Gallery

Shop in Pool Valley, Brighton – Charles Knight

One of Knight's finest pictures in the collection captures this central Brighton enclave perfectly, the artist's architectural knowledge on full display, enhanced by his adept use of earthy tones and the deft rendering of three human figures.

The Mill, Houghton – Martin Hardie

This evocative picture captures the strange beauty of this mill, reflected in the waters below, which, unlike the ill-fated House of Usher, was destined to endure, survive the war and depredations of modernity, and is still standing, and producing flour, today.

The Ashopton Inn – Kenneth Rowntree

Two views – outside and in – capture the quaint charm of this village pub, lost now to the demands of progress, and to the depths of the Ladybower Reservoir.

3-12 Charles Street, Brighton – Charles Knight

By making a feature of its omissions this sketch captures something of the fugitive nature of all seaside towns, none more so than Brighton, which wears its salty, wind-beaten patina, from building to building, with a certain nebulous pride.

Cliff Bridge Terrace And Museum, Scarborough – Kenneth Rowntree

Looking inland, Rowntree's lively vista may take certain liberties with perspective but only to enhance the work, perfectly catching the town's architectural salmagundi.

St. Peter Mancroft, Norwich, From Bethel Street – Russell Reeve

This elegant watercolour drops us into the heart of old Norwich, just to the west of the covered market. Its subject is, after the two cathedrals, the largest church in the city, a centre for bell-ringing and the site of an exquisite collection of medieval stained glass.

23 & 24 New Road, Brighton – Charles Knight

Knight's evocative, somewhat ghostly, drawing centres on two stores in Brighton's North Laine, a hub of commerce and culture, then as now, just minutes from the Royal Pavilion.

Chiswick House, The Cedars And The Sphinx – A. S. Hartrick

This energetic depiction captures something of the spirit of this south-west London landmark, know for its glamorous, and often eccentric, history.

St. Peter’s, Theberton – Jack L. Airy

There's an innocent, almost childlike, quality to Airy's watercolour that somehow both complements and contrasts the architectural reality of this Suffolk church, with its imposing bell tower, thatched roof, and curious history.

Geffrye Museum, Kingsland Road, E.2 – Phyllis Dimond

There's an easy harmony in Dimond's painting, the arching branches of two trees complementing the symmetry of the building itself, former almshouses converted to a museum that centres on the ways we arrange and occupy our homes.

Gateway, Royal Naval College, Greenwich – Walter Bayes

The use of the main buildings have changed over the years, but the bold, triumphal gateway remains, captured here elegantly by Bayes, and recalling Britain's history of empire, exploration and exploitation.