05 Aug 2024
A new exhibition in the North Transept of St Albans Cathedral featuring the artwork of 19th century artist Holmes Winter presents a unique and valuable record of our city at the start of a period of great change.
Winter (1851-1935) trained at the Norwich School of Art and came to St Albans around 1880 to draw, paint and teach. He was a contemporary and friend of Frederick Kitton – well known both for his editing and illustrating the work of Charles Dickens as well as his conservation efforts in St Albans.
The exhibition, which runs throughout August, features his images of St Albans. Winter had another purpose in producing these besides one of profit. He wanted to alert everyone to the risks many of our valuable buildings faced. He therefore sketched them and, from the drawings, produced a limited edition of 100 etchings called ‘The Last of Old St Albans’. In technical terms, they are less accurate than his friend Kitton’s drawings but are arguably more atmospheric.
The selection in the exhibition comes from the collection of Malcolm Holliday a member of St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society (the Arc and Arc) – one of Britain’s largest, oldest, and most thriving local historical societies. Malcolm has lived in St Albans for 30 years and, like Winter, has a long-term interest in the preservation of the city’s architecture.
He acquired a full set of Winter’s ‘The Last of Old St Albans’ at an antique sale, and it seems that his set was hand-coloured by Winter himself. Malcolm has chosen over 30 views which you can see in the exhibition. From these he has chosen his ‘Top 10’. There is a leaflet with a walking trail around St Albans so visitors can see the location of these 10 images.
“The exhibition is a ‘must see’ for anyone interested in old St Albans,” says Dr John Morewood, president of the Arc and Arc.
“But the exhibition has a serious purpose as well. As Holmes Winter realised, awareness of what we could lose is the beginning, and it is a sad reflection that there are places where our heritage is again at risk. The examples are numerous: The Samuel Ryder Seed Hall on Holywell Hill, Lee Hall Ruins colloquially known as ‘Sopwell Priory’, the building formerly called The Rose and Crown in St Michael’s, and the Elizabethan ‘Venus and Adonis’ mural at Pots of Art, Holywell Hill, to name just a few.
“Last year we set up our own ‘Heritage at Risk’ list and although much has been accomplished it tends to be by the efforts of a few well-meaning volunteers. We are grateful that other conservation-minded bodies such as the Civic Society, St Albans Cathedral and Abbey, and Conservation 50 work on preserving St Albans’ heritage.”
The exhibition runs until August 30 in the North Transept.
