very successful materialisation of Ede’s interest in natural light and its ever-changing interplay with objects and spaces. Created to counterbalance the more intimate conditions of the cottages, though sharing their domestic atmosphere, the extension also shows how modernist architecture can be successfully joined to a more traditional building with reciprocal aesthetic and functional improvement. When the extension was opened, two things became clear: the scale of Ede’s collection, a fact known only to closer friends before this time, and its diversity. Ede had resumed collecting actively in the late 1950s, after a gap of some twenty years, and was showing an interest in the work of younger artists such as Roger Hilton, William Scott and Italo Valenti, whose collages he acquired from Dokumenta III in 1964. The new extension, however, added to the daily tasks required to keep Kettle’s Yard in a presentable state and Ede began to call on student and volunteer help, as he was by now in his mid 70s. Moreover, Helen’s worsening health made it difficult for her to bear the daily pressure of visitors. In 1973, the Edes left Kettle’s Yard entirely in the hands of the University and moved to Edinburgh, Helen’s home city, where she died four years later. Jim spent his last years as a hospital visitor before his death in March 1990.
The 1970 extension
Kettle’s Yard today 11