ERO Presents: The life and work of J.A. Baker (1926-1987)

Speaker: Dr Sarah Demelo

J. A. Baker (1926–1987), born in Chelmsford and best known for The Peregrine, spent years walking the fields, marshes, and estuaries of Essex, following the lives of peregrine falcons with close and sustained attention. This talk traces his routes, his notebooks, and the landscapes that shaped his writing. Drawing on material from the University of Essex’s Special Collections, which holds Baker’s archive, it explores how deeply his work is rooted in this county, and what it means to return to those same paths today. It also reflects on Baker’s life in Essex, and how his work continues to be read and loved today.

Dr Sarah Demelo is Curator of ESCALA, Art, and Special Collections at the University of Essex, and co-curator of Restless Brilliance: The Story of J.A. Baker and The Peregrine at Chelmsford Museum. She works closely with archives and artworks to bring them into conversation with people and place and is leading a programme marking the centenary of J. A. Baker’s birth in 2026.

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