Coventry Art and Artists

I can see by this old watercolour by Joseph Turner how much in a deep dip Coventry city is. In WWII the government said Coventry didn't need air protection as it sits in a dip and is mainly covered in mist as it shows.

Spon Gate watercolour by W G Sharp

Competition for rebuild of Coventry Cathedral.

Rupert Cordeux shortlisted for prestigious award

Despite the French sounding surname, Rupert, for reasons I can only guess at, doesn't seem so keen to be remembered by his original surname of Chicken. He has two brothers also, Quentin and Miles, the latter of whom was in my class at Stoke Park school, where they all attended. I recall Rupert winning that Channel 4 painting competition some years ago and he's certainly extremely talented, so good luck to him in this coming competition.

Cross-referencing a new addition to "our list" of Famous Coventrians - David Gee - this link to a slideshow of some of his work According to the National Calendar of Probate, he died on 9 January 1872

"Sentinel" by E Brown We have a most unusual picture that is framed and matted. It is very old, and the backing has turned brown and is peeling off. It is of an old bare tree that seems to be in a fork in a road, with notes posted on it. In black and white and is called the Sentinel. It is signed by E. Brown. It also has an old brass plaque, that says the Sentinel. We have had it for many many years, and thought it might be from the civil war. In researching the E. Brown name, it lead me to you. Does anyone have any ideas. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Maybe a photo would help in solving this historynut.

The name doesn't ring a bell. But there were a lot of impressive trees eg Jabets (also search Janet) Ash, Baginton Oak, Gospel Oak, Binley and a rather impressive one at Walsgrave manor. There's even a sketch book or two dedicated to them by, I think John Gulson, but I'm not sure. I wasn't particularly interested in the trees so I haven't got any photos of the sketches but there might be a similar tree to yours

This is labelled as Charles II House Coventry but I'm doubting it is. It does resemble the style of buildings in Coventry but I don't know of any that matched this. Does anyone know of a Charles II House? Two options - that the artist has created the view from imagination or that someone has misattributed it, thinking it was Bayley Lane. From the earliest images (older that the painting above) I know that the buildings next to St Mary's Hall did not resemble the painting. It only superficially looks like the drawing below of Bayley Lane.

Helen, do you have any idea of the date of the painting?

Sadly no Ann but the artist was James Lawson Stewart (1829-1911). I think the back part of the building looks like flint which would place it in the south, which is where his other two paintings for sale are from. I can't think Troughton would have missed this one if it had existed when he was sketching the city.

This picture is a puzzle! I have found a reference on a site gth.net with one of his paintings ref 272 The Old Manor House, Cheylesmore, and there is also one on ebay at the moment of Exhall. Do they mean by a Charles II house that it was built in his reign? The one by St Mary's Hall is older, I think it is Tudor by the plaque. The tower in the background looks too "dumpy" for Holy Trinity or St Michael's. Also I don't remember seeing anything like the trough/drinking fountain or horse trough in the picture. There is a drinking fountain outside St Mary's but that is a completely different shape. So sorry I can't be of much help but if I do come across anything I will let you know.