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Dashwood Mausoleum West Wycombe, with road to High Wycombe

Seabrooke

1940

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Early Modern

Dominant colour

Dashwood Mausoleum West Wycombe, with road to High Wycombe is a 1940 watercolor by Seabrooke, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

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

About this work

This sketch shows a grand, empty building with tall arches and columns. The walls are plain, with a few small windows and decorative urns on the roof. Outside, a fence runs along a road, and trees line the horizon. The artist used loose, quick brushstrokes—some areas are barely there, while others have heavier lines. It’s like a quick snapshot of a place, not every detail filled in. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see this watercolor in person.

The story of this work

Overview

A watercolour signed by Seabrooke depicts the Dashwood Mausoleum at West Wycombe Park, framed by an arched window and leading the viewer’s eye along a straight road toward High Wycombe. Part of the "Recording Britain" project, it was created in 1940 under a Ministry of Labour scheme to document sites of national identity during the Second World War. The collection, funded by the Pilgrim Trust and overseen by Sir Kenneth Clark, aimed to preserve scenes threatened by wartime damage, urban expansion, and shifting rural traditions. The work reflects the broader effort to record the changing face…

Read the full account in the museum source.