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Celebrating the work of 96 year-old Ramsgate artist

The work of artist Cyril Parfitt is being celebrated in Ramsgate. Cyril is 96 years old and has lived in the town for the last 18 years.

During the Second World War Cyril created secret invasion maps and became close friends with the railway painter Terence Cuneo.

After 1945, Cyril joined the Directorate of Overseas Surveys where he mapped the British Commonwealth.

In his spare time he created a huge collection of fantastical pictures.

Cyril's pictures and sculptures fill the walls and window sills of his flat.

There is more of his work hidden from view; stacked up in piles and leaning against one another in his daughter's house, which is next door.

His earliest memory of drawing was when he was three years old. At that age he said he was "crazy about horses."

"Course, everywhere we had horses in those days, hundreds of them. Then I joined the cavalry where we had thousands of them!" said Cyril.

Royal Academy

Cyril's pictures have sold well in London and America and when his family created a website displaying some of his work a lot of people made contact.

Cyril has produced a couple of major pencil drawings. One in particular, took him over 700 hours and, his daughter Linda Ryder estimates, five million pencil strokes.

It was included in a summer exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Linda said: "that particular piece seems to be a big favourite because it so different and technically it's actually quite a major achievement."

Being Cyril's daughter

Looking back at her childhood Linda remembered: "I was aware that he was an artist, and a little bit eccentric shall we say, because he used to come to school covered in paint.

"When I used to go into his office at work, it was the Directorate of Overseas Surveys, and on his door there was a big sign that said 'The Wizard of DOS' so I was never quite sure if my dad was a wizard or not!"

"As I got older I started to appreciate that my dad did have quite skill that people liked but to begin with people would come to our house and there'd be paint everywhere, we were a bit eccentric but now of course those eccentricities I really like."

Still painting today

At 96 years old Cyril has frequent stays in hospital. When Linda goes to visit him she takes him as many notebooks and pens she can carry so he can keep drawing.

"Lots of nurses have really liked his work so he's given out many, many drawings.

"I'm sure there isn't a nurse or a ward in QEQM that doesn't have some evidence of his work." said Linda."

The exhibition Simply Cyril is on display at The Old Custom House on Harbour Parade in Ramsgate from 11am - 6pm on Saturday 21 August and 11am - 4pm on Sunday 22nd August.