Today, Sunday 23 August, is the 250th anniversary of Humphrey Gainsborough’s death.
His brother, the painter Thomas who lived for another twelve years, is buried in Kew churchyard.
Engineer and inventor Humphrey Gainsborough lived in Henley where he was a Congregational minister for almost thirty years.
Towards the end of his ministry he helped to design Henley’s pound lock.
He was already known as an inventor. One of his inventions was the front door security chain and an early example can be found at his church Christ Church URC in Reading Road. His former home, The Manse, is next door.
Before the Thames Path’s diversion away from the lock it was possible to see across the water to a rustic road bridge, spanning the end of Happy Valley, which Humphrey Gainsborough also designed.