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Middle Mill, Colchester

Bayes

1940

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Early Modern

Dominant colour

Middle Mill, Colchester is a 1940 watercolor by Bayes, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Bayes
When & what style?: 1940 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This sketch shows a quiet riverside scene with a small wooden building and a tall chimney in the background. Trees line the banks, their branches loose and sketchy, while a bridge arches over the water. The colors are soft—pale blues, yellows, and greens—with quick, light strokes that feel like a quick note rather than a polished drawing. The artist focused on simple shapes and light touches, almost like a quick sketchbook doodle. The bridge’s railing and the river’s edge are barely suggested, leaving lots of white space. Want to see more work like this? Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

Middle Mill, Colchester is a watercolour by Henry Bayes from 1940 depicting a riverside scene in Colchester. The foreground shows the Colne River with swans and three figures crossing a bridge, while the background features the town’s skyline, including a church spire and a factory chimney. The work employs delicate watercolour tones and cross-hatching to convey the light and atmosphere of the location on a sunny day. It was created as part of the "Recording Britain" project, a wartime initiative to document Britain’s landscape and national identity through topographical artworks.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Bayes

This artist painted watercolours around London in the 1940s. They captured quiet spots like The Gateway at Royal Naval College, Greenwich, The Garden at York House in Twickenham, and London Dock, Wapping. Each sheet…

See the richer artist page