• 1926

  Beryl Frances Lansley, born in Egham, Surry.

• 1930

  her parents separate, she moved to Reading with her mother and three sisters. Where she later attends Kendrick Girls School.

• 1941

  left school to take shorthand and typing course.

• 1944

  she moves with her family to London. Where she finds work as a model and then a showgirl.

• 1947

  the family move to a house with a tea garden by the river in Hampden.

• 1948

  married John Cook.

• 1950

  son John born.

• 1952

  Cook family move to live with John's mother in Southend-on-Sea, then buy their own house in Leigh-on Sea.

• 1955

  she and John take on a pub tenancy, The White Horse in Stoke by Nayland.

• 1956

  family moved to Zimbabwe in Africa.

• 1960

  her first painting Hangover.

• 1963

  family moves to Zambia.

• 1965

  family moved back to England.

• 1966

  began painting regularly around this time.

• 1968

  family moved to Plymouth and run a guest house.

• 1970

  friend sells some paintings around this time.

• 1975

  in November at Plymouth Art Centre, her first exhibition.

• 1976

  early this year her paintings featured in the Sunday Times colour supplement. Later her first limited-edition signed prints are produced by The Alexander Gallery. Who continue to publish prints which, since her death, are known as the official collectors editions.

• 1977

  first exhibition with the Portal gallery [see exhibitions list]

• 1978

  her first book "The Works" published by John Murray [see books list]. This was also the year the first greetings cards were published by Gallery 5. They are still publishing them today and to date, have issued around 200 different designs.

• 1979

  her work first appears on television in "The South Bank Show" where she discussed it with Melvyn Bragg.

• 1980

  TV Southwest interviews her in "A Day in the life of Beryl Cook"

• 1981

  Gallery 5 publish the first Beryl Cook calenders and continue to do so.

• 1983

  She and John travel to America, resulting in the book "Beryl Cook's New York"

• 1984

  she is featured in the BBC2 program "One Pair of Eyes"

• 1986

  her first limited-edition, signed, silk-screen prints produced by Flanagan Graphics.

• 1988

  she is interviewed by Kathy Sayers for Westward TV.

• 1987

  she is featured in a show for German television called "Rund Um Big Ben"

• 1994

  her work is shown on the BBC digital channel in "The UK Today"

• 1994

  she and John travel to South America, resulting in a number of paintings on
  Latin American subjects.

• 1995

  she was awarded an OBE and received her medal in 1996. 1995 was also the year that the Post Office reproduced one of her paintings as a 1st class postage stamp.

• 1998

  she and John moved to live in Bristol.

• 2002

  her painting "The Royal Couple" featured in the Golden Jubilee exhibition
  at Art London.

• 2002

  she and John moved back to live in Plymouth.

• 2003

  she was interviewed in the program "My Westcountry" ITV 1

• 2004

  Tiger Aspects made two animated films called "Bosom Pals" using characters from her paintings.

• 2005

  Channel 4 News featured a short film on her and her work.

• 2006

  she was the featured artist in "The Culture Show"

• 2008

  she died at home on the 28'th of May.

• 2008

  Plymouth University, Peninsula Arts Gallery mounted a major retrospective exhibition in November.

• 2010

  two of her paintings are hung as part of the "Rude Britannia" exhibition at the Tate London.

• 2011

  Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery hold a comprehensive exhibition of her paintings including some of her embroideries and other art works.

EXHIBITIONS

• 1975

  Plymouth Arts Centre

• 1976

  Whitechapel Art Gallery London.

• 1977

  first with The Portal Gallery London, with whom she had a long and happy relationship and where she continued to exhibit until her death. They held 18 exhibitions of her work altogether, and in 2006 staged a comprehensive exhibition of her work to celebrate her 80'th birthday.

• 1979

  Walker Art Gallery Liverpool.

• 1981

  Musee De Cahors France

• 1982

  Chelmsford Art Gallery.

• 1988-1989

  touring exhibition at Stoke-on-Trent, Preston, Nottingham and Edinburgh Art Galleries.

• 1992

  touring exhibition at Northern Centre for Contemporary Art, Scunthorpe Museum & Art Gallery and York City Art Gallery.

• 1995

  Plymouth Arts Centre

• 1998

  touring exhibition at Grundy Art Gallery Blackpool, Durham and Hartlepool Art Galleries.

• 2004

  Durham Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery Stoke-on Trent

• 2007

  Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle

• 2010

  two paintings in the "Rude Britannia" exhibition at the Tate London

• 2011

  Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery