Paul Sandby’s Thames pictures

Watercolour painter Paul Sandby is best known for his pictures of Windsor in George III’s reign.
The exhibition at the Royal Academy marking the 200th anniversary of his death in 1809  brings together his other Thames views.
He certainly knew the river well because his earliest drawing is of the Tower of London and he spent time [...]

Martin Karlsson’s pictures outside Tate Modern

The garden at the back of Tate Modern has gone to make way for the extension and its worksite.
However, the long hoarding round the back has just been decorated with over a hundred drawings by Swedish artist Martin Karlsson.
He includes places on the Thames Path which you may have just passed such as St Saviour’s [...]

Lowest tide next week

The Thames will have its lowest tide for five years on the morning of Wednesday 3 March.
Thames 21, London’s waterways charity, is organising a deep clean of the river bed. Volunteers are invited to put on old clothes and meet at the south end of Hammersmith Bridge at 11am.  The event will be over by [...]

Pancake Race on Thames Path

A pancake race was run along a stretch of the Thames Path today.
Southwark’s Shrove Tuesday race was in Montague Close where the national trail passes the cathedral.
See page 31.

Maidenhead improves Cliveden view towpath

News has reached me of improvements to the path between Islet Park House in Maidenhead and Cookham’s Mill Lane.
This comes from the Royal Borough of Maidenhead which has been responsible, with a Natural England grant, for widening the path and repairing the bank.
The erosion problems were mainly tackled early last year whilst the new stone [...]

Paul Nash and Wittenham Clumps

Paul Nash’s Wittenham Clumps painting is on the poster advertising the Paul Nash exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery. It’s also the cover picture for the catalogue.
This star picture, called Landscape of the Vernal Equinox, has been lent by the Queen. This is because the painting was purchased by the Queen Mother who hung it at [...]

New lighting in Southwark’s Clink Street

Clink Street, running under Cannon Street railway line bridge, used to be a delightful Dickensian road between warehouses. It may be too light soon.
The details are on the London SE1 website.
Although this stretch of the Thames Path, just west of Southwark Cathedral, is not alongside water it was thought to be an important part of [...]

Zoffany 200

This year is the 200th anniverary of Johan Zoffany’s death.
The artist, closely associated with the River Thames, died on 11 November 1810.
It seems that the bicentenary exhibition planned appropriately for Thames-side Tate Britain has been cancelled for fear that it will not attract enough people.
The Royal Academy of Arts has stepped in but cannot fit [...]

Rotherhithe in winter

Southwark marks the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity not with a service or talk but an ecumenical walk.
It was a pleasure to join in visiting first St Hugh’s, Guy’s Chapel and La Salette Church near London Bridge. After walking along the river, and looking for the seal as we crossed St Saviour’s Dock, [...]

Van Gogh and the Thames

I sometimes mention Vincent Van Gogh teaching at Isleworth although this was only for  a short time.
The Real Van Gogh exhibition opening at the Royal Academy of Arts on Saturday reminds us that the artist knew the river downstream at Lambeth and Westminster much better.
On display is a letter written in Paris in 1875 where [...]