Prize-giving Event

Rivers 300 Adults Art Competition.

July 2025
Winning entry by Deborah Savill.

This Rivers 300 Adults Art Competition event, held on July 10, 2025 in the Sawbridgeworth Town Council Chamber, was for artists who have an interest in the natural world and orchards who wanted to celebrate Rivers orchard and its history in art.

The evening was divided into two parts with a prize-giving event and a talk by Elizabeth Waugh about the two artists from the Rivers family.

Lanier Pole, Rivers 300 Working Party Chairperson and Chloe Boyce, artist and educator, worked together to plan this Adult Art Competition. Of course, the orchard did inspire and there was a strong selection of artwork for the judge, Chloe Boyce, to choose from. There were entries from established artists, local art groups and talented individuals.

See the winning entry above by Deborah Savill and the four shortlisted artworks below.



Michael Cook. Julie Arnall.


Margaret Starr. Jane Bilson.

Two other entries were selected to as artworks that could be used for future publicity activities around the Rivers Heritage Site and Orchard.



Janet Piercy. Judith Scudder.

Elizabeth Waugh, Rivers Archivist, gave a talk about the two Rivers family artists, May Rivers (1862-1939) and Betty Rivers (1903-1964) She explored this part of the Rivers family history and its relevance to the new art being made.

What is striking when presenting information about these two Rivers family artists side by side is the persistence of artistic intent within the Nursery heritage. At the Rivers 300 Celebration Day at the end of April the main talk was entitled ‘Paradise is an Orchard’. (See full report on our website.) Kate Harwood, the speaker, incorporated many images of paintings showing fruit. As those entering the Adult Art Competition demonstrated too, fruit and fruit trees are beautiful or interesting as a focus for artists.

Of the two Rivers artists discussed, May, 1862 - 1939, and Betty, 1903 - 1964, May’s niece, it can be said that in the much more restricted environment artistic women worked within until recently, both found purpose and fulfilment in their painting and created a lasting legacy. May illustrated the Rivers Nursery’s new cultivars as they emerged - as well as producing a range of non-botanical work now lost. Betty was able to leave the Rivers family enclave in Sawbridgeworth and set up independently making a living as an artist in Aran and Dublin. (See her story written by Miriam O’Neal, ‘Elizabeth Rivers, Artist and Expatriate’ on the Rivers website.)



May Rivers’ watercolour of Rivers Early Prolific Plum. Betty Rivers’ painting made while in Aran of a Gull.

Later in the year, we hosted a Art Competition for children - read about it here.

Lanier Pole - August 2025.