Aylesford Bridge
1940
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1940
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Aylesford Bridge is a 1940 watercolor by Hennell, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a quiet village scene with a stone bridge in the foreground. The bridge has three arches, and a horse-drawn cart is crossing it. Behind the bridge, there are small houses with red-tiled roofs and a tall church tower. Leafless trees and a few bare branches frame the scene, while the sky is pale with soft clouds. The brushstrokes are loose and watery, giving the whole image a gentle, sketchy feel. The colors are muted—mostly grays, browns, and soft greens—with just a hint of blue in the sky. Next, look up Hennell to see more of this artist’s work.
A watercolour signed by the artist, *Aylesford Bridge* depicts a medieval bridge spanning the River Medway with the village of Aylesford in Kent visible in the background. Created in 1940 as part of the *Recording Britain* project, the work was commissioned to document aspects of British life and landscape during the Second World War, funded by the Pilgrim Trust and overseen by Sir Kenneth Clark. The scheme aimed to capture scenes perceived as emblematic of national identity, focusing on rural and historical subjects across England, with limited inclusion of Wales and Northern Ireland. The…
Read the full account in the museum source.
The Hennell family is a family of prominent silver-smiths and writers in Southern England.
See the richer artist page
