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LOUISE RAYNER IN EASTERN ENGLAND |
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Page order: the two midland towns first: Derby and Warwick; then the more easterly towns, going north to south. | ||||||||
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DERBY We originally believed that Louise Rayner painted only one view of Derby - the slightly faded one Irongate, Derby, below left, courtesy of Derby Museum and Art Gallery. Even when we realised we were seeing variations of the view, we thought that they might have been reworked from the same original studies. But once you see them together their dates are clearly different, though consistency of fashion (full dresses in both, even the woman in the carriage pulled by the white horse) suggests that it's not by a great margin. The church in the background is the Cathedral Church of All Saints - the smallest cathedral in England.
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Note that the Elizabethan houses are relatively clean-faced when Louise painted her view. By the beginning of the 1900s, the upper floors were heavily covered in Virginia Creeper, and by the end of the 1930s (or immediately after World War II) the ivy had been cleaned off completely. St Mary's Church nave and tower were destroyed by the great fire of Warwick in 1694, but rebuilt in ten years. The church contains the Beauchamp Chapel, also painted by Louise. For a small charge you can apparently climb to the tower and enjoy the surrounding views of the countryside. 
Above, we have Leycester's hospital, Warwick. Despite the name, Lord Leycester's Hospital has never been about medical care. It takes the old definition of the word, being "a charitable institution for the housing and maintenance of the needy, infirm or aged" with the emphasis on former warriors and their wives. It was set up in Elizabeth the First's reign, was still that when Louise painted it (though we don't have a date for the painting) and remains so today. It is open to public visit. The main image here shows its rather dramatic position on the hill (perhaps enhanced by Louise!). Below are two details. At left, the struggle up the hill, emphasised by the fall-away from the pavement by the left-hand building and the obviously flatter land below. At right, the daily details that Louise was so fond of: people sitting or standing chatting while others get on with the daily chore of filling pails from the public water pump.
We know the following paintings of Warwick exist, but have not seen them. We would welcome information about any of them - and especially images, of course! Interior of the Beauchamp Chapel, St. Mary's, Warwick (watercolour) Beauchamp Chapel, Warwick (oil, before 1877) Smith Street, Warwick (before 1877) Friars' Street, Warwick. |
LINCOLN
Lincoln obviously had more views and subjects for Louise, and Andy King informs us that she is thought to have made several trips to the city. She may well have visited Lincoln very early in her career (before 1850), as her father Samuel was a good friend of Peter DeWint, an artist particularly known for his watercolours of Lincoln. Right: Lincoln Cathedral from the South - a quite dramatic view. Date not known. | |||
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 At right, the vaguely titled English Street Scene was offered for sale in the early 2000s by McTears for £1500-£2000. It shows the water conduit at St Mary le Wigford, Lincoln, now a scheduled monument standing in front of the original Lincoln parish church of St Mary le Wigford (beside the railway line). The building supplied water to local inhabitants, and was built in 1540 following the dissolution of the Whitefriars, using stone from the friary buildings. There are four known paintings of the water conduit by Louise - 1901 (titled The Water Conduit at St.Mary le Wigford, Lincoln); two in 1881 (titled St. Mary's Conduit, Lincoln 1881 and merely The Conduit, Lincoln); and this one thought to date from her early visits of 1863 or 1864. We would welcome confirmation from anyone with more knowledge of the date. The dress fashion seems the best pointer, though local historians may pick up something from the buildings. |
Our last view of Lincoln is this sketch circa 1863 of The Plough Boy Inn, 60 Burton Road, Lincoln. It is thought to be by Louise, though it's possibly by her brother Richard, and it's conjectured that Louise might have been staying opposite. The caption below the sketch reads "Closed till after Church". The Plough Boy (the "Inn" has been dropped) still exists and still sells drinks today. |
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GRANTHAM So far we only have this one painting of Grantham by Louise, and it shows Grantham Market Place. A painting by Thomas Allom and T. Clark shows almost exactly the same view in 1837, but from a few steps back, and there is very little difference except that Louise widened the arch through the distant building where the coach is emerging. Allom & Clark also populated their view, and sitting on the steps of the market cross was as popular in their day as in Louise's! Apart from improving the road and the pavements (and in some cases renovating the buildings), the scene was still recognisable in Francis Frith photographs of 1893 and 1955, though we think that some of the buildings have been replaced in more recent times. In addition, Andy King informs us that lords of the manor twice took away the market cross, apparently for their own decoration. The first time was in 1779, when public outcry swiftly brought its return. The second time was in 1886, and it wasn't until 1914 that public protest finally succeeded in getting it back then. In the meantime, the cross was replaced by an obelisk which can be seen in the 1893 Frith photo mentioned above. We are unsure of the date of the painting, but ladies by the shop appear to have quite full dresses, and we would suggest the 1860s. As Louise made several trips to Lincoln in this period, it seems reasonable to suggest that this painting resulted from an excursion from the city or as the next stop on a tour. 
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PETERBOROUGH We have no Peterborough paintings to show, but we know that Louise painted a picture called Preparing for Petermas, Peterborough at some point before 1874, and we'd love to have an image of it! |
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We are also aware of the following paintings of Cambridge, but have not seen them. We would welcome information about any of them - and especially images, of course! Cambridge Entrance to Jesus College, Cambridge King's Chapel, Cambridge St. Michael's Church, Trumpington Street, Cambridge Street Scene, Cambridge |
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| Dudley Mall pages about Louise: | |
| Louise Rayner | - the main biography and a list of her earlier paintings |
| Louise at Chester | - where Louise made her home and did some of her best work. |
| Louise at Dudley | - front page introduction |
| Louise at Flint | - the images for Henry Taylor's book. |
| Louise in Northern England | - York... Selby... and hopefully more |
| Louise in Eastern England | - Lincoln... Derby... Cambridge |
| Louise in London and the South East | - London... Tunbridge Wells... Hastings |
| Louise in Wales and the west Midlands | - Conway... Ludlow... Gloucester |
| Louise in the South and South West | - Oxford... Chippenham... Salisbury |
| Louise in Scotland | - Edinburgh |
| Louise in Southern Scotland | - Roslin (we have no other Scottish paintings at present) |
| Louise Abroad | - Rheims... Venice... and possibly Bruges |
| In preparation: | - The Rayners at Windsor |
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Please take note: we claim no art expertise, and in no way do we offer provenance for any paintings. What you see here was compiled out of interest in Louise Rayner's paintings and those by her family, but is based on sometimes very fragmentary evidence. As such, it is inevitable that there will be errors, though we naturally hope to reduce these over time. We would gratefully receive any information or corrections that will help us to fill the gaps and resolve unproved links - for example confirmation of dates of birth, death, etc., and details of other addresses the family lived at (and roughly when). Images of any of the family's paintings would also be very welcome. Thank you! |
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CAMBRIDGE
It does have an added point of interest. The detail here at left shows the signature on the edge of the pavement, with a reversed 's' and other letters painted differently from their underlying lines. The painting previously went through a Christies sale in 1991 when it drew £2860, and the signature is (uncertainly) believed to have been like that then, so it's probably an original Louise error!
This view shows Kings Parade, Cambridge, which may not be its proper title. It also turns up as "Street Scene, Cambridge" - but so do other paintings. Kings College is out of sight behind the railings to the left. These have now gone, possibly as a contribution to the scrap metal drive in World War Two. Trinity Street continues ahead of us into the distance, and what we assume is St. Mary's Church dominates the picture to the middle right. The last-but-one shop to the right is a bookshop, with what looks like the proprietor lounging in the doorway, waiting for trade. Perhaps his great-grandson does it now! We don't have a date for this painting, but the fashions make it look Edwardian or very late Victorian. As Louise was in Cambridge in 1901, it could date from then.
