Artwork
Berwyn Farm, Swch Cae Rhiw, Denbighshire
Berwyn Farm, Swch Cae Rhiw, Denbighshire is a watercolor work on paper by the Regionalist artist Mildred E. Eldridge. It dates from 1941 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The watercolour portrays Berwyn Farm in Denbighshire, Wales.
About this work
Overview
The watercolour portrays Berwyn Farm in Denbighshire, Wales. A small flock of sheep occupies the left foreground while gentle hills rise behind the farm buildings. The composition is rendered in light, delicate washes that convey a tranquil, slightly isolated rural atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The image records a typical Welsh farmstead, emphasizing ordinary elements such as a wooden house, outbuildings, a stone wall, and scattered logs. By focusing on these modest details, the work reflects the everyday life of the countryside during a period of national uncertainty.
Technique & Style
Executed in transparent watercolour, the artist employs soft, linear strokes to suggest foliage, roofs, and distant mountains. The palette is muted, allowing the forms of the sheep and structures to emerge without dramatic contrast, reinforcing a sense of calm.
History & Provenance
Created in 1941, the piece was produced for the Recording Britain project, an initiative launched by Sir Kenneth Clark and financed by the Pilgrim Trust. The scheme commissioned artists to document British landscapes threatened by wartime change; over 1,500 works were generated by 97 artists, including this depiction of a Welsh farm.
Artist & collection
Artist
Mildred E. Eldridge painted the hills and barns of 1940s Wales in watercolours. She left us five small scenes of rural life, each titled by the place it shows: a stone barn in Llanrhaeadr, peat cutters near Cefn Coch,…
