The Old Prison, Northleach
1943
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1943
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
The Old Prison, Northleach is a 1943 watercolor by Swan, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This sketch shows a quiet street with a large, plain building in the middle. It looks like an old prison with tall windows and a flat roof. The walls are pale, and there’s a stone wall in front with a narrow path. A few bare trees and a small fence line the scene, and the sky is soft and light. The artist signed it in 1943, calling it *The Old Prison, Northleach*. The watercolor feels simple but careful, with gentle washes of color. If you like this style, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The watercolour *The Old Prison, Northleach* by Swan, dated 1943, depicts a view from the road of a three-building complex linked by high walls, with the right-hand structure featuring cross-shaped lancet windows. A grassy forecourt leads to a low boundary wall, while a hill rises on the left in the background. The prison, designed in the 1790s by Sir George Onesiphorus Paul, was originally built as a house of correction under the influence of penal reform. This work was part of the *Recording Britain* project, a wartime initiative to document Britain’s cultural and architectural heritage.
Read the full account in the museum source.
In 1942, this watercolor artist captured Cirencester and the Cotswolds in soft, detailed scenes.
See the richer artist page
