Kettle's Yard House Guidebook

“Do come in as often as you like – the place is only alive when used” - Jim Ede

Take a room-by-room journey through the Kettle’s Yard house in Cambridge (UK), former residence of curator and ‘friend to artists’ Jim Ede and his wife Helen. Home to their substantial collection of 20th century art, furniture, ceramics, glass and natural objects, the house remains open for visitors to experience as the Ede’s intended: art as a way of life.

The carefully curated interior spaces in the original converted cottages (1957) and Leslie Martin-designed extension (1970) are a masterclass in balance and restraint, appealing to aesthetes across the spectrum of art and design from fine art to fashion; interior designers, architects and art historians.

Richly illustrated with new photography by Gilbert McCarragher and inspired by classic mid-century guidebooks, this book will catch the eye of long-time fans of Kettle’s Yard as much as those discovering the house for the very first time. A companion publication Kettle’s Yard Art & Artists ISBN 9781904561620 is also available.

Dr Inga Fraser is a curator and art historian. She is Senior Curator at Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge, where she has curated displays including In the presence of a common object (2025-26), Mari Mahr: Lili Brik (2025) and Barbara Hepworth: 'a work of mine in your house' (2024-25). Prior to joining Kettle's Yard, she worked as a freelance Curator at Tate Britain on the current exhibition, Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990. Her PhD (2016-23) was a collaborative doctoral partnership between Tate and the Royal College of Art that explored artists’ engagement with film in the first half of the 20th century in London, focusing on intermedial practices and the developing discourse of artists’ moving image. Before beginning her PhD, she was Assistant Curator of Modern British Art at Tate (2013-2017) and curated displays including Paule Vézelay (2017) and co-curated exhibitions including Paul Nash (2016) and Barbara Hepworth: Sculpture for a Modern World (2015). Gilbert McCarragher is an artist and photographer, and author of Prospect Cottage: Derek Jarman’s House, published by Thames & Hudson. McCarragher is known for his refined architectural and design photography. His images are characterised by their quiet stillness, clarity and use of natural light. Over the past two decades, McCarragher has collaborated with some of the world's leading architects, designers and artists. His work has been published in numerous books and international publications, including El Croquis, Domus and John Pawson Plain Space (2010). As an artist, McCarragher works in multiple photographic mediums and has exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, Institute of Contemporary Art (London), Jerwood Space and the Wapping Project.