Window vinyl, Snodland Library.

“The Snods are elusive creatures who moved to Snoddington in the Middle Ages. They are the inventors of newsprint paper. In the 1800s they worked at the paper mill in Snodland, removing paper dust from cogs in machinery and they may have been responsible for the great fire at Townsend Hook Paper Mill in 1906. Snods are rarely seen; they prefer to inhabit bookshops and libraries, it is very lucky to catch a glimpse of a Snod.”

The window vinyl illustrates Snodlands Paper Mill, the landscape of Snodland and paper Snods and takes the viewer on a journey as they walk along the window.

Nicola’s illustration reflects Snodland’s early dependancy on the river Medway for trade and a source of water for the mill; the tidal river meanders through the valley carving an ’S’ shaped horseshoe bend where Snodland developed as a town. It shows local landmarks including Holborough Knob (a raised hump of Roman tumulus), burial chambers, low tide pebbles, water springs, Snodland rocks, two Medway barges with distinctive red sails carrying paper pulp and the ruined chimney stacks of the mill, which following the fire were described locally as “seeming to sway in the breeze – the old and new – rising Phoenix-like”. At the very end of the illustration is the passenger ferry that crossed the Medway at Snodland.

The vinyl also depicts the imagined Snods of Snoddington– sheets of paper with personalities and characters, playfully flying from the chimneys, floating and falling.

Large portholes are for children to look through into the Library, echoing the chimney tops, the local bronze age barrows and Playgrounds ‘circle’ work.

Photographs show a Baby Playground session with red piping mirroring the lines of the window vinyl and a Family session Snods of Snoddington – Paper Factory.

Illustration by Nicola Flower. Design by Finn Barker-Flower. Story by Daniel Naddafy.

Nicola Flower and Daniel Naddafy are lead artists for Playground, Kent County Council’s unique and innovative programme of high-quality creative activity for babies, young children, and their families, delivered by a skilled team of multi-disciplinary artists at a range of venues across Kent, including Kent Libraries, Children’s Centres, Evacuee Centres, Festivals and Schools for children with additional needs.