Artwork
Youngsbury House and Park
Youngsbury House and Park is a watercolor work on paper by the Regionalist artist Hawkins. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The watercolour titled Youngsbury House and Park, signed and dated 1940, presents a panoramic view of the manor house set within its surrounding parkland. Autumnal trees frame the scene, their yellow and orange foliage contrasting with the muted sky, while cattle graze in the distance, contributing to a tranquil rural atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on Youngsbury manor, its brown brick walls and grey roof visible through a canopy of seasonal leaves. A solitary brown animal, likely a dog, appears among the grazing cattle, suggesting everyday life on the estate and emphasizing the harmony between architecture and the countryside.
Technique & Style
Executed in watercolour, the work employs a restrained palette of earth tones and soft greys, allowing the bright autumn leaves to stand out. Loose brushwork captures the foliage and sky, while finer details render the house’s structure and the texture of the trees, creating a balance between specificity and atmospheric impression.
History & Provenance
Created as part of the Recording Britain initiative, the painting was commissioned during World War II to document sites of national importance at risk from wartime change. The project, funded by the Pilgrim Trust and overseen by Sir Kenneth Clark, mobilised artists to record Britain’s historic and rural landscapes.
Context
Recording Britain produced over 1,500 works, focusing primarily on English locales, with comparatively few pieces from Wales and Scotland. Youngsbury House and Park reflects the programme’s aim to preserve visual records of traditional settings and architectural heritage amid the upheavals of the early 1940s.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (8 February 1807 – 27 January 1894) was an English sculptor and natural history artist renowned for his work on the life-size models of dinosaurs in the Crystal Palace Park in south London.
