The Hawthorn Horse, Oakham, Rutlandshire

The subject is a hawthorn topiary shaped as a horse, a traditional rural ornament now fading from common practice. Its solitary presence on a grassy slope suggests both endurance and obsolescence. The absence of buildings or landmarks shifts focus to the sculpture itself, inviting contemplation of craftsmanship and the quiet loss of vernacular traditions amid wartime disruption.

Jones employs delicate watercolour washes to render the green topiary with subtle tonal variations, suggesting the texture of clipped foliage. The mane is lightly highlighted with pale strokes, contrasting the darker body. The background features soft, loose brushwork for the sky and sparse foliage, creating a sense of air and distance. The signature and date are placed unobtrusively, consistent with the project’s documentary aim.

Commissioned by the 'Recording Britain' initiative, this work entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection alongside over 1,500 other pieces by 97 artists. The project, directed by Sir Kenneth Clark, sought to archive at-risk elements of the English countryside during the Second World War. Jones’s watercolour remains part of this curated archive, preserved as a record of a specific time and place.

During the war, many rural landscapes and traditional crafts faced decline due to neglect, development, or destruction. 'Recording Britain' responded by commissioning artists to document these elements before they vanished. Jones’s focus on a single topiary animal reflects the project’s interest in modest, overlooked features of the English countryside rather than grand monuments.

The painting endures as part of a significant wartime cultural archive, offering insight into how artists interpreted quiet, everyday rural forms. Its preservation in the Victoria and Albert Museum ensures continued access to this perspective on England’s landscape during a period of national upheaval. The work contributes to broader understanding of how art documented social and environmental change.