Window vinyl.

Snodland Library.

“The Snods are elusive creatures who moved to Snoddingland in the Middle Ages. They are the inventors of newsprint paper. In the 1800s they worked at the local paper mill in Snodland, where they removed paper dust from cogs in machinery. 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 illustrates the Paper Mill, the landscape of Snoddingland and the paper Snods, taking the viewer on a journey as they walk along the window.

Nicola’s illustration reflects the dependency of Snodland’s early settlements on the river and water, the meandering movement of the Medway through the river valley, the coming and going of the tides and the ’S’ shaped horseshoe bend at Snodland.

Local landmarks include Holborough Knob (a raised hump of Roman tumulus), local burial chambers, low tide pebbles, water springs and Snodland rocks. Two Medway barges with distinctive red sails are reminders of the paper pulp moved by water.

Following the Paper Mill fire, the scene of ruin described the two tall chimney stacks of the mill 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.

In the sky above Snoddingland are the Snods – sheets of paper with personalities and characters, playfully flying from the chimneys, floating and falling.

The large portholes are for children to look through. They echo the chimney tops, local bronze age barrows and Playground-themed ‘circle’ work.

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