Artists in Loughborough, Leicestershire, and Rutland

Author and local historian Tony Jarram with the Liberty Bell, Philadelphia, 2020

So, following on from the guest post on Zeppelins in Loughborough, written by expert Ian Castle, that appeared on this blog in February, tonight my guest blogger is local man, Tony Jarram, well-known to many of my readers, I'm sure. Here's what Tony has to say about artists with connections to Loughborough ...

Artists associated with Loughborough, Leicestershire, and Rutland - Tony Jarram

My first introduction to the great artists was as a child when the shops displayed huge boxes of chocolates decorated by a famous painting [see Editor's note, below].

Hugo Meynell, Joshua Reynolds

I recall a few years later, at Garendon School, being asked by my art teacher, Mr Weston*, for the name of my favourite artist. “John Constable” was my reply. “Chocolate box painter” he muttered. At the next lesson he came over to my desk with a print of Constable’s Hay Wain. He placed a piece of card over the landscape leaving only the sky showing. “That’s what made Constable a great artist”, he said. I never forgot that and always look at the sky on works of art before the scene below.

I had not realised at the time that John Constable (1776-1837) had been in Leicestershire and had been one of many artists, the like of who had visited Sir George Beaumont at Coleorton Hall. Others had included David Wilkie, Thomas Wilkie, Thomas Girtin, Benjamin Haydon and George Morland. When Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) died Beaumont built a cenotaph at Coleorton. Constable painted this memorial and “The Cenotaph” is now displayed in the National Gallery. George Howland Beaumont (1753-1827) was a most accomplished artist and played a crucial part in the creation of the National Gallery, making the first bequest of paintings from his collection. He was a friend of the Lake Poets especially Wordsworth.

The two most significant Leicestershire artists are John Ferneley and John Boultbee. Ferneley was born in Thrussington in 1728 and following his death in Melton was buried back in the village in 1860. He was for three years from 1801 the student of Ben Marshall (who is thought to have been born in Barkby). Ferneley’s works include “Melton Horse Fair” (exhibited at Leicestershire County Hall at Glenfield),“The Quorn at Quenby” (1823) an oil sketch of which is in the collection of Leicestershire Museums, and “Grant family at Melton” (1823) also in the same collection.

John Boultbee lived in Loughborough and painted mainly horses but was a very accomplished portrait artist and his study of Daniel Lambert is probably his best-known work. This study of reputably Leicestershire’s largest man is part of the Leicestershire Museums collection that also includes “Robert Bakewell mounted on a Bay Cob”.

Boultbee’s paintings of Bakewell’s animals from his pioneer breeding programmes are of significant importance and include paintings of Leicestershire Longwool Sheep and Shire Horses. Boultbee died in 1812 but his son Thomas Joseph who was born in Loughborough in 1787 was also an artist and exhibited at Liverpool academy.

In brief, other artists who have made their mark include, Anstey born, Lemuel Francis Abbot (1760-1802) who was an accomplished, London-based, portrait painter who painted, among others, Lord Nelson.

It is important to note that the artists mentioned were operating in Leicestershire (and Rutland) as their main benefactors were here. These included, in addition to Beaumont, the Pochins of Barkby, The Duke of Rutland and the Packe’s of Prestwold Hall.

This brief account can only cover the most notable artists, but Leicestershire has over the years produced some most talented works in a variety of forms.

The final reference in this note is of the architectural sketches of the London architect William Railton (1800-1877), the designer of Nelson’s column who sketched some of his Leicestershire buildings. Known surviving examples of these drawings include Beaumanor Hall; a proposed national school at Shepshed (thought to be St Botolph’s) and the Herrick Alms Houses at Woodhouse.

 

* Raymond John Weston, art teacher at Garendon High School 1957-1992, died on 2 April 2020. There are hundreds of tributes to him on this website.

References and Further Reading:

Evans I.M., 1976. Charnwood’s Heritage. Leicestershire Museums, Art Galleries and Records Service

Gaunt William, 1958 (revised edition 1959). The Observer’s Book of Painting and Graphic Art. Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd. London (Tony’s first art book).

Websites (not exhaustive!):

ArtUK. Lemuel Francis Abbott. [Online]. https://www.artuk.org/discover/artists/abbott-lemuel-francis-17601803 [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Blackbrook Gallery. John Boultbee (1742-1812). [Online]. https://www.blackbrookgallery.co.uk/artist-john-boultbee [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Boultbee, Richard (2012). The history of the Boultbee family. [Online].

https://boultbee.info/bfh/viis2.htm#p86 [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020). Benjamin Robert Haydon. [Online].

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-Robert-Haydon [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019). George Morland. [Online]. https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Morland [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020). John Constable: London years. [Online]. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Constable/London#ref828330 [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019). Sir David Wilkie. [Online].

https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Wilkie [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020). Thomas Girtin: British artist. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Girtin [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Genealogy from [RHS]. Thomas Joseph Boultbee. [Online]. https://www.boultbee.info/webtrees/individual.php?pid=I192&ged=RHB&themecolor=ash&theme=xenea [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Jarram, Tony [2018]. William Railton (1800-1870): architect of St Paul’s church, Woodhouse Eaves. [Online]. http://www.stpaulsheritage.org/resources/19)-Railton-(website).pdf St Paul’s Heritage. [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Sewter. A.C. (1955). Leicestershire artists. [Online]. In: Hoskins, W.G, & McKinley, R.A. (eds.) A history of the county of Leicester: Vol.III. Victoria County History. pg. 218-242 [Accessed: 30 March 2020]

The National Gallery. John Constable (1776-1837). [Online].  https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/  [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

The National Gallery. David Wilkie (1785-1841). [Online]. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/david-wilkie [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

The National Gallery. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792). [Online].

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/sir-joshua-reynolds [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Visit Leicester. See & do: New Walk Museum & Art Gallery. [Online]. https://www.visitleicester.info/see-and-do/new-walk-museum-and-art-gallery-p700961 [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Wikipedia. Benjamin Marshall. [Online]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Marshall [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Wikipedia. John Boultbee (artist). [Online]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boultbee_(artist) [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Wikipedia. John Ferneley. [Online]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ferneley [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Wikipedia. Thomas Girtin. [Online]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Girtin [Accessed: 29 March 2020]

Editor’s note

As Tony intimates, the term ‘chocolate box art’ often refers to works of art reproduced on the lid of boxes of chocolate, and serves to dismiss the art as somehow inferior. There’s a short article on Wikipedia that tells you a little more about this topic.

For animal paintings like those around at the time of Robert Bakewell, pop over to the Althorp House website and tour the house, looking particularly at the paintings in the Sunderland Room.

Another Leicestershire artist of note was John Flower, who at one time worked from the top floor of a property on New Walk.

  

Doing an image search on the internet will bring up quite a lot of images of paintings by all the artists mentioned above in Tony’s great article.

Author: 

Tony was born in Loughborough in 1949 and is a regular on the local history speaker circuit with subjects including “The Day Buffalo Bill came to Town”, “Lacemakers and Luddites” and “The architect “William Railton.” He was one of the founder members of The Friends of Charnwood Museum and served on the committee for the first 10 years. Tony was one of the two local historians who were asked to research the history of the Brush Electrical Engineering Company for its centenary in 1979 and the previous year wrote the book “Brush Aircraft – Production at Loughborough”.

Other published work includes the co-written “The Lacemakers’ Story” for the Friends of Charnwood Museum, and also the “Luddite Trail”. Recent work has included research, initially for St Paul’s church Woodhouse Eaves, on the work of the architect William Railton.

Tony has undertaken research for authors and museums in both the UK and USA on a variety of subjects including aviation, tramcars, early steam locomotives and naval history. Tony was given an Honorary Membership of Loughborough Library Local Studies and is a campaigner to recognise Loughborough’s heritage. He is also a keen amateur artist and between local history and transport studies enjoys visiting art galleries.


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Jarram, Tony (2020). Artists in Loughborough, Leicestershire and Rutland. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2020/03/artists-in-loughborough-leicestershire.html  [Accessed 29 March 2020]

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