An artist and problem solver, tributes have been paid to master craftsman Alan Horne, a Scotsman by birth who embraced our county with open arms.
“Southwold is definitely Alan’s spiritual home,” explained Alan’s sister, Barbara Hegarty. “He absolutely loved Suffolk, and rarely left Southwold - he didn’t even have a passport.”
Alan was born on February 9, 1956 in Dunfermline to parents Georgie and Bill. He was the third of four children, with elder siblings Douglas and Barbara, and one younger sister, Morag.
From an early age, Alan was a creative child, and immensely interested in learning how things worked.
“He would be in his room for hours, making lighting circuits or taking things apart and building them again. He would always be building and making things,” said Barbara.
It was Barbara who first moved to Suffolk in the 1980s, when she and her husband relocated to work for the celebrated actress and director, Jill Freud, who was then in the midst of setting up the Jill Freud company.
Alan was in his mid 20s by this time and working for the Welsh National Opera. He was the company’s set designer and scenic artist, creating the impressive sets and backdrops against which the actors would perform.
Alan soon followed his sister to Suffolk to work with Freud. When he arrived, more than 40 years ago, Alan first lived in Middleton and then Saxmundham, before finally settling in Southwold six years ago.
Alan was a master of his field. He became a stalwart of Southwold and Aldeburgh theatre, occasionally in Colchester, too. Alan was also one of three master craftsmen who built the stunning Thorington Theatre set.
Early on in his career, Alan toured internationally, creating sets for puppeteer Stephe Mottram in countries as far flung as Russia, Brazil and Japan.
Alan was delighted to welcome four children, Ben, Georgia, Hannah and Hamish. He would often make wooden toys for his children to play with.
Indeed, many children around Suffolk are likely to have played with toys he designed, for Alan created his own toy company, Woodworks. These toys were sold at many English Heritage sites, including Framlingham Castle. They have delighted countless children over the years, who would rush about waving the miniature daggers, swords, shields and other treasures found in the gift shops.
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Barbara said that her brother was always more artist than businessman, for he took great pride in creating beautiful things.
“He was such a perfectionist. He once took a course in a forest, learning to carve chairs,” she said.
Alan was immensely kind and would drop everything at a moment's notice to help his family. If ever Barbara or her sister had something go wrong around the house, Alan could be depended on to come to the rescue.
Even on these occasions, his keen eye for detail prevailed.
“He never rushed anything. Once, I asked him to come and paint the exterior of my house,” explained Barbara. “Well, five days later, he was still up the stepladder, more or less cleaning with a toothbrush!
“I said, get down Alan, I’ll do the painting, but he was adamant that he’d started, so he had to finish.”
The four siblings enjoyed a close relationship and loved to get together for a glass of wine in the evenings. When Alan retired two years ago, he discovered a love of growing flowers, and would often join Barbara at their shared allotment.
Alan died on May 4, 2023, after a short illness, aged 67. His family would like to thank the staff at the James Paget Hospital in Norfolk for the kindness and care he received in his final days.
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