Local History
The Abbey Bridge and Weir
in 1858, was most active as a landscape artist from 1880 until 1910. He was in the championship league of early nineteenth century landscape painters but nevertheless his water colours are
colours and fine lines...”
distinctive on account of their soft colours and fine lines. His preferred subjects were river and coastal scenes. On five occasions between 1888 and 1904 he exhibited at the Royal Academy. Besides being a talented artist he was also a good tennis player and golfer. In 1880 he married Margaret Sillar and they had eleven children. Their oldest daughter, Winifred, became a professional artist and illustrator of postcards. After his first wife’s death in 1927 Henry Wimbush married Emily Dremel, a widow and
“
..soft
The Parish Church
Lydford Gorge
“
..depth .. a camera would find difficulty in capturing...”
each which the camera, even a modern one, would have difficulty in capturing.
The postcard Brentor Church keen huntswoman.
lived with her at Bagborough near Taunton until his death aged 85 in May 1943.
postcards were painted in the mid-1890s but still have a timeless quality. They are not the standard Frith photographic views since there is a depth in
The six Tavistock He
simply titled ‘Tavistock’ is a view from the north- west side of the town looking down on the Parish Church and the Town Hall, and beyond towards Dartmoor. The spire of the Congregational Church, now long gone, can also be seen. The lady in the foreground hanging out the clothes is a neat contrast to the distant valley and hills behind Perhaps also a reminder that daily chores still have to be done even when living in a beautiful landscape. The ‘Abbey Bridge and
Weir’
postcard is a view downstream of Abbey Bridge and shows an
uncluttered Abbey Walk and smaller weir. The view of ‘The Parish Church’ is a curious one since it is from the top of Market Street with the lower portion of the church obscured by the shop buildings. People and a horse-drawn cart have been introduced to fill the foreground. The hostelry with the lantern on the left has been replaced by the 1960s Co-op, also gone are some of the shops on the right but the bay window looks vaguely familiar. The three postcards of ‘Lydford Gorge’, ‘Brentor Church’ and ‘The River
Tavy’
illustrate some exceptional local views around Tavistock. The introduction of light penetrating through gaps in the foliage, and the tiny figures of people and sheep against the backdrop of towering scenery, emphasises the splendour of the countryside around our town. ■
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