Quentin Blake exhibition at Moyse's Hall Bury St Edmunds

The Illustrated Hospital by Quentin Blake, known for illustrating hundreds of books including several by Roald Dahl, will be displayed at West Suffolk Council-run Moyse's Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds from June 4 to October 6. 

The exhibition will present a rare opportunity to view a large collection of Blake's pieces, some of which have never been publicly displayed before. 

Quentin Blake illustration for St George's Hospital (Image: © Quentin Blake)

Since 2005, Blake has been drawing for hospitals and healthcare settings and in the last few years he has begun to make larger-scale work for hospitals in the UK and France.

The Illustrated Hospital exhibition will also include workshops where visitors can create dragons and other characters inspired by Blake’s work.

Quentin Blake was born in the suburbs of London in 1932 and his first drawings were published in Punch while he was 16 and still at school.

Corridor picture for Hôpital Armand Trousseau, Paris (Image: (c) Quentin Blake 2008)

He is known for his collaboration with writers such as Russell Hoban, Joan Aiken, Michael Rosen, John Yeoman and, most famously, Roald Dahl. 

In 1999 he was appointed the first ever Children's Laureate, was created a CBE in 2005 and has numerous honorary degrees from universities throughout the UK.

He also received a knighthood in 2013 and was appointed 'Companion of Honour' in The Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2022.

Life under Water for the Gordon Hospital (Image: (c) Quentin Blake 2009)

The Quentin Blake ‘Illustrated Hospital’ exhibition is open to the public seven days a week from June 4 until October 6.

Tickets, which can be booked online or purchased at the museum, cost £5 per adult, £4.50 concessions (60+), £3 child 5-16 years, under 5s free.

Folksy Theatres is also presenting an outdoor performance of Theatre in the Parks ‘Quentin Blake: Angelia Sprocket’s Pockets’ at Westow Anglo Saxon Village, near Bury St Edmunds on Friday, August 9.