Paintings

A collection of historic 19th and 20th century paintings of Shoreham many of which are still held by local collectors. Views are revealed that inspired the artists then as well as a taste of things as they once were.

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B1   ‘Shoreham May 28th 1837’

Believed to be the work of George Cattermole (1800 – 1868) a member of the Royal Watercolour Society who later moved on to oils as his medium. He was awarded a first class gold medal at the Paris Exhibtion in 1855 as well as enjoying professional honours in Amsterdam and Belgium.

Most of his work was illustrating for publications such as ‘The Waverley Novels’ and others. A good friend of Charles Dickens he collaborated on illustrations for ‘The Old Curiosity Shop’ and ‘Barnaby Rudge.’

This particular painting, a watercolour, was drawn on or near the then four year old suspension bridge. It is of particular interest to local historians as it is probably one of the most distinct and architecturally accurate illustrations of Shoreham buildings of the period and clearly reflects Cattermole’s earlier training as an architectural and topographical draughtsman.
(Descriptions have been added to show buildings of particular interest)

B2 ‘The River Adur, Old Shoreham’

This watercolour was painted by John Wright Oakes, ARA (1820 p-1887) a Liverpool landscape artist who began exhibiting his work in 1839 and continued on to the Royal Academy from 1848 to 1888. His paintings are naturalistic although he often attempted Turneresque effects of light and sky.

St.Nicolas church and the Toll Bridge are prominent in this painting and beneath the former can just be seen part of the Red Lion Inn and the toll keeper’s cottage. To the left are the trees and fields where the edge of the airfield is now and the banks on both sides of the river appear to be in their more natural state before the earth ‘walls’ of later years were thrown up to protect the surrounding land from flooding. To the right are cottages that no longer exist and, even allowing for artistic licence, the bridge itself is showing its original type of 18th century construction.

With a little difficulty it is just possible to make out the windmill on Mill Hill. Unfortunately for purists, Oakes has applied a Turneresque influence to this that gives it an almost ethereal look but leaves it indistinct and easily missed by the viewer.

B4 ‘Shoreham Ferry 1887’

Alfred Bennett (fl. 1861 – 1916) was a landscape painter who exhibited at the Royal Academy, the British Institution and the Society of British Artists. He lived in London but later moved to Knebworth in Hertfordshire.

As it’s title suggests this picture looks from the River Adur’s south bank where the ferry once plied northwards towards the town (the ferry’s route normally took passengers from this point diagonally across towards the left side of the ship on the stocks to the opposite bank at the bottom of East Street). The ship is probably not a new vessel as the last to be built at Shoreham was the Osman Pasha by Dyer & Son in 1878, nine years before the painting so was probably being repaired or overhauled. The timbered wharf seen immediately opposite was then Dyer’s shipyard but is now the Sussex Yacht Club site. From the right side of the moored ship across the front of the church are the backs of the buildings in East Street and just under the extreme right of the church can be seen the top half of the National School which now houses St.Mary’s Church Hall. Through the gap in the timbered wharf are the easternmost of four coastguard cottages that once stood in the area now occupied by a garage and in the far distance the Mill Hill windmill can just be made out.

B4a Another Alfred Bennett painting ‘Norfolk Bridge’ 1898

B5 Untitled Skyscape and View of the Town from the River. Painted by Alice Mary Hobson RI (1860 – 1954) the owner dates this from between 1915 to 1920.

 

B6 Watercolour marked ‘F.J.Aldridge Shoreham 134’

Artist Frederick James Aldridge (1849 – 1933) needs little introduction to those interested in Shoreham’s local art. He was a marine artist, chiefly in watercolour and exhibited at the principal London galleries from 1880 onwards. He lived in Worthing for many years and was associated with the firm of fine art dealers ‘Aldridges’ of Worthing.

The painting shows a sailing barge on the left, probably laden with shingle dredged from the harbour bar proceeding upstream. A little further on in mid stream is an oyster ketch and on the extreme right is moored a top-sail schooner engaged in the coastal trade. The townscape includes the well known landmark of the brewery chimney at the western end of what is now Coronation Green and, of course, St.Mary’s church.

B9a 18th Century Church Street and Marlipins
B9b 18th Century Church Street and Marlipins

These two charming scenes were painted by local artist Richard Steers during the 1960’s/70’s. By his own admission some of the buildings shown are not totally accurate in scale but without doubt they provide a wonderful flavour of how the town looked then.

B8 The Old Toll Bridge was painted by Aubrey Willett resident of Shoreham, in 1994. 

B11 This picture of Lancing College and Chapel was painted in 1992 by Aubrey Willett a Shoreham resident.

B13   This painting of the town around and beyond the Coronation Green area is a high quality, precise record of the scene in 1880 when it was painted by Brook Harrison (1860 – 1930).

His full name was Brooking Alfred Wrankmore Harrison (he was descended from the Wrankmore and Butler families of Shoreham) and lived in Shoreham for many years. He painted many Sussex scenes and exhibited his work at the R.B.A. in London, Brighton Art Club and Society of Sussex Artists. Some 200 of his paintings survived him and many still remain in Shoreham.

B14 A charming watercolour of the Dolphin Hard and Dolphin Inn painted in 1909 by Thomas Butler Stoney. To date little has been found regarding this artist except that he exhibited from 1899 to 1912 – perhaps others may know more?

B15 Undated, Suspension Bridge by Shoreham artist J. H. Powell

B16 Undated, this Powell painting shows a beached sailing barge on the river edge with St.Mary’s in the distance.

B17 Undated, a view by Powell of the canal from Southwick towards the power station.

B18 Undated, but thought to be Powell’s work and shows the canal towards Portslade from Southwick.

B19 Again an undated painting of Powell’s and shows the Coronation Green area with Stone House and the bridge beyond.

B20   A night view of the harbour, simple yet striking, dashed off in a few minutes by Powell for the current owner. He was then in a nursing home nearing the end of his life (1974) but still enjoyed painting to give himself extra pocket money – this one cost £5.

B21 One to interest the local historians is this almost architectural drawing executed with obvious precision recording the Dolphin Hard area in 1932 and finished in watercolour. The footbridge can just be seen to the left and beyond it East Street with the Ferry Inn on the left and East Street Arms (right). St.Mary’s church tower is shown in good detail.
From an artistic point of view the townscape sits low down in the painting beneath a large expanse of featureless sky – yet for all that the picture overall provides a striking and pleasing effect. Have not been able to find out much about the artist, Louis S.M.Prince, other than he was an associate of the Royal College of Art and a staff inspector (whatever that was) for the London College of Communications. I notice that his paintings are still selling here and in America – perhaps someone knows more of him?

B22 A late 1990’s watercolour of Church Street by one time resident Barry Hilsom 
B23 During the second half of the last century A.A.Godfrey was a well known local artist who painted early 20th century Shoreham views, boats, etc., and many prints of his work can still be seen in pubs, bars and homes throughout Shoreham. It was said that he used old postcards for his paintings and looking at the SBS galleries there is one that matches his work of the Norfolk Suspension Bridge. Does anyone know of any other postcards that match his paintings?
B24 Old Lifeboat House by Gillian Hobbs (details to follow)

B26 Clem Lambert 1854- 1925  a painter who painted much in the Brighton area. Known for his landscapes and sea scapes as well as his pictures of Brighton. He wasfor many years onthe Brighton Fine Art Committee. He exhibited widely from 1880 including  this.

B28 Phylis Pearsall 1906 – 1996 . In the 1930’s a portrait painter then conceived the idea of mapping the whole of London which she did, it is said, by personally walking 3,000 miles of the 23,000 streets of the city. This resulted in the now famous London A – Z map. During WW2 she worked for the Ministry of Information drawing women in factories. Her A – Z map continued its’ success after the war and was awarded the MBE. In her later years she lived in Shoreham and continued to paint for her own pleasure and this is one of them.

B30 Tony Cook 1933 – 2006

Tony Cook attended Worthing Art College in his youth and soon started to develop his own style of painting in muted colours and fine brushwork, gaining inspiration from the beach and harbour at Shoreham-by-Sea. In the 1950s he was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools, where he studied under Carel Weight and Ruskin Spear. His work was chosen by Jack Beddington for his 1957 volume entitled Young Artists of Promise. During this time he started exhibiting at the Trafford Gallery, London and the Royal Academy. His style may have come from his colour blindness as he painted mostly in blues and greens, he felt very uncomfortable painting in red. His paintings are all in very muted tones.

Cook retained his strong local connections in Shoreham and during the 1960s lived on a Thames barge called ‘Primrose’ on the River Adur, combining teaching at Worthing Art College with his oil and watercolour painting. He later moved to Eastbourne where he did many paintings of Eastbourne and Hastings. During the 1980s he travelled abroad exhibiting in galleries in Holland and South Africa. In 1996 he was invited to be Artist in Residence at Henley-on-Thames. His work is represented in Batley, Leicester, Nottingham, Preston and Worthing art galleries.Throughout his life he maintained a strong love of the sea and fishing boats which is reflected in the fine watercolours he painted in the last years of his life

(From Sussex Life 23rd December 2010)

B31 St Mary’s by M.A.Rooker 1743 – 1801

B32 ‘Fisherman’s cart before St.Mary’s’ by Frederick Earp 19th century – thought to have been a Brighton artiist

B37 Swiss Gardens, Shoreham-by-Sea. Watercolour sketch painted on card in 1851 by George Ruff. Observatory Tower in the centre. Trees and flowers. People in the garden. 91.1737 From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.
B38 River Adur and Shoreham-by-Sea. View from Shoreham Beach across River Adur in foreground towards New Shoreham town. Rowing boat heading towards the Beach, two-masted ship moored at Dolphin Hard, several more sailing ships to the left near where Norfolk Bridge would soon be built. Parish Church of St Mary de Haura on right and other buildings along far shoreline. C.1830 artist john smith? 93.2142 From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B39 94.2402 Buckingham House, Shoreham-by-Sea. Watercolour painting by Miss E Bartlett. Showing the south and east elevations. Driveway leading up to the house and grounds. The house was owned by the Bridger family and then leased by Henry Head Esq. Signed EEB. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B40 94.2404 Shoreham from Mill Hill, Shoreham-by-Sea. Watercolour painting. ‘Cockeroost’ area is on the left. St Mary de Haura Church in the distance. Norfolk Bridge is on the distant centre. English Channel is in the background. C.1880 unknown artist. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B41   S2 Upper Shoreham Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, looking east with Buckingham House lodge on right. Two horses, one with rider. On left fence surrounding trees marks the top of Buckingham Road. Artist Brrok Harrison Signed in lower left corner. C.1907. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B43   02.3270 Shoreham from Bungalow Town, Shoreham-by-Sea. Watercolour painting of Shoreham Beach showing St Mary de Haura Church. Wooden jetty in the foreground on the south side of the River Adur. Artist unknown. May 1928. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B44 S3 Buckingham House, Shoreham-by-Sea. View across lawn to trees in background. House partly visible on left, horse-drawn carriage with driver in top-hat. Signed in lower left corner. Artist Brook Harrison c.1904. . From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B45 S6 Two Houses in John Street (formerly St. John’s Street), Shoreham-by-Sea. View across street to one flint-faced house with sash windows and porch, and one brick house with sash windows, woden picket fence in front, stone walls either side.Artist Brook Harrison September 1926. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B46 S.11 Red Lion Public House, Steyning Road, Shoreham-by-Sea. Watercolour painting of the Red Lion by Brook Harrison. View from the south west. St. Nicolas Church tower in the background. Houses and cottages with tall chimneys. Horse and cart in front of the pub.c.1900. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B47 S13 Rural Scene, Southwick, near Shoreham-by-Sea. Oil and canvas. Artist unknown. View looking westward from Fishersgate. Rural scene at the end of the day where the last of the sheaves are being loaded onto the wagon. Farmer on the left is on horseback, overseeing the work done by this workers. Sheepdog by the sheaves of corn. Two windmills in distance. Brick kiln in middle distance. Tall masted ships at anchor in Shoreham Harbour. Horse and cart in the middle ground of the landscape. Building on the left. Shoreham Town is to the west. Sussex Downs in the background. Visible surface paint cracks on the canvas. C.1860 artist unknown. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

NB The two windmills in the middle distance must be the Copperas Gap mill (c.1790’s – 1870) and Fishersgate cement mill (c. 1842 – 1890’s) – one at the north end of Mill Road and the other in Mill Field Lane that became George Street. Compare this with Budgen’s 1797 map that shows the Coppera Gap mill with the Southwick and Old Shoreham (Mill Hill) mills. The mill in the far distance is probably at Southwick. The one at Old Shoreham sat far higher up on the hill wheras Southwick mill was on rising ground as seems to be the mill in the painting. There is a smoking brick kiln just before the windmills – an industry that was carried out elsewhere in Portslade particularly at the field that became Victoria recreation ground. The buildings on the far right are thought to be Red House Farm that stood between Boundary (or Station) Road and Gordon Road. The artist looks to have been at a point between today’s Boundary Road and  Hove lagoon. (R.Bateman)

B48 S16   Mouth of Shoreham Harbour, Shoreham-by-Sea. Watercolour painting, possibly by George Stanfield Walters? Two Masted Barque Sailing ship and paddle steamship ‘Stella’ entering the harbour. Ferryman with passenger in a rowing boat in foreground. Fishing boat. Navigation lights and Storm warning. Buildings on the right on Shoreham Beach (Soldiers Point). Wooden jetties. Unsigned. C.1891. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B49   S20   New Shoreham Church, ‘St Mary de Haura’, Shoreham-by-Sea. Watercolour painting by F. Nash (1782-1856) of the south side of the church from East Street. Signed on the bottom right. Horse and cart with a shepherd on the right. People are around the town. Children playing. Cottages on the left. Tree in the centre of the landscape. South Downs in the background.c.1850. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B50 S21 Middle Street, Shoreham-by-Sea. 1937 Watercolour painting by Reginald Brown. View of the southern part of the street towards High Street. Royal Sovereign public house on the right. The Twitten is on the right between the houses. Women are standing at a door. Methodist Chapel in the distance. Sailing boat on the wharf of the River Adur. Signed and dated on the bottom. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B51 S24 Sussex Pad Inn, Lancing. Inn sign in left foreground reads The Sussex Pad Inn J. Wood”. Inn has bay windows sign on wall “Carriages Hire” above a noticeboard. Loaded horse-drawn cart in front of inn man leans against wall with dog sitting in front. The Sussex Pad Inn was situated on the Lancing Road now A27 c.1895 artist Brook Harrison. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B52 S37 Middle Street, Shoreham-by-Sea, looking north with row of houses on west side of street. House in foreground is brick with tile roof, variety of chimneys on other houses. Unfinished watercolour by Michael W. D. Norman. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B53 S39   View from south side of River Adur towards theBeves’ Wharf at Kingston. South bank in foreground, small boat moored in centre, buildings of Kingston in background including Kingston Maltings on left and lighthouse on right. South Downs on skyline. Watercolour by W. J. Thrasher, FRIBA, Archt.1945. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B54 S40 Norfolk Bridge, Shoreham-by-Sea. Watercolour of the second Norfolk Bridge by Reginald Brown. Yachts. Buildings on the right. One man sitting on a bench on the right, another standing looking out. Signed and dated.Reginald Brown 1938. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B55 S44 Old Shoreham Toll Bridge, Shoreham-by-sea. Watercolour painting (part) by Richard Sayers. Signed on the bottom right (not shown on scanned image). View looking east. Bridge over the River Adur. St. Nicolas Church in the distance. Man on river in rowing boat. women on the left carrying baskets. South Downs on the left. C.1890 . From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B56 S46 Mill Hill, Shoreham-by-Sea. Watercolour painting. The wooden mill was erected in 1766 and burnt down in c1889. Horse plough in the foreground. Cottage beside the windmill. Horse and cart on the left. Artist Brook Harrison c.1885. From the Sussex Archaeological Society’s Marlipins Collection.

B57 Norfolk Bridge Tollgate at Night.   The view is looking north-eastwards with the original Bridge Inn on the right and the buildings housing Harker’s Stores at the other side of the High Street on the extreme left. The painting shows the old cross-timbered gate and red lamp, the former being replaced with a wrought iron gate and the lamp cowl removed by the time the new steel bridge was opened in 1923. Bertram Priestman RA 1869 – 1951 trained at the Slade School of Art. He was only 21 when he first exhibited at the Royal Academy. Elected member of the RA in 1923, Royal Institute of Oil Painters and Royal Society of British Artists. Also exhibited at the Goupil Gallery and Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Many of his paintings are still exhibited in galleries throughout the country

B58 Hangleton Manor. Although not a painting of Shoreham it is of a nearby neighbourhood and, in any case, is owned by a Shoreham resident which is a good enough excuse for us to include such a superb work of art on our website

The view is looking south from the hill above Hangleton Manor which can be seen in the near distance. It would seem the artist worked from a point near Hangleton Green, just below St. Helen’s church.  Use the magnified image to fully enjoy the quality of this painting. Notice also the far, middle distance where the southern part of Portslade including Aldrington can be seen with the spire of St.Leonards on the left and the Copperas Gap windmill on the right. A blissfully rural scene in 1904 that is now completely covered by housing.

Little is known of the artist Sidney Goodwin but if current research brings any information to light it will be included here. Dimensions 43″ x 31″ approx. Photograph copyright Paul Everest. 

B59 A delightful view from Hill Barn Farm in the foreground towards Lancing windmill and Shoreham in the distance.

Now part of a popular walk and a view that can still be enjoyed this painting was completed only a few years before the mill was demolished in 1907 – if you look closely even in 1902 the sails of the mill are fairly dilapidated. The chalk quarry can be seen to the front of the mill and the towers of Old and New Shoreham churches are visible as is the old suspension bridge. Painted by Sidney Pike who exhibited his paintings from 1880 to 1907 – we are having difficulty trying to discover more about the artist and if anyone has any information we would be grateful to know of it.  

B62 Kingston Lighthouse watercolour c.1900 by Auguste Comte de Paris. Little is known of the artist but the view looks from Kingston beach by the harbour entrance towards Southwick. The area in the foreground was used at the time for storing wooden buoys of various shapes and types and is the presumed function of the conical shaped barrels on the left. Out of sight to the left were the Customs’ and Pilots’ watch houses. This painting is recorded as being sold by Aldridge Bros., of Worthing in March 1949 when it was entitled “The Lighthouse, Southwick.”

B63 Painted circa 1977 by ‘Champion’ (no further details known of the artist) for Toon Ghose illustrating the airport as it was then and Toon at the controls of his De Havilland Chipmunk ‘Lillibet.’ His other two Cessna aircraft are in the distance, the nearest was named ‘Lord Shiva.’ Toon Ghose left Calcutta in 1955 and rode to France on a Vespa Scooter. In France he learned to glide. He set up an Indian gliding record by flying up to 25,000 ft. He later learned to fly powered aircraft and came to England where he took a Commercial Pilot’s Licence.  In 1968 Toon became the Chief Flying Instructor for Cecil Pashley at the Southern Aero flying club. During the 1970s he set up his own business, Toon Ghose Aviation, but the subsequent credit squeeze caused caused the business to go into voluntary liquidation in 1983. from‘Shoreham Airport, Sussex’ by Tim M.A. Webb

B64 Eade’s Shop, High Street 1870’s Not a painting of course but an 1870’s advertising print that deserves its’ place, not only as a colourful addition to the gallery but because of its’ rarity. 

B65 Shoreham 1888 by James Webb. Currently stored at the Shoreham Civic Centre but, following the Adur Council’s move to Worthing may now have an uncertain future?

B66 Etching/aquatint of the original Norfolk Bridge – the artist can only be read as “Bertha Hosnung”. there is also a pencil inscription: “To Mr Fell Dec 1908” Donated by the owner RonaldH.M.L.Ramsay

B67 St Mary’s Church – signed by J.Wilkie BA. Date unknown but Wilkie had a boat built for him by Suters of Shoreham (circa 1860’s to 1930’s) – Donated by Gwynneth Wale

B68 St.Nicolas Church – artist unkown. Donated by Gwynneth Wale

B69 Old Shipyard & River – Artist and date unknown but Lancing College (completed around 1900) is not shown. Donated by Gwynneth Wale

B70 A brigantine caught on a lee shore off Shoreham Pier by R.H.Knibbs

R. H. Nibbs (1816–1893) was an English painter and book illustrator who specialised in marine art,  born in Brighton, Sussex  and educated at a school in Worthing (run by the father of watercolourist Henry Tidey). He lived in Brighton throughout his life. Nibbs initially trained as a musician and became a professional cellist with the Theatre Royal orchestra. However, a lifelong love of art combined with a natural talent for detailed observation led him to become a self-taught painter – in both oils and watercolour – particularly of marine subjects. In 1840 a substantial inheritance allowed him to devote himself full-time to art.

His marine art depicts scenes mainly off the coast of his native Sussex, France and Holland – though he also drew buildings and landscapes. He exhibited at the Royal Academy and other institutions. (from Wikipedia)

B71 The River Adur looking West. The view is from Soldiers point, a ship is shown being constructed at the May & Thwaites shipyard on the right, further on ships are moored at Kingston wharf with Shoreham beyond. The harbour pilots would wait here for incoming/outgoing vessels to the harbour and could be the three figures in the boat on the right – in later years the lifeboat station was built further up the beach there. It was perhaps painted sometime between the later 1860’s and early 1870’s and is signed but indistinctly dated. The artist was ISAAC WALTER JENNER 1836-1902 who retired from the Royal Navy in 1865 and settled in Brighton gradually achieving recognition as a marine artist. In 1883 he left Brighton and with his family emigrated to Queensland, Australia where he lived the rest of his life and helped to establish the Queensland Art Society in Brisbane

B73 An Autumn Morning by James Aumonier 1832 – 1911 

B74The Silver Lining 1890 by James Aumonier 1832 – 1911 

B75 Lancing Mill looking south to Shoreham and the coast 1894 – Albert Dunnington Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum 

B76 Water colour 1878 (Town & Bridge) by August Ernest Sembach 1854 – 1898

B77 Water colour 1878 (Kingston Wharf) by August Ernest Sembach 1854 – 1898

B78 Artist F.J. Aldridge – view looking east towards Southwick

B79 Artist is Frederick Nash and supposedly dated 1835. The year is likely to be incorrect though as records show that the Brighton Road viaduct (shown in the painting) was not built over the line connecting the Kingston wharves to the main railroad until 1840.

B80 Shoreham port steam paddle tug ‘Mistletoe.’ The ‘Stella’ and  the ‘Mistletoe’ were two of the best known steam paddle tugs that worked in Shoreham port. Artist unknown. 

B81 Old Shoreham toll bridge looking north-west by Walter Stuart Lloyd. Dated 1904.The Sussex Pad is in the distance, left; Lancing College on the hill and a cottage is depicted below it where the Ricardo factory is now. The latter seems to be artistic licence as there were no buildings on that spot at that time.

B82 ‘Lancing Brook’ leading to the old Sussex Pad, c1885. Painted by Brighton artist Arthur Willett (1857 – 1918)

B83  Despite the apparent naivety of Captain John Butler’s 1786 sketch of Shoreham’s river front it is far more accurate than it seems. Described in detail in http://www.shorehambysea.com/john-butlers-1786-sketch-shoreham-examined/  his original sketch is made a little more lively by this coloured version using present day computer programmes.

B84 Shoreham artist Brook Harrison 1860 – 1930 who painted a number of the images shown earlier. 

Harrison’s recorded year on the painting below (B85) is 1873 therefore looks to be realistic apart from perhaps his age at the time. Harrison (full name Brooking Alfred Wrankmore Harrison and descended from a long line of Shoreham families) was baptised in 1860 so this is a very early example of his work. Unless the birth year is incorrect he was only thirteen. However, his death is shown at the age of 69 in 1930 so that seems to confirm his birth year as accurate. As it happens his painting at such a young age would have been quite possible – Millaise for example. albeit a much more celebrated artist, was only nine when he won a silver medal for his work at art school and eleven when he entered the Royal Academy School of Art.

B85 Brook Harrison 1873 © Mike Holland Collection. Brook Harrison’s view of the town from the south side of the river and was painted in 1873. A large sailing ship stands on the stocks at Dyer & Sons’ yard with another moored at Stow & Sons yard, now the Sussex Yacht Club.

The last three large ships to be built built at Shoreham were the Mizpah 1874, Britannia 1877 and Osman Pasha 1878. As far as is known all three were built at the old shipyard not at Dyer’s new ‘patent’ slipway that seems to have only ever been used for ship repairs.

The painting doesn’t show the Methodist church in the High Street – that was built in 1879.. The Roman Catholic bell tower also doesn’t appear to be shown – that church was built, consecrated and opened in 1875. Could he have missed including them? Unlikely. His eye for detail was such that he even identified the spire that is shown in the distance of the photo of the same view.

B86 Robert Thorne Waite, R.W.S. (1842-1935). Shoreham Creek Cockle Gatherers © Mike Holland Collection. Thorne Waite was a painter of landscapes and country scenes, mainly in watercolour. He was influenced by artists such as Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding and Peter de Wint. He painted in a fresh and breezy style and was particularly fond of painting corn and hayfields.
B87 Robert Thorne Waite, R.W.S. (1842-1935). View from Lancing © Mike Holland Collection. Thorne Waite was a painter of landscapes and country scenes, mainly in watercolour. He was influenced by artists such as Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding and Peter de Wint. He painted in a fresh and breezy style and was particularly fond of painting corn and hayfields.
B88 Robert Thorne Waite, R.W.S. (1842-1935). Shoreham Downs, Autumn © Mike Holland Collection. Thorne Waite was a painter of landscapes and country scenes, mainly in watercolour. He was influenced by artists such as Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding and Peter de Wint. He painted in a fresh and breezy style and was particularly fond of painting corn and hayfields.

6 Replies to “Paintings”

  1. There’s a great range of paintings of Shoreham here with interesting information to go with them but for image B30 it just says “Tony Cook artist.. details to follow”. He was an inspirational Fine Art tutor at West Sussex College of Art and Design (later Northbrook College) and I discovered quite a bit more about Tony and his time living and painting in Shoreham on this website (see link below) which maybe can be included.
    https ://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/things-to-do/22604428.tony-cooke-talent-inspire/

  2. Re. Painting B85. I remember when we moved to Shoreham after the War (1945) seeing a large wooden ship of the stocks opposite what was then Woolworths in the High Street. When was that site cleared and the present poor quality shops built to replace it?

    1. 1963 ish. Featured in Paul Plumb’s film A river Runs Through This Town, or Shoreham Peeps… both on the Video page of this site.

    2. 1963 ish. Featured in Paul Plumb’s film A river Runs Through This Town, or Shoreham Peeps… both on the Video page of this site.

  3. Suters the yacht builders had that area down to the riverside David, up to the 1960’s when it was sold for redevelopment. Much of the street frontage there was demolished in the late 1930’s.

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