KINGDON House Community Association in Tavistock has received a wonderful gift from the heirs of the late Helen Rowett, former president of the the town's Group of Artists, who died in October 2012.

In the 1970s, when the building was put up for sale by its previous owners, the Tavistock Gazette and Printing Company, it was Helen Rowett and her friend and fellow artist, Norna Beadle, who not only saw its potential as a centre for the arts and community use, but also made the purchase possible with a generous interest-free loan.

Members of the Rowett family, originally pirates operating out of Polperro who became privateers licensed by the Government to attack French shipping during the Napoleonic wars, have since had a long history of philanthropy.

Just after the First World War, Helen's father, Dr John Quiller Rowett, founded the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health and in the 1920s he financed Ernest Shackleton's first Antarctic expedition.

Brian Fyfield-Shayler, a trustee of Kingdon House, said: 'Helen was one of the first batch of women to graduate in science from Girton College, Cambridge.

'In the 1950s she came to teach biology at Plymouth Polytechnic, before it became a university.

'She took an active part in many local groups and societies, soon meeting Norna Beadle, the art teacher at Tavistock Grammar School, where she and a couple of colleagues had just formed an arts group.

'Helen helped to paint the huge mural in Abbotsfield and organise the group's annual exhibitions. With the purchase of Kingdon House, the spacious studio on the upper ground floor became the group's home base.'

In October last year, on the second anniversary of Helen's death, her niece, Alina Clark, came with her husband Mark to see the building, which their aunt's funds had secured and the room where she and her fellow artists had for nearly 40 years, created so many of their paintings.

Recently, they came again, with a very special gift — a large consignment of Aunt Helen's pottery, paintings and other art works.

Brian said: 'We have now started to sort and catalogue these items and plan to put them on display in September this year to commemorate the centenary of the births in 1915 of both Helen Rowett and Norna Beadle.

'Close friends, fellow artists and travel companions, it is fitting that their lives and works should be celebrated together in the building which owes so much to their foresight and generosity.

'The pottery and art-works will then be sold or auctioned to raise funds for our building and restoration project in two phases.

'First we must secure the fabric of the building, because after 100 years, our beautiful Hurdwick stone walls have become porous.

'Secondly, major internal adaptations are needed to fit the building for continued use by the community through the new century, including disabled access and a lift to upper floors.'

Brian said through the kindness and thoughtfulness of her heirs, in death as in life, Helen continued to support causes dear to her.

'In addition to the bequest of her art works to Kingdon House, we understand that her extensive collection of books on Dartmoor has been given to the Dartmoor Preservation Society.

'Copies of her "Two Moors Way" map and guide to the long-distance footpath across Dartmoor and Exmoor remain available for a donation at Powder Mills Pottery, near Princetown, whose owner reports money raised so far has paid for a hundred mares to be treated in a contraceptive programme across Dartmoor to prevent countless unwanted foals.'

Details of the Kingdon House centenary event will be published in due course. Meanwhile, if readers have any further material by, or information on, Helen Rowett or Norna Beadle that might be included, they should contact Karen Woodward at Kingdon House, 10am to 1pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 01822 615259 or email [email protected]">[email protected]