Art in the frame at Harrogate restaurant

One of Harrogate’s longest-established restaurants has teamed up with a local artist to add an extra taste of Yorkshire to its menu.

William & Victoria restaurant and wine bar is showcasing the paper cut artwork of Anita Bowerman – the Official Artist of the Tour de Yorkshire. The exhibition is on permanent display for diners to enjoy and to buy.

Visit the newly-refurbished W&V on Cold Bath Road to see Anita’s latest creation depicting the restaurant itself, plus intricate maps which she initially cut from one piece of paper, including Harrogate, York and Ilkley. There’s also a map showing the route of the Tour de France Grand Depart, Yorkshire 2014. You will also see other paper cut pictures of different subjects dotted around the restaurant.

A metre-long laser cut map of central Harrogate greets you upstairs. This shows the town’s historical buildings, landmarks and attractions, runners on the Stray and people enjoying themselves in Valley Gardens.

Harrogate was the first map Anita created, it took her 70 hours to hand-cut and she found her niche with this, discovering that she loved creating little scenes within a map seeing how small she could cut each detail out. The original was snapped up by an American buyer.

David Straker, W&V co-owner and front of house, said:

Anita’s stunning work is a welcome addition to the restaurant. It adds colour and vibrancy to our recent refurbishment and is a very apt reminder of the Yorkshire spirit that we all experienced throughout the Grand Depart and the Tour of Yorkshire.”

Anita said:

I am thrilled to have my artwork on the walls of William & Victoria, such a well established restaurant that everyone knows and loves. The decor perfectly lends itself to my work and there is a synergy between us. I have just created this paper cut showing the outside of the building complete with people, shutters, a bird and tiny flower pot which took me 30 hours altogether.

William & Victoria is a family-run restaurant owned and managed by the Straker family since 1982. Its menu is created in conjunction with local suppliers.

Commenting on the new artwork adorning the walls, Jo Straker co-owner, said:

Anita’s work is incredibly detailed and I love her intricate local maps. We are now lucky enough to have our very own original cutout of W&V. It has been a pleasure working with Anita; we are delighted with the results and hope customers will enjoy the new artwork.

The originals take Anita hours to create from one piece of paper just using a tiny scalpel, a pencil, rubber and ruler. Her map of Grand Depart Stage 1 of the Tour de France took her 6 months to complete and 200 hours to cut out. Giclee prints and laser cuts of her work are also available.